The Ability to get a following or showcase your talent has being made easier with social media, especially youtube, i recently got the chance to speak to her about her music career, especially leveraging the power of social media.
Check out the interview, hope you it encourages you!
Hey Maria, How are you doing, welcome to YHP?
Hi Joseph thanks for having me!
Can you give us some brief background information about yourself?
I’m a Greek-American singer/songwriter/producer. Sometimes I go by MZ and I’m a piece belonging to the future of music.
So how did you get into music?
Music was always the one thing that kept me consistently excited and intrigued growing up. I was the happiest when I was singing, even reading or watching anything that had to do with music! So I just kept myself involved and surrounded by whatever related to it.
Who was your musical inspiration growing up?
I had a lot of vocal inspiration more than anything-strong, emotional vocalists like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. Musically it was everyone from Aerosmith to Luciano Pavoratti.
Who would you say has been influential in your musical career so far?
My partner Gabriel Santiago. He’s been with me every step of the way. He challenges my ideas and pushes me to be a better artist. My family and friends also motivate me and influence me in ways they may not realize.
How would you define your music as an artist?
Eclectic! I’m not genre-specific. My music is very emotionally driven so if I’m feeling a specific vibe I keep that momentum going without stopping to think, “is this my style?” But you will definitely hear a soulful-European influence somewhere along the way.
How did you get involved in posting covers of songs on youtube?
I wanted to be a hands-on artist and take initiative in my career. Myspace was actually the biggest music site around the time I first posted, but it put a lot of pressure on young musicians to upload polished, studio records. I loved that youtube was giving artists the ability to expose their talent in such a raw form!
What has been your most memorable moment so far?
Transcending the virtual world to actually meeting fans in person and having the opportunity to perform for them live rather than through the lens of a camcorder.
What would you say the impact of youtube has had on your musical career so far?
Huge. I’ve met incredible people and it’s given me a platform to showcase what I can do to literally the entire world.
How do you pick a song to cover?
I like to choose a song that’s hot at the moment and that I connect with. I have to love it!
How would you say has been your technique in growing your fan base?
Everything I do is very organic. I’ve really just been uploading videos/music and letting them take off on their own. Maybe later I’ll develop an actual “technique” but for now I’m loving the process of letting people find me on their own and allowing their discovery to be very natural. I love knowing that someone stumbled across my work and liked it enough to stay.
What should we be expecting from you in the next couple of months?
Diversity. This is my time to play, grow and develop myself as an artist. I’m very concerned with expanding my creativity-from covers to the release of originals and performing! Sometimes, I don’t even know what to expect from myself!
What has been your favourite cover you’ve done so far?
“Tik Tok”! It’s such a fun song! And “Empire State of Mind” I really love it the electric guitar sliding through, gives it a gritty feel. (I know that was 2, I cheated) haha!
In the youtube world, who are your inspirations and why?
Youtube is flooded with talent these days! I find a new inspiration every time I search through videos.
If you had a chance to work with one person, who would it be and why?
This is an impossible question! There are too many songwriters, producers and artists I’ve always admired that I need to work with!! I’ll list one from each category for now: Claude Kelly (songwriter), Darkchild (producer) and Kanye West (artist).
What advices do you have for any newbie looking to start their musical career or perhaps starting posting covers on youtube? Any tips? Any techniques?
Be fearless. Believe in yourself more than 100% and always try to step outside of your comfort zone! For anyone looking to utilize youtube I’d say don’t be intimidated by how you compare to others.
The key is just to make sure you are consistently growing and getting better. And be kind!! That’s just an important human quality in general, but is taken for granted in this industry.
Thanks for your time maria, hope to chat up with you very soon.
Check out her page on youtube and don’t forget to follow her on twitter.
Check out her facebook fanpage
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