MAIA – Bad Guy (2020)
In a lot of breakups, there is one person who has to make the decision to end a relationship both know is not working. This is something that MAIA experienced and forms the basis of her new single ‘Bad Guy’. Through this song, she considers how she was made to deal with the fallout of being the one to break up. However, she also states her acceptance of this and encourages everyone to be strong enough to play this role and roll with the backlash.
The emotions of being the bad guy are portrayed through her haunting vocals and 90s trip-hop influenced sound. Blending her rich vocals with some glitchy vibes, MAIA shows why she was scouted for the second season of All Together Now.
‘Bad Guy’ has this interesting blended opening that draws on some jazzy grooves with glitch and tip-hop beats. The melody of the song continues to meld different sounds and styles to form this unique musical soundscape. There are some eerie notes warbling in the background while the drumbeat makes you move to it. There is also something poppy hanging out in the lower levels of the melody. The melody really takes the idea of fusion to a completely new level.
Over the mixture of melodic styles, MAIA’s vocals are a smooth and rich layer. She has this warmth to her performance that draws you into the song. Her performance is also emotive as she works through being the bad guy. You can hear her acceptance of the position while making you feel like it is no big deal that she has to.
MAIA takes musical fusion to a new level with ‘Bad Guy’ drawing on jazz, glitch, trip-hop and pop. She hooks you with the interesting melody before tying you down with her rich vocals. The combination of a melody with so many different styles and her rich performance creates a song that you cannot stop listening to.
Find out more about MAIA on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
