The soft pop/indie love ballad “everything” explores the idea of seeking understanding and thinking back on a relationship that was meant to be…everything. Lost and confused, aware that the relationship is changing and that there is nothing you can do about it, but holding out hope that things could end up right. When you put so much effort into a relationship and it fails, your thoughts may wander to what is and isn’t feasible. It’s a very sentimental song, and I think it’s very relatable. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
MYAH: I was born and raised in South Florida and lived there until I moved to Los Angeles. I’ve been a singer since I was little, but I didn’t start vocal training until 2019 here in LA. I felt like it was important to learn what it meant to not only be an artist but be a stronger vocalist before I dived into my own career as one. In the Fall of 2022, I told my vocal coach, Daniel Bayot (he’s incredible, I owe him everything), that I was tired of doing covers and singing other people’s songs. We both agreed I was ready to start exploring writing and my own sound, so that’s when I started pursuing music seriously. I’m grateful to Daniel for his support and for guiding me in that process.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
MYAH: I would say it’s a mix of both. As a singer, absolutely. I was always able to sing, but vocal training and vocal coaching was crucial. I was not nearly as good of a singer as I was five years ago when I started (again, shoutout to Daniel). I’m a big believer in vocal training, I wouldn’t be able to do live shows or push myself the way I can now if it hadn’t been for being extremely consistent and going every week. When I listen to old recordings of myself it’s makes me grateful I didn’t start recording until I was ready. Saved me from some embarrassment haha. Writing is mostly self-taught. I have a formula that works quite well for me and its usually very fluid – I’ll skateboard or sit at my guitar or piano and come up with a melody that interests me and start writing from there. I do have to shoutout Daniel again though because he taught me structure and gave me the chord progression tools to get started which allowed me to grow on my own from there.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘MYAH?
MYAH: This is a tricky question because I think my musical influences are a bit of a melting pot. My mom was born in the 50s and her favorite singer of all time is Stevie Nicks, who is an incredible vocalist to be exposed to at a young age. Also Diana Ross, Karen Carpenter, Phil Collins, Journey – massive legends, the music production of that era is pretty unmatched. I have an older brother, Devin, that’s about 10 years older than I am. I vividly remember when I was about 10 or 11 he gave me his iPod that he and his friend Jason curated. It was an insane catalogue of records, maybe thousands. I have this core memory of Jason looking at me and telling me if I started listening to their music now, I’d be way ahead of everyone by the time I got to college which was funny and true. It was all alternative, indie, experimental music that as a ten-year-old I never would’ve found on my own. My favorite band was Modest Mouse. “Good News for People Who Love Bad News” is a monumental album for me. So yeah, I grew up listening to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The National, Sigur Ros, Talking Heads, Netherfriends, Matt & Kim, Regina Spektor, Blink182, that whole era of music emerging from the 90s was big, and then as I got older I fell into the pop punk emo genre pretty hard. I know this is a longwinded answer, but I think it gives a lot of context for why I write so much music, I’m really fortunate to have been able to have such a diverse library of good music to be influenced by so there’s a lot I pull from. As for myah, that reason is pretty simple. It boils down to my legal name being the same as one of the biggest pop stars in all of history (Mariah Carey), and there was about zero chance I could ever compete with Mariah’s SEO. You google “Mariah music”, it’s gonna be all Mariah Carey and that will never change probably ever lol. Myah is a family nickname and really feels like my music identity. It’s going to seem kind of alter-ego esque but in a lot of ways when I’m myah I feel more like myself then any other occasion.
4. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
MYAH: I think all forms of art are vessels to showcase a viewpoint at the discretion of the artist. It’s a valuable tool – it’s essential in sharing the human experience which is one of the main reasons I’m so against Ai art. At this point in my artistry, I wouldn’t say that the music I’m making is specifically directed towards politics or spiritual or a social cause – that doesn’t mean it won’t be something I explore in the future though, as long as it’s authentic. I don’t want to put anything out that’s contrived or because of pressure. If I feel like I have something worth saying I’ll say it, but right now the biggest questions I have in my life are about love, about time, about purpose. I’m somewhat existential, I have a lot of thoughts, I struggle with anxiety. I’m trying to navigate everything around me and the fact that my life didn’t really go according to my own plan. I obviously have a lot of feelings. I know that my experiences aren’t solely my own, I think they’re very relatable. So if I can use my music as a way to help other people not feel so alone, that’s what matters to me. It’s important to me that my music evokes sense of community and belonging – life is hard, you’re not alone in that, so here’s everything I’ve gone through and maybe knowing there’s a light at the end of the tunnel by someone who has lived it too makes it easier to weather the storm.
5. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
MYAH: I played Troubadour in April and that was absolutely wild. It was only the third live show I had ever done and being on a stage like that was a dream. I hope one day I can be the solo artist there and sell it out. That would be amazing. Outside of that, I think the fans that I do have make me feel so happy and proud. They’re really supportive, they get the music, they’re here for the journey. They know this is new and they’re excited too. It feels special. I don’t have a ton of fans, but the ones I do have, they rock – they give me motivation to keep going. I want to give them the best music I possibly can.
6. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
MYAH:
At this present moment I think music is the only source of fulfillment and joy in my life. I had been pursuing other avenues thinking that was my life purpose, but then I hit rock bottom hard. I had a full crisis about it, and now I feel like the path is more clear. It makes sense in hindsight because I’ve been wearing headphones and listening to music every single day of my life since I was about 7 (not an exaggeration. I wake up, put headphones on, turn on music). Sometimes I think I don’t know what the world sounds like without music playing. I haven’t been releasing music that long, so I feel like I’m in a good place right now. I’m working about as hard as I possibly can with the resources I have. I just hope my music reaches more people so I can keep making it. And do tours, I want to tour so bad. I think I’m always going to strive for more, it’s my personality type. I want to give everything I can to this pursuit.
7. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
MYAH: I’m going to contain this question just to my music career because if we start talking about life this will be a 40-page interview. The most difficult thing is not going bankrupt. Literally lol. Making music as an independent artist is so expensive and it’s a catch 22 because you need music to build fans. I’m pretty impatient so I don’t like just releasing a song every few months, I try to release 1-2 songs a month. I have 30 songs I’m just sitting on – 16 of them are for the album, but the rest I’m just tapping my foot waiting for the weeks to pass until I can release more. Having to wait is hard but these things just take time. So I’m trying to be okay with that since I can’t control it.
8. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
MYAH: I’ve been fortunate to not have too many haters or naysayers. Maybe because I’m still pretty small time – so far the people that listen to my music have been very kind and supportive. I’ve had a couple mean comments, but it doesn’t really affect me since it’s been mostly positive. I also don’t care. Music is very subjective – you’re either going to like the song sonically or you won’t, I can’t control that. I don’t like being explicit and I’m kind of wholesome. That’s a very conscious decision. I don’t think my music is particularly controversial which is maybe why I don’t have too many haters (knock on wood).
9. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
MYAH: Oh wow, this is a hard question. I don’t think I can pick. There is something so electric about being in the studio, I love the creative process so much. I always bring in pretty loose ideas to the studio so my producers & I can create something unique and different. I don’t like rules – exploring the possibilities is my favorite part of it all. I’ve had moments where I leave the studio and it makes me emotional to think about how a simple riff I came up with ends up becoming the song that it is. It’s honestly so special, I cherish it. Performing live is huge, I’ve had the opportunity to do it a few times now and being able to visually see how my music resonates with the people that listen to it, that’s unreal. You can’t really describe that feeling, but it is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
MYAH: I think it’s fun to give fans lore to speculate over – and there is definitely lore, I’ve lived a kind of crazy life so far. Most of my music is very personal or driven from experiences I’ve had. I like being able to be vulnerable with my fans, I think they deserve it. As important as it is that they get the real story, I always want my music to be able to be interpreted and have the fans make it their own too. For example, I often leave out pronouns in my lyrics – I use “you” or “they” a lot not because I’m out of words, I just think when you specifically say “he” or “she” or “that boy, that girl”, whatever it is, then you’re taking away the ability for listeners to make it their own. So as long as it doesn’t mess up the integrity of the song or the overall message then I try to leave certain specifics out – have the fans fill in the blanks. My music at its core isn’t about me, it’s about the listener and the audience, that’s who it’s for, and as much as I have ownership of these songs, they have ownership too.
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