Maxi

It’s fair to say there are a lot of female vocalists emerging all the time, but it’s exceptionally rare that one of these newcomers actually has a sophisticated sound and brings something new to the table, and this is where Maxi comes in to play.

Having just released her debut single, ‘In A Little While’, Melbourne singer Maxi has captivated listeners with her fabulous and eerie sound. Here, she talks to BBM about Photoshopping dribble off of babies’ faces and just how sexy Jim Morrison really is (as if we needed telling).

Hi Maxi, how are you?

Hey, I’m really well thanks.

So what have you been up to today then?

I have to work another job to support my music. I actually work at a kids modelling agency, which is quite bizarre. I Photoshop dribble off babies’ faces and lots of strange stuff like that. It’s sort of fun and sort of weird, though.

Is it anything like the beauty pageants you see in America?

No – in Australia we’re too chilled out for that. It’s not a bunch of orange, spray-tanned girls with fake eyelashes.

So, you’re new single. ‘In A Little While’, is great. What has the response been like to it?

It’s been really lovely! I wasn’t quite sure exactly how people would react to it. I chose that song specifically to be the first song off the EP. It’s a little bit eerie, but it’s also a bit relaxed too. For that reason it seems like quite a varied bunch of people like it. Someone told me an 83-year-old woman called Doreen has had a listen to it and she really likes the layers, which is absolutely adorable!

Yeah, your sound is quite haunting, what is the song actually about? Does the tone of the song reflect what it’s about?

Yeah, a little bit. Someone told me that it sounded like I’d eaten a bunch of magic mushrooms and I’m walking home at 7am, which was not my inspiration for it… haha. The inspiration for it was not really very vicious or angry, but I was a little bit annoyed at somebody. I sort of vented it and I wrote that song, maybe in a little bit of a ‘catch you later, sucker’ way. I don’t really write lyrics that are perhaps so obvious because it doesn’t really matter in the end what I think about it so much.

I saw on Facebook that you’ve recently filmed the video for the song. Was that a lot of fun? Can you tell us what happens in the video?

I can tell you! I’m so excited and it’s so farfetched. I was really worried because I had a concept in my head when we were recording this song. I had in my head a really fabulous vintage pushbike that I ride around in and I thought ‘gosh, I love Harley Davidsons’. I think big, hairy men in double denim on Harley Davidsons are fabulous, so we included some in the video. We filmed it over in Pearcedale and in some industrial areas.

We’re looking forward to seeing it! When will it be available to watch?

It will be out officially on the same day as the single, which is the 23rd July. It feels so far away!

I read that you wrote ‘In A Little While’ in your parents’ attic. Is that true?

Yeah, I lived in my parents’ attic for about four years. It was like a little cocoon; a nutshell where I couldn’t hear anyone else and no one else could here me. I was just up there in a little bubble, which was really nice.

What got you into music in the first place? What are your musical influences?

Oh it’s really strange, no one in my family is particularly musical. My parents fail to be able to clap in time, bless their hearts. I was just always one of those really over-active children – I just wanted to do it all! I wanted to be some sort of actress, so I did musical theatre, which has proved to be quite a good platform for this kind of stuff as well.

Does the rest of the EP create a similar atmosphere as ‘In A Little While’?

Well, I guess looking back on it all the songs have their own identity. They’re all electronic in their own way. I think that the main influences were bands like The Bee Gees, who write songs that have some kind of groove.

It sounds like you could perform these songs and the crowd will be dancing along to every song.

That’s the vibe, that’s what I like. When I see live music, I want to have a bit of a bop around.

Is there anyone who you’d love to work with in the future?

Gosh, there are so many people. I would love to work with Brian Eno, I just think he’s such a rockstar. I would love him to produce my tracks.

Will you be going on tour after the EP comes out?

I hope to do a few shows, definitely some shows in Melbourne and up the East Coast.

Have you built up a fanbase in Melbourne?

I haven’t been actively collecting fans, but it seems that they’re finding me! Especially since this single’s been released, quite a few blogs from other countries have posted about it. I think most people now just want to see a live show and to get a full EP. It’s exciting to think that there are people who are not my friends who like my music.

What music do you listen to when you want to chill out?

If I want to chill out, I don’t mind a bit of The Doors. They’re one of my all-time favourite bands. I just think that Jim Morrison has such a fabulously sexy voice.

What do you hope to achieve for the rest of 2012?

Get a band together, put out the EP, hopefully find some more people who enjoy the EP… It’s funny because it’s been so long in the process of being made and now it is made, it’s a completely different state of mind. We have a really cool festival circuit in Australia, so hopefully we’ll book a few of those as well.

Good luck! Thank you for talking to me.
Thank you so much!

By Georgina Deacon
@eltorgie

Grab a free download of Maxi’s Intro (Drop It) HERE

Check out the BBM Podcast HERE