J.Maya, CEO of Brainy Pop
Photo Credit: Max Christiansen
J.Maya is a rapidly rising star from the Bay Area of California. You might’ve heard of her from her viral debut release, “Achilles Heel,” or you might’ve seen her on TikTok where she has an impressive following of over 400,000 strong. J.Maya recently dropped her single, “Sunday Crossword,” and it is another brilliantly written record. Filled with lots of clever puns and crafty wordplay, J.Maya explores the excitement yet sometimes uncertain feelings we experience in a newer relationship. I got the chance to catch up with her for a wonderful discussion.
First of all, thank you for doing this interview with us!
The pleasure is all mine!
It’s such a pleasure to speak with you! I saw your TikTok you posted about being the Youngest Pun Champion in history. What’s the most puntastic pun you’ve ever come up with, and did it ever make your music?
Ooooh, I love this question. Personally, I really liked a pun I made during a spontaneous punning competition once where the topic was “literature,” which was along the lines of “I take my sewing really seriously because I’ve always been a fan of the earnest hemming way.” With regard to my released music, I would say I’m quite proud of a pun in my first song, “Achilles Heel.” There’s a lyric in the song where I sing “‘cause you love hardcore, only half the time”; the word “hardcore” is a subtle reference to Kore, another name for the Greek goddess Persephone. In Greek mythos, Persephone was cursed to spend half the year with Hades in the underworld, a fact that is also referenced in the line.
Your latest single, “Sunday Crossword” is ingenious wordplay that’s also emotionally relatable. We’ve all wondered at one point or another if someone liked us back. If a young person is listening to this song in their bedroom wondering if that one person likes them back, what do you hope they resonate with in the record?
These are such kind words – thank you so much! In both its sonics & lyrics, I wanted “Sunday Crossword” to convey the simultaneous anxiety & exhilaration of attempting to untangle someone’s feelings. With the power of hindsight in my corner, I am able now to reminisce fondly on my first crushes growing up; there’s something so thrilling about being a young person and dipping your toes into the rushing river of romance for the first time, often with no clue of what you’re doing. If someone reading this were to take a message from this song, I would hope it would be this: cherish those butterflies. It might feel nerve-wracking now, but you will savor these moments & this excitement for years to come, both in your relationships and in your general life. Sometimes, while you’re growing up, your feelings will be too big for your words, and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
I love that nat sound you have in the beginning over the guitar of a couple doing the crossword together. Do you add fine details like that to elevate to the storytelling?
Thank you so much! I absolutely adore including small details in my music to deepen the stories within my songs & immerse the listener in a different world. For example, my fourth song “Library Card,” written about the experience of growing up a maladjusted bookworm, starts with a chorus of whispers over violin strings. When I originally had the idea to incorporate a spoken element into the introduction of the song, I asked my incredible social media followers to send me book quotes about love and life that skewed their expectations for real life. Each whisper represents one quote that was sent in. With both “Library Card” and “Sunday Crossword,” I love how these organic moments weave with the musical elements to continue the story at the heart of the song. As a songwriter, storytelling is always my utmost priority.
My favorite lyric is “So give me a pen, I can pretend that we're writing our future, instead of playing all these games.” For all my romantics out there, how can we be the author of our dreams and future instead of getting caught up in society’s games?
I love this question (& that line is one of my favorites as well!). To me, this lyric is the first moment in the song where the singer is clearly stating her true feelings for her crush, instead of veiling her thoughts in metaphors and questions. I am definitely someone who struggles with owning and sharing my feelings with others; music is often one of the only places where I get to unabashedly express myself. On that subject, I will say two things: firstly, my life has improved greatly since I’ve started communicating my feelings & desires more honestly with people, even when it’s difficult. Secondly, discovering just how powerful of an outlet music is for me was life-changing. It’s so important in life to find the languages you can express yourself most freely in; once you master those, you have so much more autonomy over your future.
What characteristic do you most admire in other creative women?
I am constantly in awe of women who create out of a primal & unfettered love for art, women who build each other up and who don’t let the world’s negativity pollute their passions. It’s taken me a long time to be able to create without the fear of judgment; I am always learning from the women before me who paved the way for others to express themselves as authentically & wholly as they can.
I believe in owning failure because mistakes educate us. What’s a mistake creatives shouldn’t be ashamed to make?
Any mistakes that naturally occur on the path to discovering’s one identity as an artist. It’s been quite the journey for me already to really reflect on the art I want to create, and I’m just at the beginning of mine! We are constantly evolving as artists and people; it’s crucial to allow ourselves to experiment without the fear of failure so that we can grow into the people we were meant to be.
This question is more for my own selfishness, haha… I’m brainstorming a novel at the moment (have been since last July). As a book lover, what makes a romance novel “unputdownable?” Do you have any advice for me in terms of writing my novel?
I love this (& I can’t wait to read it!). I have so many thoughts, but I’ll try to boil them down to these three: characters, dialogue, & pacing. I absolutely adore when romantically intertwined characters bring out certain personality traits in each other. For example, if one character struggles with opening up to others, the other might compulsively overshare, highlighting the difference in each character’s psychologies. In real life, people are often attracted to those who exhibit the traits they wish they possessed; for me, it makes reading more enjoyable when the characters’ mutual interest would make sense in the “real world.” On the topic of realism, dialogue can often make or break a novel for me. It’s a pet peeve of mine when multiple characters have the same conversational style; it takes me out of the world of the book & serves as a constant reminder that the characters are simply figments of the author’s imagination. Nuanced dialogue to me is dialogue that feels like a conversation between distinct people. It’s a plus if the dialogue can walk the line between feeling realistic & also slightly elevated from normal day-to-day conversation. Finally, I’m a sucker for slow burn romances. It’s another literary pet peeve of mine when the “emotional bonding” between two characters is rushed; sometimes, authors will include one scene of mutual disclosure & perch an entire relationship on the precarious foundation of that scene. In real life, romantic interest stems from multiple factors, including proximity, increasing closeness, shared experiences, humor, etc. I always appreciate diversity in the types of conversations love interests share (e.g. intimate, funny, anxious, etc.), & am always left wanting more! I’m sure you’ll do an amazing job & I can’t wait to read what you have!!! :) <3
Thank you so much to J.Maya for taking the time out to do this interview and to Brianna Borstein of Expand Entertainment for making it possible! Check out “Sunday Crossword” on all available streaming platforms.