Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya G.
Maya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was four years old when I started singing at my family events, I always had an attraction towards music.
My parents moved from country to country when I was a child.
I was born in Miami but moved to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at the age of two.
In Santo Domingo, I started performing in all of if the school events as a child.
At the age of seven, we moved to Bogota, Colombia. I started school there and played my first instrument which was a recorder, the second I played that recorder I knew I loved instruments. Then, I started playing other instruments, I would switch every two months, I think I drove my band director crazy.
I was also in the choir and sang at the school’s church every week twice a week, I was the main singer.
I was also in the dance team, therefore every time there was a school event I always had to change very fast from my dance outfits to my uniform.
I told my dad at the age of eight, that I wanted to be a singer, that music was everything to me.
My dad had gotten me an opportunity to be in a show in Colombia but unfortunately, it started getting very dangerous and my parents sent my sister and me to the US when I was 11.
I had to leave my cousins, my friends, my dreams and start over once again.
It was a challenge coming back to the US because my English was very limited, I understood a lot of it but I could barely speak it. Kids used to bully me and beat me up at school for not speaking English. I signed up for the band and for the first time in my life I played a professional flute, I was so in love with the sound of it.
I asked my father to put me in piano lessons, and he said I didn’t need them, in a way he was right because I learned on my own, I asked my dad to buy me a guitar but he never did, he said I did not need any more instruments.
I started auditioning for girl bands at the age of 13. The answer was always “you sing really good, but you don’t have a Latin look”, or “you are not dark enough for the Latin look”, or “you have to be thinner because you have too much breast and your hips are too big.”
I became so obsessed with having a Latin look, that I became anorexic, I started tanning to look darker not realizing that I was just fine the way I was.
In high school, I was in the band and in the choir, but I left the choir because I felt the other girls were just started to sing, my Chorus teacher, Ms. Dennis always said to me “I know you are destined for good things.”
I left the band and choir and started focusing in school and community service.
I realized I loved helping others as much as I loved my music.
I graduated with honors, and I was a Silver Knight nominee, I wanted to make my parents proud of my academicals achievements.
I started going to Miami Dade College “Prometeo Program”, which is a program for performing arts, singing, acting and dancing.
My father had a horrible accident where he almost lost his life and I had to work several jobs to help my family out. I bought my first guitar at 19 years old, I remember I played it so much until my fingers bled, by the end of the week I was playing several songs and singing at the same time.
I started writing music and composing with my guitar, it became my outlet away from reality.
I met a guy at one of my jobs and we dated for a while and asked me to marry him, so I did.
I became a mom at 21 years old and at 22, I had my second child.
I went to college for an ultrasound and worked in the field for two years and wasn’t happy, I realized something was missing.
Shortly, I separated from my ex-husband at 24 years old, he was not the person who I thought he was, he would mentally abuse me constantly to the point I started losing faith in myself. I began therapy due to depression.
Unfortunately, I had to give up my music dream to raise my two boys, I have worked two jobs for most of the time after I split from their father and still managed to volunteer at the girls and boys club by coaching cheerleading.
I picked up my guitar after almost nine years of not playing and decided I wanted to do my music again.
In one of my travels to Colombia I met a singer at a night club where he was performing, he came up to me and said “you are not from here, because women here in this city do not dance with the rhythm you do”, we became friends, I started telling him that I am a singer and a songwriter.
I finally made the decision to go to Colombia and record a few songs, two of the songs I am featuring the Colombian singer Rei-G. We both collaborated and co-wrote the songs, the producer Legolax and I worked very close to make the beats I wanted for my songs.
I wanted my songs to have a different essence than all the other Colombian artist after all my mother is Dominican and my father is Colombian. I have my Caribbean style and my Colombian style.
Never in a million years, I thought I would do this, but it just goes to show you that when you persevere and you work hard, you can make anything happen.
The release of my first song “Si tu supieras” which means “if you knew” will come out in mid-June.
Three weeks after, I am releasing the second song which is a combination of three languages, English, Portuguese and Spanish. This song I created based on funk music from Brazil, the name is “Mexer bum bum” which means “shake your booty”, which Rei-G will be featured on it. I wanted my songs to be fun but not vulgar so we can attract a bigger crowd and also all ages. I also want my sings to have different languages because I think learning new languages is always fun.
I am not sure what the outcome will be, but I am very positive that people are going to like my songs, and most importantly relate themselves to them.
My children and my parents are so proud of me and this means the world to me, now that I am 35 years old, it is now or never. I don’t ever want to wonder what if, I am doing it, and I pray to God that people can see how hard I’ve worked for this after getting turned away hundreds of times, I never gave up because my love for music is so strong, and I want to make a difference in this world not only music wise, I have big plans for the community and for the children, after all, they are the future, and if we don’t feed their minds with good things, where will they end up with all this technology. Music is universal, music is love, music is art. People need music in their lives, a happy song can change your day.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, it has not been a smooth road.
I’ve had many obstacles in the way.
When I was a child, I used to get picked on for not being dark enough to represent the Latin community. Even though I always had a good voice, no one ever picked me due to my European look.
Money has been a struggle as well, I have worked two jobs for the last ten years just to support my children and give them the life they deserve with no financial help from their father.
Not having money to pay for singing lessons, even if you sing, you still need singing lessons to control your breathing.
Both my parents have suffered from auto accidents, I almost lost my mom four years ago.
I had to help my parents out, my mother could not walk for eight months.
Thankfully, I never gave up and I am still here fighting for my dream.
What else should we know about your work and what you are currently focused on.
Right now, I work for a financial institution and I do the cash balancing at night at Publix Supermarket.
I work almost 80 hours a week between both jobs, and not to mention the job of being a mother,
I sleep four hours each night so that I have time to write my music and make melodies. Right now I am growing my fan base as Maya G Music.
I am proud that finally after dreaming for so many years of becoming a singer, I am releasing my first single in June that I wrote from my heart. The song is about my ex, that broke my heart and left me for another woman.
I think everyone can relate to that. The style is valleton, which is a mix of Colombian vallenato and reggaeton music.
I think what sets me apart from others is all the struggles I’ve had to work through, being a single mom with two jobs just to provide has not been easy. Paying rent by myself and having to feed two extra mouths isn’t easy. Not being home as much as I should be with my children has not been easy.
Helping my older parents financially at the same time as I struggle on my own has not been easy.
Life isn’t easy, but anything is possible. I want all the people to see how hard my life has been, but with hard work and perseverance you can make it, no matter how many people try to get in your way, no matter how many people try to put you down and tell you that you are not perfect or good enough, you stand up strong and prove yourself right. Self-love is the most important thing in life if you don’t love yourself, no one else will.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment has been that I actually made songs that came from the heart.
But I think the proudest moment will be in June once its release and I start the promotional tour with radio stations and tv shows, so people can see that no matter how old you are, anything is possible.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 954-243-5949
- Email: mayagmusic.co@gmail.com
- Instagram: @mayagmusic
- Facebook: @mayagmusic
- Twitter: @mayagmusica
Image Credit:
Iwo SanMartin IG: @sanmartinrecord
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