Get To Know: Mai Anna

With her own intergalactic flair, New York-born, Japanese-Puerto Rican R&B artist Mai Anna is unpacking the beauties and complexities of love and life. The dreamlike production of the 22 year old's latest single ‘Jupiter’ naturally feels futuristic and familiar as her artistry lies in the intersection between novelty and nostalgia.

Photography by Ki-Sean Johnson @ki.shoots_

Even though she only started songwriting in 2019, Mai Anna's roots are definitely musical. The varied palette that she draws from today begins with her parents, who introduced her to icons such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Queen. When she was younger, singing with her mum made car rides extra special. After years of not being able to do it, the moment that Mai Anna finally harmonised with her as they sang ‘A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes’ from Disney's Cinderella had them both “geeked”. With her mum constantly listening to her unreleased playlists now, she is clearly Mai Anna's “biggest fan”. Growing up on Soundcloud contributed majorly to her musical exploration as well. Speaking reminiscently of that era, Mai Anna says that she also takes inspiration from the likes of Ella Mai, Jhene Aiko and Kehlani, who she discovered as emerging artists on the platform. The “weird beats” that she came across on there intrigued her too.

But Mai Anna's transition into pursuing music actually coincided with her starting her studies at Harvard. Her decision to get a piano one day set everything off: “I felt like I discovered this new language that was such an eye-opening way to express myself and I was able to explain things to myself that I was never able to understand. [...] Music opened this portal of understanding [and fulfilling] myself and I got really obsessed with it. [...] I’d say that college really brought music out of me because I didn’t really do music before.”

Photography by Steven Milnes @kiwiniphotos

Taking a class with her favourite teacher, mentor and GRAMMY award-winning jazz musician Esperanza Spalding has also had a huge impact on how Mai Anna views herself and her art, making her recognise that she is good enough to make music. Now she hopes that people take this message from her music: “Make art, bro. If that is what moves you, do it. There are so many ways that you can create and show people what you do and they will listen and look at it.”

But despite her love for it, she does admit that the struggles of balancing music and Harvard stopped her from dropping music earlier. However, the countless hours that Mai Anna has spent at the piano “cultivating [herself] as an artist” are already paying off⁠ since she recently opened for South London alté R&B artist Odeal at The Jazz Cafe in London: “It was really cool to share his stage and sing in front of people who had no idea who I was and introduced myself in the most authentic way I know how.”

As her graduation next year is fast approaching, Mai Anna speaks with an uncontainable excitement about finally sharing the music that she’s been “hoarding” from her intense songwriting phase. Her spacy new single ‘Jupiter’ is a teaser for what she is bringing in 2023. With neo-soul and pop accents, the production courtesy of Devin “sawcy_boy” England provides the perfect backdrop for Mai Anna’s smooth vocals which tell a story of unrequited love: “[It’s] about loving somebody that you know loves somebody else, dealing with that realisation and accepting that, processing how I found out and how I’m feeling about it. [...] It’s pretty upbeat and I love making upbeat songs about sad topics.” Describing music as “an extension of [her] experience”, the writing process behind ‘Jupiter’ flowed quite freely once she heard a “fire” arpeggio that Devin was playing.

Since she released her sensual debut single ‘FWU’ last year, Mai Anna has seen herself evolve tremendously. Developing her intentionality, her involvement in production and a higher vocal register have all enabled her to continue refining her craft. So when asked about what people should expect from her following ‘Jupiter’, her answer is simple and self-assured: “More [sonic and lyrical] intergalactic-ness”. She goes on to explain that she is “so drawn to this idea of feeling out of this world, [that] only the most extreme circumstances can explain the depth of what we’re emoting”. With plans to move to London early next year, Mai Anna cannot wait to spread her intergalactic-ness within the UK R&B scene.