September 11, 2023 • 37 mins
A child of the arts with inspiration from all directions. Growing up with a musical family and entering the game at an early age. Mya recently celebrated the 25th year Anniversary of her first album, released a new single, and unreleased projects she can’t wait to share! In this episode, Mya defines what being an artist means to her and how important it has been to start her own independent label. She made a commitment to herself; to write her own narrative while loving herself completely.
Connect: @CariChampion @MyaPlanet9
Learn More: MYAMYA.com
Listen: Whine ft Bounty Killer
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Marrying myself was not a physical ceremony. It was in
the music video. And I think what happened in the
press with just one picture and the fixation was shown.
Why are people fixated on this idea? Because that's how
we were raised in this particular society, that you're not
an honest woman. Oh you must be a liar if
(00:21):
you're not married or some man who has not swept
you up with your feet. From the early movies that
we see, animated movies where we have to give up
a gift or a part of ourselves to live this
happily ever life not not.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And that was Maya explaining why she quote unquote married herself.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
It's the greatest disperse in entertainment. Connect you with every
champion and carry Chappie is to be a champion, a champion,
they carry champion, They explain champion and care with Shepion
and caried Shepyra in the same incivenet you're working on.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
My next guest really needs absolutely no introduction. But today
on the podcast we have the multi hyphene Maya, you
know her if our R and B hits like all
about Me, take Me There, and Lady Marmalade during her
twenty five year career, and she only looked twenty but
to commemorate her long spanning career in music, she released
(01:26):
deluxe editions of two of her early albums earlier this year,
and she has a brand new single Guy. She's here
to talk to us about wine and more importantly, what
makes her her. I feel like she is such an enigma,
such a mystery in terms of how she moves within
an industry that really forces and or requires you to
(01:47):
tell more about yourself than you want to. She has
been purposefully intentionally private, and I respect it. Without further ado,
Maya is an.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Here with a champion, and care with chatpion, and care
with chat me.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
I got it. I have to begin just with I'm
sure what most people start with is been a fan
for some time now and my one one question off
the bat for people such as yourself who have a
beautiful voice and you have the what appears to be
the entire package, and people are in awe of how
(02:24):
you're able to exist. You've been able to not only
live in this space but be very philanthropic and thoughtful
and kind and make that all a part of your essence.
Has that been with you since you were a child.
In terms of how did you grow up to create
all of this, well, I think things progress as e girl, obviously,
(02:47):
and you step into new territory and discover a lot
of things about yourself or what you resonate with. And
being an EmPATH as the oldest sibling, I think has
always been a part of me looking out for others
because it was a demanding responsibility. But you also show
up and learned to do it innately. But I also
(03:12):
had a very first job being a dance teacher and
looking after the little ones, So it puts you in
a role of leadership, empathy, connecting, but also trying to
understand others when you're relaying instruction or you know, so
you learn a lot about life and what just resonates
with who you are and finding out who you are
(03:35):
along the journey, which is also ever changing, always changing
and evolving. When did you realize or when did someone
else realize that you had this beautiful voice in you
that had to be shared with the world.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Hmm, that's funny that you asked that. My mother has
always known, but I sort of kept it a secret
from my parents. My dad is the singer in the family,
and I'm a child of the arts. So in the
hallways in school, acquire you trade bars, and you come
up with ideas with your friends. But I believe it
(04:10):
was in a dance setting amongst my tap dance friends,
where you start freestyling, whether it's rap, hip hop or
even singing, sometimes show your secret talent. And they encouraged
me to pursue singing. They were the first tribe of
(04:30):
mine that said you should do this for real, you know,
record your demos, And that's exactly what I started doing
at age fourteen in the basement of some of my
father's musician friends. But children, students, peers of the arts
always encouraged me, and we encouraged each other.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So then you go from singing, you know, keeping it
a bit of a secret, and then deciding I should
do this in a way in which the world can
have and hear my talent. What spurred that on? How
did that all come about?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Coming of age? My dream was to model myself as
a full package entertainer, and Broadway was that platform for
me to be able to do all the things that
I was doing already, of course as a student and
a child of the arts, acting singing, dancing, composition, expression, honologs, etc.
(05:29):
So Broadway was what it was. My mother raised me
to be a little entertainer. She had me involved in everything,
including my dad as well, and we would watch all
of the black and white films. Sammy Davis, Junior Wibors, Brothers,
Gregory Hinds. Those are the entertainers that I looked up
(05:51):
to and I want to model. I wanted to model
myself after So Broadway was the goal and it just
so happened that the record came first, and Broadway is
still there waiting for me. But I incorporate all of it.
And tours yeah yeah, yeah, always childlike wonder when it
(06:13):
comes to developing a show or delivering a shell. So
that's still there with me.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
When you sometimes people I feel this about people who
are set apart or chosen. You know early on that
you have it, that you have something special, and it's
what you do with that gift, how you use that gift.
You have your record deal. I'm fast forwarding a bit.
You have your record deal, and it takes a while
(06:41):
in any industry to become an overnight sensation, and then
you have hit singles and people know your name and
you have people working for you, and you are performing,
and you were in these rooms. How was that transition
(07:02):
from I want this to now I have this for you.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
I've never felt like I've had it, you know, I've
always been distracted by the fact that this is fun,
This is a blessing, this is a privilege, all the
other stuff I could do without, you know, being a
true child of the arts and always having fun doing
(07:29):
everything that this entails. I still have fun in rehearsals,
I still have fun on stage, and it's a treat,
it's a playground. The business is completely different of a world,
but very necessary to make things happen, and no one
is thinking about that in high school. No one cares
(07:50):
to think about that. As an artist, we don't really
care about the business until we have to care. And
all the components in the different position and the different teams.
There's marketing, there's pr there's management, there's the agency. There's
so much, and then all of the tiers and positions
at record labels. We can do without all that noise,
(08:12):
you know. I think the goal has always just to
be constant as well as grounded. And what made me
fall in love with music and entertainment in the first place,
and stay or remain as close as possible to that child.
Not everything else is an accessory but also a necessity
(08:35):
if you're going to play in the business of entertainment,
which I've had to learn myself along the way, and
I journey, but also in the major journey. And I
think the transition is when all of that's happening at once.
It happens fast. But at two years old, literally I
had my ballet shoes, I was in everything tell rehearsals
(08:57):
of discipline, cultivations there and obviously you're still learning and
evolving and improving along the way. But I was ready.
I was disciplined enough, I was ripe enough to take
on what was handed to me at the time. But
then there's more stuff. How to conduct an interview that
was forward, of course, and so much artist development happens
(09:19):
naturally along the way that you grow. But we're not
thinking about anything else as artists until we absolutely have.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
To have you say something that I think is key,
and I want to make sure I'm defining this correctly.
Do you ever believe that people can be in entertainment
forward facing, singing, acting, dancing, but not be an artist.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Hmm. I think defining what artists means to each individual
is up to the individual.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
What does that mean to you?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Being an artist is about creation and hopefully sharing, but
sometimes not. Sometimes it's just pure therapy and imagination and
finding a place deeply embedded within you and bringing that
to surface so that I can be berthed into the
universe and possibly shared if you feel comfortable with it.
(10:20):
But in those times and states of creation, you surprise
yourself a lot about first of all, what is inside
of you. I've had shocking moments and those moments haven't
even been shared with the world just yet, and I
didn't even know that that was there. And so there's
(10:41):
a spiritual component to being an artist, but it's all
over the place, because it is what you make it.
Sometimes it has to do with design, color pellets, seeing
something all the way through from zero non existence to
existence and then placing all of the love from within
(11:04):
on that so that it's received properly. Sometimes it's about
improvisation and seeing what happens along the way and was
that it was that not it? It's a world of
exploration being an artist in my definition, and every day
is changing. Every day is ever changing in the world.
(11:27):
Sometimes it's a reflection of what's happening politically, socially, religiously, economically,
or just purely within. It can be from a viewpoint
of your own life, testimony, obstacle, celebration, wishful thinking, imagination
or manifestation, or a completely different perspective with a view
(11:51):
of the world and some of the things that you'd
like to change. So it's all over the place, and
I think up to person to define. But it is
truly as far as being an artist serving people, it's
literally about being a servant. Once you evolved, you begin
(12:12):
to realize that it's not about you. I do I
believe that.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I believe that when you when you have this gift,
it's given to you for a reason to share with
the world. You and you have said something to me
when you're talking about what it means to be an
artist and defining the process for you and where it
can be depending on where you are in life. It
sounds to me and I know that's not always the
(12:42):
case for people, but being an artist is or it
also intels being fearless because you're giving your art to
the world and you're allowing them to receive it or
not to receive it. Not that you need validation, but
I wonder if that's why your transitioned to the world
of being an independent artist was what you needed for
to actually create. You just had a single come out
(13:05):
in August, congratulations, and then in April. From my understanding,
you redid we we had a remix? All right? You
release re release some albums in April of this year.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Yeah, there's some anniversaries that have popped up.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Yes, yeah, that's an I don't like to put numbers
because I don't know how people feel about numbers, so
I try to dance numbers. I don't want to buy paying. Okay,
you've been in the business with this law, you know,
but yeah, exactly, it goes quickly.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
It goes quickly.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
So so why did you decide to have your creature
own label? What was the freedom in that for you? Well,
once again, it just goes back to love and passion.
A day without being able to be around music, listen
to music, create music, or be in that space, is
it day a feeling like your life is lacking And
(14:03):
it's something that.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
My dad does to this day. He is out there
on the road. It runs through our veins. It's a
part of our happiness function. Now I see music is
very healing and even if it's not about entertainment or
being in the business of it's just something that runs
through our veins and souls and that we have to
(14:26):
make a part of our lives otherwise our lives are
pretty boring for us anyways. And it's part of my
make up. My mom is musical, her family's musical, My
dad is when I come from musical family. So it's
just something I want to come to.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
I want to come to dinner. I want to come
to dinner when your mom and your dad and y'all
just sitting around the house cooking and singing and entertaining.
I pay big bucks for that. I want to hang out.
I want to I want the artistry to drip on me.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
I want the big sulks for that fool secret inside secret.
But yeah, it's Any musician can tell you this. And
being around musicians is like being a kid for me,
That's what my childhood consisted of. So I find a
(15:15):
way in that journey and transitioning from the natures to
the independent realm. Also green territory, new territory, and you
learn along the way all the components of what that
means and what that will consist of because you don't know,
but you find out very quickly.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Give it will You're like, so got it? Yeah, I
got it?
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I want it, Yeah, you got it to be more
than just an artist. That means that now you're stepping
into all positions of the business territory. What does that mean?
And who are those people in positions? And you show
up and I can go into it in a long
book while you find a way. And I've been everything
(15:58):
under the sun, you know, and I've said it before,
travel agent, road manager, business manager, your driver. Does it matter?
And it is worth it? There's a song that I
wrote called worth it and it pretty much sums up
(16:20):
the sleepless nights and we love something and you're very
passionate about something, regardless of the world's narrative about You'll
find a way and that brings you youth, that brings
you joy, that brings you every week and day with enthusiasm.
And my dad still does it to this day. I
watch it, like, how do we do this at your age?
(16:41):
It's but a number. This keeps me young, So it's
just part of me. And I think a lot of
arms out there can relate.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
They definitely can relate because any business, but more specifically,
music is tough. I've interviewed so many different artists who
explain their journey, and they always have this journey where
they just come back to I believe what you're saying
is that it's the music for me, It's the art,
it's the entertainment that I love. No, so I deal
with everything else. It's no secret that you are very
(17:13):
clear about living healthy and wellness, and your spirit feels
like I feel like I should be not a staying
with you. I'm all, like, you know, we should be
sitting around getting our lives together. Give me your wellness secrets.
How do you embrace the idea that you are this
sex symbol in so many ways? Every time I read
(17:35):
anything about you, it's about how beautiful you are and
how amazing you are, and yes you are talented. But
does that ever make you feel a little shy and
inward or are you embracing how you have been received,
especially by the culture like loved I literally I'm telling
my friends I'm in guy friends. They like, okay, ask
her for her phone number. I was like, I don't
think she wants to date you. But okay, I.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Don't look at my self as a sex symbol. But
I'm aware, No, I don't. I didn't sign up for
any of that, but I'm aware of course the earlier videos.
I think as a teenager, realizing what that is and
hearing certain titles or narratives about you can be a
(18:19):
little difficult or strange, weird as you're growing into womanhood.
Right now, I embrace everything. I don't even care about perceptions.
I am me. I know who I am. But I
think as you're growing into who you are, the world
of noise can be confusing and maybe difficult to navigate
in front of the world as you are learning who
(18:41):
you are. And I embrace everything. But I'm a little entertainer,
you know, since I can remember, and it's about character
playing characters. For me, it's a world of imagination showing up.
And that's just not all of me. I know that
I'm a full, demental human being, as we all are,
(19:02):
and there's not one dimension to any of us. But
embracing all of that, embracing sexuality is just one tiny
little component of me. There's so much more small I
embrace all of it, and I'm not offended by it.
But I do think if you're young in this business
and you don't know yourself, anything can be a bit
of a challenge and quite strange with some of the
(19:25):
energies that are invited, depending on how you are portrayed
and how you deal with that mentally.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
All right, guys, we got to pay some bills.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
You know what we do.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
You can fast forward, fast forward so you can get
back to Maya. We're taking a quick break and we'll
be right back in just a few moments.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Every champion and care every champion has to be a champion,
a champion and cary champion and carry chat champion and
carry champion and carry.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Chat and entertainment can make it weird Loo.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Champion they carry champion is to be a champion, A champion,
they carry champion. They got a champion, they carry champion,
they carried Chat entertainment and NAT working.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Hey, everyone, welcome back to Naked. I appreciate your patience.
I won't make you wait any longer. Here is the
multi hyphen it Maya. You look, you said you I
want to go back to something you just said. You
said you look at some of the videos you did
when you were younger. Did you feel like you might
have been over sexualized or did you feel like that
wasn't really who you were? Are you going?
Speaker 1 (20:32):
And it was my idea as an okay, yes, you know,
I was not when I came out. My father was
present at the video shoot from my very first video.
I came out of the box with a miniskirt and
high heels. But I was very aware of what that
(20:53):
was and my parents insulated me and I understood as
far as entertainment is concerned, Oh, okay, so this is
the goal. This is the narrative for this one particular song.
I designed the outfit myself. I saw it come to life.
This is a character for me as an actress, but
(21:13):
this belongs to my government name in the same token.
You know, you deal with everything that comes after that
along the way, and you quickly find out what that is,
from rumors to adjectives being attached to your name. But
that's okay, because that's also what you sign up for
(21:33):
in any scenario or position. So I think in certain circumstances,
you may tend to pull back and say, okay, this
is a breast cancer event, we're not going to do
this song and or dress a certain way, but insurance
sure that it's okay. Where there's a burlesque show or
(21:55):
Pride event, there's a little bit more freedom. Knowing your audience, obviously,
knowing the demographic, knowing the setting and the mission of
that setting helps you navigate accordingly. So I think details
is priority for me when I'm showing up somewhere, so
that I can feel comfortable and what I'm delivering and
(22:17):
make sure the mission is cohesive.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
You're like, I know where I am, I know the audience,
I know who I'll talk to. I wanted to end
with that being said, you seem and I don't know
where that comes from. I'm pretty sure you've had that
for all your life. But the comfortable awareness, the ability
to know who you are and what you're not, is special,
and I don't necessarily know if everyone has that. Like
(22:42):
you are in yourself and you're comfortable in your skin.
I wanted to ask you this is very interesting because
this inspired me and I want to make sure I
get it on February fourteenth. I know people ask you
about this often. Twenty twenty, fresh fresh into the pandemic
from Valentine's Day, you married yourself for your music video
The Truth? Why did you do that? That's an art
(23:05):
for you, You're expressing yourself. But that's a beautiful, a
beautiful proclamation. What made you make that the video?
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Well? I think there's this narrative and a lot of
questions that have come about in my career, especially in
my later career. Why are you not married? Why do
you not have kids? How come no one has wiped
you up? You know, there's been many proposals, etc. But
(23:35):
when my convey was a different message and also a
real message for me because of this fixation on marriage
for women and men an age for me especially, and
what that feels like. Not all women can have children,
(23:56):
not all women want children, not all men want children
or want to be married, and that's okay. Everyone's lives
are different. But marrying myself was not a physical ceremony.
It was in the music video, and I think what
happened in the press with just one picture and the
(24:17):
fixation was shown. So why are people fixated on this idea?
Because that's how we were raised in this particular society,
that you're not an honest woman, Oh you must be
a liar if you're not married or some man who's
not swept you up with your feet. From the early
movies that we see, animated movies where we have to
(24:40):
give up a gift or a part of ourselves to
live this happily ever life, I think not. So what
is it about this that is not resonating with me?
Is the question. So in a spiritual journey, and I'm
always on one, it was about getting to the core
(25:03):
of who Maya is and self love and committing to myself.
And what does that look like is the question. You
can't obviously think you're going to attract anything good for
you if you're not together. So this was about self work,
self realization, self love, self boundaries, and it had nothing
(25:27):
to do with anyone else. And so what that means
is putting in well, taking in and taking on positive
energy from what I tune into what I'm putting into
my body, sleep, recharging as I exert myself in my
(25:52):
life or a career, making sure that my cough is
full as a provider, and making that I also learn
how to say no in certain circumstances as a giver.
That's what that spiritual marriage was about. Physically, it was
conveyed with a wedding dress with the people understand most
(26:16):
in this society in particular. But that was also a
song that I wrote with that concept in mind, speaking
to yourself highly with positive words, so that you choose
you in times where the world might not be choosing
you and you may not feel worthy, or you're questioning
(26:36):
how come because everyone else is questioning you? How come?
It starts he literally starts with you, and everything else
branches out, just like a tree. So what you put
into you, you receive back from the world. And so
this is also confrontation with myself, no excuses, get it together.
(26:59):
And that's what, in a nutshell, a spiritual marriage looks like.
And it shows up eventually physically in all areas of
your life, financially, mentally, emotionally, professionally. And now people are
asking me what my secret is. My secret literally is
marrying myself spiritually and committing to myself in all areas
(27:25):
of my life where maybe I was lacking, putting the
look back. And that's beautiful, yeah, and then that allows
you to give back to the world and fulfill your purpose. Yes,
that's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Yeah, But people don't get that that is, so you're conceded.
Why did you Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, I know that's
not what that's I.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Understood that there was a message there, but you explaining
that made me think, like, why do we have to
adhere to what society says? If you can really be
comfortable in your own skin, knowing that's what you did,
that that translates in a lot of different ways. And
that's what I was going back to. You're very comfortable.
This is what you've decided to do, and it's work
we all do. We always have to do the work.
All of us every day have to do the work.
(28:15):
And I think that message resonates with women such as
myself single. You know what I mean, I'm not married,
I don't have kids. What's wrong with you? And you're
like nothing, I'm perfectly fine, actually perfectly fine.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Everyone's life is not supposed to look the same, so.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
It's not supposed to look the same. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
I embrace adversity. I embrace the place of love that
sometimes criticism or we can take as criticism comes from
because maybe there is a beautiful experience that other people
want you to share. And so correcting my thoughts as
well as I intake so many opinions of the world,
regardless of the topic. That's self correction and self assessment,
(28:58):
which is also a part of that self love journey.
Not beating up yourself or or I would say, being
absorbed by the negativity that our thoughts can immediately go.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
To, and being kind, just being kind to ourselves, talk
nice to ourselves.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
I love that every champion and carry champions to be
a champion, a champion, and carry champion and carry chat
be out a champion and carried chapion and carried chat
entertainment and naked word, every champion and carry champions to
be a champion, a champion, and carry champion, champion and
(29:39):
carry champion and carried chatament naked word.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
This past August, you released another single. We just talked
about wine. I want to make sure I'm saying that correctly.
Fine with Bounty Killer, talk to me about that single, uh?
And what that was for you? What was that that
message you were giving? Is it fun? Are we laughing?
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Are we sassy?
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Are we all things?
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Well? A part of my healing journey takes place in nature,
and that's real life for me. And what that looks
like is sunshine. What that looks like is good music, food, culture, friends,
family or friends that become family. And the Caribbean has
been a part of my life since I was about
two years old. Every year and a part of my
earlier career was spent in Jamaica every year thanks to
(30:29):
being a man and a lot of other collaborations throughout
the Caribbean. So my vegan retreats and the winners and
the challenges the Caribbean and tropical environments where you can
feel the love, you can taste the love, you can
smell the love, and your body thanks you for it.
(30:49):
So I wanted to bring that to music, because that's
really who Maya is in a very lighthearted, fun way.
People love to see me dance, but I love havinginess
and sometimes, you know, we get a little bit too
much of the negativity on airways and I wanted to
bring some balance independently. So in crafting such a song,
(31:12):
that was the mission happiness togetherness. I love a celebration,
but I wanted to it to feel like the world
that we don't necessarily get in the cities all the time,
and that's where I find my joy as well. And
you can find me in the Caribbean every year or
(31:32):
somewhere paratorial.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Yeah, we appreciate that. We need that. So that's what
you're giving us. That's the music that you're giving us.
Are you working on any other projects that you'd like
to share?
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Well, I don't want to go into detail, but there
are two finished projects that gone for quite a while, mixed, mastered,
and ready to go. But there's strategy behind, you know,
releases from this point on and getting the teens together
as I've been doing it independently solo for a long time.
(32:10):
My fans have spoken, hey, we want this, we want
them when visuals, we want so much more and it
takes time. But back to wine, you know, we shot
that in Kingston, Jamaica. Shout out to Bounty Killa, another
dance hall legend, and it was important for me to
create a song that allowed people to dance together again
(32:33):
because I don't see much of that happening anymore. And
it's a cultural dance from Jamaica. And there's some dance
content for that specifically coming very soon. For those challenge
and learning new things called.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Challenge, I'm ready to talk it. I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
I'm one of the producer digal hard work. I've been
working with for a long time since twenty ten. He's
actually Jamaican himself. And it's just very very nice to
be welcomed and just be reconnected to joy and I
help people do the love and see the love and
the video and on a sum.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
And in your in your voice, you exudeed. So I
think that it's mission accomplished. I'm excited. Well this morning,
I exude that. No, you sound you sound relaxed.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
This morning.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Yeah, you sound relaxed. I want to do yoga with you.
I want to I want to go and eat vegetables.
I'm being silly, but you know, I'm like, where are
we at the vegan retreat? Where we're going? I'm ready
to do it. What we're doing?
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Yeah, that's me.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
You deserve it all.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Now I have two different Why do you see that too?
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Yeah, yeah, I can see that. I can see that
we are for the folks who are listening that we're
recording in the morning, so we get it. Like, no,
I can see both you. I think that. And and
by the way, we're all things. We're all We're not
just one thing. We're all things. As you said earlier,
we are all things. Maya. It has been a pleasure.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk
to us. You're really truly stunning, and I just appreciate
(34:23):
you just being yourself and being honest and who you are.
It's hard to do that completely naked.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
I appreciate you. And it looks a beautiful fresh face
this morning.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Can I see you? The whole time, I was like,
I ain't put on no makeup for mine. I was like,
I should have. I'll take it. I'll take it. I'm
truly naked.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
I was up until like four o'clock in the morning.
I'm like, I should probably put on a little sunk
you can see there.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
No, but it looks it looks natural, it looks great.
But you know what, I didn't expect anything less, and
and more importantly, I wasn't kidding. I've been a fan
forever and I really do appreciate you just being true
to who you are, quieting out the noise and remaining
a true artist. That is what you choose to choose
to do, and we see it and we receive it.
That's staying.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
That is yet to come. And I appreciate this AA
man to discuss they're all going to honest.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Thank you you you, I must be honest. When I
interview people of note, or when I interview people that
I am legitimately a fan of, such as Maya, I
get a little nervous because I don't want to be intrusive.
I don't want to go overboard in my questioning. I
really try to pick up on people's energy, and that's
(35:43):
what leads these interviews. And she had a very peaceful spirit.
I wasn't just saying that, and I thought that was special.
I can see how she moves the way she does.
I can understand rather why, in fact, she has kept
her life extremely private and moves in a way that
she wants to move in this industry, and that has
(36:05):
to be tough, because I can even imagine being a
solo artist around the time Beyonce came out right, or
being an artist in general. You got Destiny's Child at
the time when she started to pop, when Maya started
to pop, you had all these different girl groups, and
it's always so hard to sift through that world. But
she has had staying power because I believe she's just
(36:27):
stay true to who she is. Congratulations on a twenty
five year career. Congratulations on all the things that make
her her, and she's so comfortable in her own skin.
Let me just say this too, she is fine, super fine,
like fine fine, like fy n e fine, like I
know you guys have seen the photos, but she's fine fine,
(36:47):
even though she doesn't consider herself the sex symbol. How
is that even possible? How is that even possible? Anyway,
enough of that, I'll see you all next week on
Naked
Speaker 4 (37:00):
OA
Marrying myself was not a physical ceremony. It was in
the music video. And I think what happened in the
press with just one picture and the fixation was shown.
Why are people fixated on this idea? Because that's how
we were raised in this particular society, that you're not
an honest woman. Oh you must be a liar if
(00:21):
you're not married or some man who has not swept
you up with your feet. From the early movies that
we see, animated movies where we have to give up
a gift or a part of ourselves to live this
happily ever life not not.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And that was Maya explaining why she quote unquote married herself.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
It's the greatest disperse in entertainment. Connect you with every
champion and carry Chappie is to be a champion, a champion,
they carry champion, They explain champion and care with Shepion
and caried Shepyra in the same incivenet you're working on.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
My next guest really needs absolutely no introduction. But today
on the podcast we have the multi hyphene Maya, you
know her if our R and B hits like all
about Me, take Me There, and Lady Marmalade during her
twenty five year career, and she only looked twenty but
to commemorate her long spanning career in music, she released
(01:26):
deluxe editions of two of her early albums earlier this year,
and she has a brand new single Guy. She's here
to talk to us about wine and more importantly, what
makes her her. I feel like she is such an enigma,
such a mystery in terms of how she moves within
an industry that really forces and or requires you to
(01:47):
tell more about yourself than you want to. She has
been purposefully intentionally private, and I respect it. Without further ado,
Maya is an.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Here with a champion, and care with chatpion, and care
with chat me.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
I got it. I have to begin just with I'm
sure what most people start with is been a fan
for some time now and my one one question off
the bat for people such as yourself who have a
beautiful voice and you have the what appears to be
the entire package, and people are in awe of how
(02:24):
you're able to exist. You've been able to not only
live in this space but be very philanthropic and thoughtful
and kind and make that all a part of your essence.
Has that been with you since you were a child.
In terms of how did you grow up to create
all of this, well, I think things progress as e girl, obviously,
(02:47):
and you step into new territory and discover a lot
of things about yourself or what you resonate with. And
being an EmPATH as the oldest sibling, I think has
always been a part of me looking out for others
because it was a demanding responsibility. But you also show
up and learned to do it innately. But I also
(03:12):
had a very first job being a dance teacher and
looking after the little ones, So it puts you in
a role of leadership, empathy, connecting, but also trying to
understand others when you're relaying instruction or you know, so
you learn a lot about life and what just resonates
with who you are and finding out who you are
(03:35):
along the journey, which is also ever changing, always changing
and evolving. When did you realize or when did someone
else realize that you had this beautiful voice in you
that had to be shared with the world.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Hmm, that's funny that you asked that. My mother has
always known, but I sort of kept it a secret
from my parents. My dad is the singer in the family,
and I'm a child of the arts. So in the
hallways in school, acquire you trade bars, and you come
up with ideas with your friends. But I believe it
(04:10):
was in a dance setting amongst my tap dance friends,
where you start freestyling, whether it's rap, hip hop or
even singing, sometimes show your secret talent. And they encouraged
me to pursue singing. They were the first tribe of
(04:30):
mine that said you should do this for real, you know,
record your demos, And that's exactly what I started doing
at age fourteen in the basement of some of my
father's musician friends. But children, students, peers of the arts
always encouraged me, and we encouraged each other.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So then you go from singing, you know, keeping it
a bit of a secret, and then deciding I should
do this in a way in which the world can
have and hear my talent. What spurred that on? How
did that all come about?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Coming of age? My dream was to model myself as
a full package entertainer, and Broadway was that platform for
me to be able to do all the things that
I was doing already, of course as a student and
a child of the arts, acting singing, dancing, composition, expression, honologs, etc.
(05:29):
So Broadway was what it was. My mother raised me
to be a little entertainer. She had me involved in everything,
including my dad as well, and we would watch all
of the black and white films. Sammy Davis, Junior Wibors, Brothers,
Gregory Hinds. Those are the entertainers that I looked up
(05:51):
to and I want to model. I wanted to model
myself after So Broadway was the goal and it just
so happened that the record came first, and Broadway is
still there waiting for me. But I incorporate all of it.
And tours yeah yeah, yeah, always childlike wonder when it
(06:13):
comes to developing a show or delivering a shell. So
that's still there with me.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
When you sometimes people I feel this about people who
are set apart or chosen. You know early on that
you have it, that you have something special, and it's
what you do with that gift, how you use that gift.
You have your record deal. I'm fast forwarding a bit.
You have your record deal, and it takes a while
(06:41):
in any industry to become an overnight sensation, and then
you have hit singles and people know your name and
you have people working for you, and you are performing,
and you were in these rooms. How was that transition
(07:02):
from I want this to now I have this for you.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
I've never felt like I've had it, you know, I've
always been distracted by the fact that this is fun,
This is a blessing, this is a privilege, all the
other stuff I could do without, you know, being a
true child of the arts and always having fun doing
(07:29):
everything that this entails. I still have fun in rehearsals,
I still have fun on stage, and it's a treat,
it's a playground. The business is completely different of a world,
but very necessary to make things happen, and no one
is thinking about that in high school. No one cares
(07:50):
to think about that. As an artist, we don't really
care about the business until we have to care. And
all the components in the different position and the different teams.
There's marketing, there's pr there's management, there's the agency. There's
so much, and then all of the tiers and positions
at record labels. We can do without all that noise,
(08:12):
you know. I think the goal has always just to
be constant as well as grounded. And what made me
fall in love with music and entertainment in the first place,
and stay or remain as close as possible to that child.
Not everything else is an accessory but also a necessity
(08:35):
if you're going to play in the business of entertainment,
which I've had to learn myself along the way, and
I journey, but also in the major journey. And I
think the transition is when all of that's happening at once.
It happens fast. But at two years old, literally I
had my ballet shoes, I was in everything tell rehearsals
(08:57):
of discipline, cultivations there and obviously you're still learning and
evolving and improving along the way. But I was ready.
I was disciplined enough, I was ripe enough to take
on what was handed to me at the time. But
then there's more stuff. How to conduct an interview that
was forward, of course, and so much artist development happens
(09:19):
naturally along the way that you grow. But we're not
thinking about anything else as artists until we absolutely have.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
To have you say something that I think is key,
and I want to make sure I'm defining this correctly.
Do you ever believe that people can be in entertainment
forward facing, singing, acting, dancing, but not be an artist.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Hmm. I think defining what artists means to each individual
is up to the individual.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
What does that mean to you?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Being an artist is about creation and hopefully sharing, but
sometimes not. Sometimes it's just pure therapy and imagination and
finding a place deeply embedded within you and bringing that
to surface so that I can be berthed into the
universe and possibly shared if you feel comfortable with it.
(10:20):
But in those times and states of creation, you surprise
yourself a lot about first of all, what is inside
of you. I've had shocking moments and those moments haven't
even been shared with the world just yet, and I
didn't even know that that was there. And so there's
(10:41):
a spiritual component to being an artist, but it's all
over the place, because it is what you make it.
Sometimes it has to do with design, color pellets, seeing
something all the way through from zero non existence to
existence and then placing all of the love from within
(11:04):
on that so that it's received properly. Sometimes it's about
improvisation and seeing what happens along the way and was
that it was that not it? It's a world of
exploration being an artist in my definition, and every day
is changing. Every day is ever changing in the world.
(11:27):
Sometimes it's a reflection of what's happening politically, socially, religiously, economically,
or just purely within. It can be from a viewpoint
of your own life, testimony, obstacle, celebration, wishful thinking, imagination
or manifestation, or a completely different perspective with a view
(11:51):
of the world and some of the things that you'd
like to change. So it's all over the place, and
I think up to person to define. But it is
truly as far as being an artist serving people, it's
literally about being a servant. Once you evolved, you begin
(12:12):
to realize that it's not about you. I do I
believe that.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I believe that when you when you have this gift,
it's given to you for a reason to share with
the world. You and you have said something to me
when you're talking about what it means to be an
artist and defining the process for you and where it
can be depending on where you are in life. It
sounds to me and I know that's not always the
(12:42):
case for people, but being an artist is or it
also intels being fearless because you're giving your art to
the world and you're allowing them to receive it or
not to receive it. Not that you need validation, but
I wonder if that's why your transitioned to the world
of being an independent artist was what you needed for
to actually create. You just had a single come out
(13:05):
in August, congratulations, and then in April. From my understanding,
you redid we we had a remix? All right? You
release re release some albums in April of this year.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Yeah, there's some anniversaries that have popped up.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Yes, yeah, that's an I don't like to put numbers
because I don't know how people feel about numbers, so
I try to dance numbers. I don't want to buy paying. Okay,
you've been in the business with this law, you know,
but yeah, exactly, it goes quickly.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
It goes quickly.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
So so why did you decide to have your creature
own label? What was the freedom in that for you? Well,
once again, it just goes back to love and passion.
A day without being able to be around music, listen
to music, create music, or be in that space, is
it day a feeling like your life is lacking And
(14:03):
it's something that.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
My dad does to this day. He is out there
on the road. It runs through our veins. It's a
part of our happiness function. Now I see music is
very healing and even if it's not about entertainment or
being in the business of it's just something that runs
through our veins and souls and that we have to
(14:26):
make a part of our lives otherwise our lives are
pretty boring for us anyways. And it's part of my
make up. My mom is musical, her family's musical, My
dad is when I come from musical family. So it's
just something I want to come to.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
I want to come to dinner. I want to come
to dinner when your mom and your dad and y'all
just sitting around the house cooking and singing and entertaining.
I pay big bucks for that. I want to hang out.
I want to I want the artistry to drip on me.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
I want the big sulks for that fool secret inside secret.
But yeah, it's Any musician can tell you this. And
being around musicians is like being a kid for me,
That's what my childhood consisted of. So I find a
(15:15):
way in that journey and transitioning from the natures to
the independent realm. Also green territory, new territory, and you
learn along the way all the components of what that
means and what that will consist of because you don't know,
but you find out very quickly.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Give it will You're like, so got it? Yeah, I
got it?
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I want it, Yeah, you got it to be more
than just an artist. That means that now you're stepping
into all positions of the business territory. What does that mean?
And who are those people in positions? And you show
up and I can go into it in a long
book while you find a way. And I've been everything
(15:58):
under the sun, you know, and I've said it before,
travel agent, road manager, business manager, your driver. Does it matter?
And it is worth it? There's a song that I
wrote called worth it and it pretty much sums up
(16:20):
the sleepless nights and we love something and you're very
passionate about something, regardless of the world's narrative about You'll
find a way and that brings you youth, that brings
you joy, that brings you every week and day with enthusiasm.
And my dad still does it to this day. I
watch it, like, how do we do this at your age?
(16:41):
It's but a number. This keeps me young, So it's
just part of me. And I think a lot of
arms out there can relate.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
They definitely can relate because any business, but more specifically,
music is tough. I've interviewed so many different artists who
explain their journey, and they always have this journey where
they just come back to I believe what you're saying
is that it's the music for me, It's the art,
it's the entertainment that I love. No, so I deal
with everything else. It's no secret that you are very
(17:13):
clear about living healthy and wellness, and your spirit feels
like I feel like I should be not a staying
with you. I'm all, like, you know, we should be
sitting around getting our lives together. Give me your wellness secrets.
How do you embrace the idea that you are this
sex symbol in so many ways? Every time I read
(17:35):
anything about you, it's about how beautiful you are and
how amazing you are, and yes you are talented. But
does that ever make you feel a little shy and
inward or are you embracing how you have been received,
especially by the culture like loved I literally I'm telling
my friends I'm in guy friends. They like, okay, ask
her for her phone number. I was like, I don't
think she wants to date you. But okay, I.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Don't look at my self as a sex symbol. But
I'm aware, No, I don't. I didn't sign up for
any of that, but I'm aware of course the earlier videos.
I think as a teenager, realizing what that is and
hearing certain titles or narratives about you can be a
(18:19):
little difficult or strange, weird as you're growing into womanhood.
Right now, I embrace everything. I don't even care about perceptions.
I am me. I know who I am. But I
think as you're growing into who you are, the world
of noise can be confusing and maybe difficult to navigate
in front of the world as you are learning who
(18:41):
you are. And I embrace everything. But I'm a little entertainer,
you know, since I can remember, and it's about character
playing characters. For me, it's a world of imagination showing up.
And that's just not all of me. I know that
I'm a full, demental human being, as we all are,
(19:02):
and there's not one dimension to any of us. But
embracing all of that, embracing sexuality is just one tiny
little component of me. There's so much more small I
embrace all of it, and I'm not offended by it.
But I do think if you're young in this business
and you don't know yourself, anything can be a bit
of a challenge and quite strange with some of the
(19:25):
energies that are invited, depending on how you are portrayed
and how you deal with that mentally.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
All right, guys, we got to pay some bills.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
You know what we do.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
You can fast forward, fast forward so you can get
back to Maya. We're taking a quick break and we'll
be right back in just a few moments.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Every champion and care every champion has to be a champion,
a champion and cary champion and carry chat champion and
carry champion and carry.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Chat and entertainment can make it weird Loo.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Champion they carry champion is to be a champion, A champion,
they carry champion. They got a champion, they carry champion,
they carried Chat entertainment and NAT working.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Hey, everyone, welcome back to Naked. I appreciate your patience.
I won't make you wait any longer. Here is the
multi hyphen it Maya. You look, you said you I
want to go back to something you just said. You
said you look at some of the videos you did
when you were younger. Did you feel like you might
have been over sexualized or did you feel like that
wasn't really who you were? Are you going?
Speaker 1 (20:32):
And it was my idea as an okay, yes, you know,
I was not when I came out. My father was
present at the video shoot from my very first video.
I came out of the box with a miniskirt and
high heels. But I was very aware of what that
(20:53):
was and my parents insulated me and I understood as
far as entertainment is concerned, Oh, okay, so this is
the goal. This is the narrative for this one particular song.
I designed the outfit myself. I saw it come to life.
This is a character for me as an actress, but
(21:13):
this belongs to my government name in the same token.
You know, you deal with everything that comes after that
along the way, and you quickly find out what that is,
from rumors to adjectives being attached to your name. But
that's okay, because that's also what you sign up for
(21:33):
in any scenario or position. So I think in certain circumstances,
you may tend to pull back and say, okay, this
is a breast cancer event, we're not going to do
this song and or dress a certain way, but insurance
sure that it's okay. Where there's a burlesque show or
(21:55):
Pride event, there's a little bit more freedom. Knowing your audience, obviously,
knowing the demographic, knowing the setting and the mission of
that setting helps you navigate accordingly. So I think details
is priority for me when I'm showing up somewhere, so
that I can feel comfortable and what I'm delivering and
(22:17):
make sure the mission is cohesive.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
You're like, I know where I am, I know the audience,
I know who I'll talk to. I wanted to end
with that being said, you seem and I don't know
where that comes from. I'm pretty sure you've had that
for all your life. But the comfortable awareness, the ability
to know who you are and what you're not, is special,
and I don't necessarily know if everyone has that. Like
(22:42):
you are in yourself and you're comfortable in your skin.
I wanted to ask you this is very interesting because
this inspired me and I want to make sure I
get it on February fourteenth. I know people ask you
about this often. Twenty twenty, fresh fresh into the pandemic
from Valentine's Day, you married yourself for your music video
The Truth? Why did you do that? That's an art
(23:05):
for you, You're expressing yourself. But that's a beautiful, a
beautiful proclamation. What made you make that the video?
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Well? I think there's this narrative and a lot of
questions that have come about in my career, especially in
my later career. Why are you not married? Why do
you not have kids? How come no one has wiped
you up? You know, there's been many proposals, etc. But
(23:35):
when my convey was a different message and also a
real message for me because of this fixation on marriage
for women and men an age for me especially, and
what that feels like. Not all women can have children,
(23:56):
not all women want children, not all men want children
or want to be married, and that's okay. Everyone's lives
are different. But marrying myself was not a physical ceremony.
It was in the music video, and I think what
happened in the press with just one picture and the
(24:17):
fixation was shown. So why are people fixated on this idea?
Because that's how we were raised in this particular society,
that you're not an honest woman, Oh you must be
a liar if you're not married or some man who's
not swept you up with your feet. From the early
movies that we see, animated movies where we have to
(24:40):
give up a gift or a part of ourselves to
live this happily ever life, I think not. So what
is it about this that is not resonating with me?
Is the question. So in a spiritual journey, and I'm
always on one, it was about getting to the core
(25:03):
of who Maya is and self love and committing to myself.
And what does that look like is the question. You
can't obviously think you're going to attract anything good for
you if you're not together. So this was about self work,
self realization, self love, self boundaries, and it had nothing
(25:27):
to do with anyone else. And so what that means
is putting in well, taking in and taking on positive
energy from what I tune into what I'm putting into
my body, sleep, recharging as I exert myself in my
(25:52):
life or a career, making sure that my cough is
full as a provider, and making that I also learn
how to say no in certain circumstances as a giver.
That's what that spiritual marriage was about. Physically, it was
conveyed with a wedding dress with the people understand most
(26:16):
in this society in particular. But that was also a
song that I wrote with that concept in mind, speaking
to yourself highly with positive words, so that you choose
you in times where the world might not be choosing
you and you may not feel worthy, or you're questioning
(26:36):
how come because everyone else is questioning you? How come?
It starts he literally starts with you, and everything else
branches out, just like a tree. So what you put
into you, you receive back from the world. And so
this is also confrontation with myself, no excuses, get it together.
(26:59):
And that's what, in a nutshell, a spiritual marriage looks like.
And it shows up eventually physically in all areas of
your life, financially, mentally, emotionally, professionally. And now people are
asking me what my secret is. My secret literally is
marrying myself spiritually and committing to myself in all areas
(27:25):
of my life where maybe I was lacking, putting the
look back. And that's beautiful, yeah, and then that allows
you to give back to the world and fulfill your purpose. Yes,
that's beautiful.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Yeah, But people don't get that that is, so you're conceded.
Why did you Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, I know that's
not what that's I.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Understood that there was a message there, but you explaining
that made me think, like, why do we have to
adhere to what society says? If you can really be
comfortable in your own skin, knowing that's what you did,
that that translates in a lot of different ways. And
that's what I was going back to. You're very comfortable.
This is what you've decided to do, and it's work
we all do. We always have to do the work.
All of us every day have to do the work.
(28:15):
And I think that message resonates with women such as
myself single. You know what I mean, I'm not married,
I don't have kids. What's wrong with you? And you're
like nothing, I'm perfectly fine, actually perfectly fine.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Everyone's life is not supposed to look the same, so.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
It's not supposed to look the same. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
I embrace adversity. I embrace the place of love that
sometimes criticism or we can take as criticism comes from
because maybe there is a beautiful experience that other people
want you to share. And so correcting my thoughts as
well as I intake so many opinions of the world,
regardless of the topic. That's self correction and self assessment,
(28:58):
which is also a part of that self love journey.
Not beating up yourself or or I would say, being
absorbed by the negativity that our thoughts can immediately go.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
To, and being kind, just being kind to ourselves, talk
nice to ourselves.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
I love that every champion and carry champions to be
a champion, a champion, and carry champion and carry chat
be out a champion and carried chapion and carried chat
entertainment and naked word, every champion and carry champions to
be a champion, a champion, and carry champion, champion and
(29:39):
carry champion and carried chatament naked word.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
This past August, you released another single. We just talked
about wine. I want to make sure I'm saying that correctly.
Fine with Bounty Killer, talk to me about that single, uh?
And what that was for you? What was that that
message you were giving? Is it fun? Are we laughing?
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Are we sassy?
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Are we all things?
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Well? A part of my healing journey takes place in nature,
and that's real life for me. And what that looks
like is sunshine. What that looks like is good music, food, culture, friends,
family or friends that become family. And the Caribbean has
been a part of my life since I was about
two years old. Every year and a part of my
earlier career was spent in Jamaica every year thanks to
(30:29):
being a man and a lot of other collaborations throughout
the Caribbean. So my vegan retreats and the winners and
the challenges the Caribbean and tropical environments where you can
feel the love, you can taste the love, you can
smell the love, and your body thanks you for it.
(30:49):
So I wanted to bring that to music, because that's
really who Maya is in a very lighthearted, fun way.
People love to see me dance, but I love havinginess
and sometimes, you know, we get a little bit too
much of the negativity on airways and I wanted to
bring some balance independently. So in crafting such a song,
(31:12):
that was the mission happiness togetherness. I love a celebration,
but I wanted to it to feel like the world
that we don't necessarily get in the cities all the time,
and that's where I find my joy as well. And
you can find me in the Caribbean every year or
(31:32):
somewhere paratorial.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Yeah, we appreciate that. We need that. So that's what
you're giving us. That's the music that you're giving us.
Are you working on any other projects that you'd like
to share?
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Well, I don't want to go into detail, but there
are two finished projects that gone for quite a while, mixed, mastered,
and ready to go. But there's strategy behind, you know,
releases from this point on and getting the teens together
as I've been doing it independently solo for a long time.
(32:10):
My fans have spoken, hey, we want this, we want
them when visuals, we want so much more and it
takes time. But back to wine, you know, we shot
that in Kingston, Jamaica. Shout out to Bounty Killa, another
dance hall legend, and it was important for me to
create a song that allowed people to dance together again
(32:33):
because I don't see much of that happening anymore. And
it's a cultural dance from Jamaica. And there's some dance
content for that specifically coming very soon. For those challenge
and learning new things called.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Challenge, I'm ready to talk it. I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
I'm one of the producer digal hard work. I've been
working with for a long time since twenty ten. He's
actually Jamaican himself. And it's just very very nice to
be welcomed and just be reconnected to joy and I
help people do the love and see the love and
the video and on a sum.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
And in your in your voice, you exudeed. So I
think that it's mission accomplished. I'm excited. Well this morning,
I exude that. No, you sound you sound relaxed.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
This morning.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Yeah, you sound relaxed. I want to do yoga with you.
I want to I want to go and eat vegetables.
I'm being silly, but you know, I'm like, where are
we at the vegan retreat? Where we're going? I'm ready
to do it. What we're doing?
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Yeah, that's me.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
You deserve it all.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Now I have two different Why do you see that too?
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Yeah, yeah, I can see that. I can see that
we are for the folks who are listening that we're
recording in the morning, so we get it. Like, no,
I can see both you. I think that. And and
by the way, we're all things. We're all We're not
just one thing. We're all things. As you said earlier,
we are all things. Maya. It has been a pleasure.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk
to us. You're really truly stunning, and I just appreciate
(34:23):
you just being yourself and being honest and who you are.
It's hard to do that completely naked.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
I appreciate you. And it looks a beautiful fresh face
this morning.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Can I see you? The whole time, I was like,
I ain't put on no makeup for mine. I was like,
I should have. I'll take it. I'll take it. I'm
truly naked.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
I was up until like four o'clock in the morning.
I'm like, I should probably put on a little sunk
you can see there.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
No, but it looks it looks natural, it looks great.
But you know what, I didn't expect anything less, and
and more importantly, I wasn't kidding. I've been a fan
forever and I really do appreciate you just being true
to who you are, quieting out the noise and remaining
a true artist. That is what you choose to choose
to do, and we see it and we receive it.
That's staying.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
That is yet to come. And I appreciate this AA
man to discuss they're all going to honest.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Thank you you you, I must be honest. When I
interview people of note, or when I interview people that
I am legitimately a fan of, such as Maya, I
get a little nervous because I don't want to be intrusive.
I don't want to go overboard in my questioning. I
really try to pick up on people's energy, and that's
(35:43):
what leads these interviews. And she had a very peaceful spirit.
I wasn't just saying that, and I thought that was special.
I can see how she moves the way she does.
I can understand rather why, in fact, she has kept
her life extremely private and moves in a way that
she wants to move in this industry, and that has
(36:05):
to be tough, because I can even imagine being a
solo artist around the time Beyonce came out right, or
being an artist in general. You got Destiny's Child at
the time when she started to pop, when Maya started
to pop, you had all these different girl groups, and
it's always so hard to sift through that world. But
she has had staying power because I believe she's just
(36:27):
stay true to who she is. Congratulations on a twenty
five year career. Congratulations on all the things that make
her her, and she's so comfortable in her own skin.
Let me just say this too, she is fine, super fine,
like fine fine, like fy n e fine, like I
know you guys have seen the photos, but she's fine fine,
(36:47):
even though she doesn't consider herself the sex symbol. How
is that even possible? How is that even possible? Anyway,
enough of that, I'll see you all next week on
Naked
Speaker 4 (37:00):
OA
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