A Chat with Maeve Steele (14.09.2020)
Maeve Steele is taking inspiration from the California coastline for her new EP Barefoot. This is woven into her artistic evolution leaving you with 4 pop songs that you will not be able to get enough of. However, this is not all she has been up to as she also launched the Coastline Virtual Concert Series. We sat down with Maeve Steele to talk about the new EP, her virtual concerts, music and much more!
OSR: What is your earliest musical memory?
Steele: My earliest musical memories are playing violin with my mom.
OSR: What drew you to your preferred genre?
Steele: As I started with classical violin, music was synonymous with discipline and rigidity. I’m definitely thankful now that I have that foundation, but I think that’s also why I was drawn to pop music. There’s so much fluidity and freedom, especially in indie-pop because it pulls from so many different genres.
OSR: What was the creative process for your new EP Barefoot?
Steele: I wrote all of the songs for Barefoot just sitting in my apartment messing around on the guitar. I tend to walk away with a song I’m more proud of when the writing happens naturally, as opposed to when I sit down and try to write a song and place certain expectations on myself.
OSR: Is there a common theme to the tracks on the EP?
Steele: I think all of the songs from the EP have a theme of reflection and growth. There’s a certain acceptance that was behind all of them, like I was stepping back and looking for a bunch of silver linings.
OSR: Is there a track on the EP that holds special meaning to you?
Steele: ‘Coastline’ probably means the most to me, just because the imagery of the west coast is so near and dear to me. More than anything else, the song’s about growing up, and I wrote it at a time when it felt like my life was really shifting into adulthood.
OSR: You launched the Coastline Virtual Concert Series, can you tell us more about this?
Steele: The Virtual Concert Series was an attempt to share some music and entertainment during a time when a lot of people are facing isolation and hardship. Hunger is such a huge problem in our country right now, and I wanted to use whatever platform I have to bring attention and resources to a cause that might not be on everyone’s mind.
OSR: How different was it performing for a live stream compared to traditional live gigs?
Steele: Performing for live streams is honestly so much scarier. There’s no audience to react to and no atmosphere to play off. It’s definitely been a steep learning curve, but I’m still really grateful that I live in a time where we can share music with such ease from the safety of our own homes.
OSR: How does being a poet impact the music you create?
Steele: Poetry and lyrics are really one and the same. Poetry is pretty unforgiving, and I think it forces me to be intentional with every line.
OSR: If you could have your music evoke one emotion only, what would you like it to be?
Steele: I would like people to feel comforted.
OSR: What are your plans for the future?
Steele: I want to keep writing, keep improving and making music that feels personal and new to me. Hopefully, performing live in front of an audience is an option in the relatively near future too.
Thanks to Maeve Steele for chatting with us! You can find more about her on her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
