Meet Maya Manuela | Singer-songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maya Manuela and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maya, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve been writing songs since I was in elementary school and always knew that I wanted to really pursue it and really try to make it into a career. When I was in high school, I was told by an advisor and some friends that it was unrealistic and a horrible idea and that I should go to the best college I could to get a degree in something that could offer me security. Unfortunately, they actually got to me. I decided to go to college and to stop writing songs. A year and a half into my time there I became extremely depressed. Life had started to feel really pointless and small. The whole time that I was taking classes and talking about future careers and internships there, I knew that I wanted something different. I really believe that our bodies will reject the wrong path and that’s what mine was doing. I realized that whatever was to come, I was experiencing more pain not pursuing music than I would pursuing it. Sometimes it gets really difficult and painful, but I remember how ti felt to ignore it and shy away from it and I know that it’s worth it to build this right now.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Getting here was in no way easy. It feels like I’ve been trying to build this for over half my life. Writing has always been joyful for me. Even when the subject is sad or painful or complicated, the act of writing it and getting it out of my body and mind is joyful. Deciding to be a singer was terrifying. Obviously there are all of the hurdles of creating a song, writing it, finding the right producer to work with, distribution, PROs, all of the business things. And then there’s the hurdle of trying to find people to listen to your music and to care about it. The biggest thing for me, though, was getting through the personal, internal hurdles. I have had terrible stage fright all of my life. I don’t feel like I’m the best singer. I was super afraid to take up space and to be seen and heard. But I love creating, and the pain of getting through all of the internal doubts and fears and external complications was lesser than the pain of not fully pursuing this. I’ve found amazing mentors and friends to help me work through some of the things that were holding me back. I truly don’t know if I would’ve been able to keep pushing through some of the low times and stick on this path without them. That’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in the past few years, community is everything. The circle of people you have around you is everything. I think there’s a saying that goes something like “you can go faster alone but you can go further together”. This has been true time and time again.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Honky Tonk Tuesday would be (and usually is) on the top of my list. I didn’t grow up two-stepping so going and watching people dance and trying to learn myself is one of my favorite things to do and a really unique experience in Nashville. We’d Live music is a staple as well, there’s obviously incredible country artists and bands all over the city but I really love going to the invite at Flamingo, it offers a different kind of live music experience than most venues as everyone who is playing is improvising and just kind of jamming on the spot together. Mickeys is another staple for me, one of my best friends and I go there frequently to play darts and monopoly deal. It’s a small dive bar with a great outdoor area and great food truck. I’m a big fan of hiking, too, so I would definitely try to fit in a waterfall hike a little outside of the city. As far as food goes, Hawkers is one of my current favorites, they have great Asian street food. This is kind of lame but I would probably end up cooking in a bit as well, I love to cook for people so I’d definitely want to get people together at home.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To Sheree, for uplifting and inspiring everyone around her. To Kim Franca, for helping me find my voice. To Phil Barnes for believing in me before I could believe in myself. To my family, for supporting me, encouraging me, and cheering me on.

Website: https://mayamanuela.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayamanuela_/?hl=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMujL_2lQ_gN6ZtNB7y2UvA

Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2j8wChAydgHOLAeSiRYjOC?si=2b673f5eb0af438a