INTERVIEW: Maya Rose Speaks Her Mind On The Powerful ‘Mind The Gap’

Maya Rose. Photo by Katherine Seppings.

Regional Victorian artist Maya Rose’s new single, Mind The Gap, is a protest song. Starting with a sample of chanting female protestors, it’s a track that transforms the energy that people all over the world have expressed in recent years, turning it into a song that crackles with the energy of fury channelled into R&B music that highlights the strength of Maya’s voice.

I spoke to Maya about the track, as well as her musical journey to date, including what the Australian music industry could be doing better to support female/non-binary artists. Check out the track below, and read on to find out all about Mind The Gap’s message.

Ben Madden: Firstly, can I get you to introduce yourself?
Maya Rose: My name is Maya Rose. I’m a R&B singer-songwriter and musician from Castlemaine, Victoria. I began writing songs at age 14 and released my debut EP Time in 2019. I’ve been performing regular gigs in regional Victoria and Melbourne over the past few years, and now I’m recording my second EP.

You’ve just released your new single, Mind The Gap, and it’s a track that captures the energy of the global women’s movements that have taken place in recent years. Can you tell me about the moment you decided to channel those events into a song?
I was inspired by women in music and the #MeToo movement. It was also an accumulation of feeling fed up with how women are treated by some men and I write about my experiences of being a woman in the music industry. I wanted to say something that had a bigger meaning to a bigger audience. I was inspired by 60s and 70s revolution songs, about women’s liberation, and Aretha Franklin’s Respect. I think more anthem songs are needed for these times.

The song starts with a sample of female protestors chanting ‘my body, my choice’. Can you tell me about the significance of that sample, and how you think it reflects the track’s message?
At the end of Mind The Gap, I declare, “Enough is enough”. My producer Julian Steel and I wanted to build off that idea and bring in a feeling of strong females fighting for their rights on mass. It made me feel quite emotional when we first added it in; many voices together move me deeply. It was the final missing piece to the song. It reflects the track’s message of women having power and a voice because we should all have the right to make choices without fear or discrimination.

As an artist that’s based in regional Victoria, how do you think growing up/living there has influenced your musical experiences?
I grew up in Castlemaine, a great arts community. From a young age, I went to the historical Theatre Royal and Castlemaine State Festival which brought in many national and international music acts. I attended the Over the Moon dance school for 10 years where I was exposed to a range of world music.

At my primary school, my principal was the president of the State Festival and a big music lover who introduced a great music program. I participated in local musical theatre productions as well as school plays. All of these gave me a great sense of support, confidence and encouragement to follow my own journey of a career in music and performance.

There has been discussion of gender inequality in the music industry as part of wider conversations about the patriarchy – what’s your view on what the music industry can do better to support female/non-binary artists?
Yes, women are underrepresented in most areas of the music industry. Some of the reasons are the confidence gap, sexual harassment, and access to opportunities because of men in decision-making roles. There needs to be more mentoring and networking opportunities to support women.

We need increased representation of women to achieve equality across panels, boards, award nominations, radio play and festival line-ups. I think it also comes down to a combination of perseverance and circumstances for each individual and encouraging young girls to have confidence helps them going forward when they come up against knockbacks.

COVID saw you playing several live-streamed events, including a virtual launch for Mind The Gap – how has your experience been with these events, and what does the future hold for virtual events once live music returns in a meaningful way?

I found there were many positives to live-streaming, being able to keep up my performing skills during lockdowns and reach people who couldn’t normally get to my gigs due to distance limitations. However, it’s not something I could do regularly as there isn’t enough interaction and energy from the audience to feed off. I don’t see virtual events continuing as often once live music returns. As a musician I need to get out there and connect with new audiences and support myself financially; live-streaming can never replace that.

Your second EP is set to follow the release of Mind The Gap – can you tell me about some of the major influences, whether they be events or people, on that project?
I found myself feeling very inspired through the 2020 lockdowns. I’m an introverted person and the time alone from the outside world was comforting for me. I write best when there are no distractions and I’m allowed the time to let it flow. There was a lot to process about the pandemic.

The major influences on the EP were the hard times of not being able to see my partner because of lockdowns, battles within myself in developing my sense of confidence, and losing a loved one. I got through this time by putting these experiences into very honest and raw songs.

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Finally, what’s next for you, both personally and music-wise?
Music-wise, when things open up, I’ll be going down to Melbourne to finish the recording and production of the remaining songs on my upcoming EP and release them. I also can’t wait to start gigging again. I want to continue developing my craft, song-writing and learning more about the business side of the music industry.

Personally, I’m trying to prioritise my happiness; making time for the things that bring me joy like cooking, gardening, exercising and being with loved ones.

You can follow Maya Rose on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter here.