Maeta Is As Good As It Gets

Suit (similar styles) **HOUSE OF CB**, Bodysuit (similar styles) **Y/PROJECT**.

Sometime in May, a video dropped on Maeta’s YouTube channel. Maeta, wearing an oversized brown sweatshirt with the words “IT Means Good” embroidered on her chest, stands thoughtfully in the middle of Larrabee Studios. Accompanied by members of the Free Nationals and a few background vocalists, she looks relaxed as she saunters to the microphone, swaying slightly from left to right. Maeta looks delicate, standing at possibly five feet tall, hair pulled back in a bun that fully exposes her soft, youthful features. But she is anything but. Her voice, sultry and undeniable, reverberates through the studio. “I know what you want, I know what you’re thinking, And right now, I don’t mind.” At the present time, that video, the live version of Through The Night, has been viewed nearly 3.4 million times.

Maeta, spearheading the charge of present-day R&B, sits down with me just a day after her performance at the 2023 Soul Train Awards, where she shared her dream headlining performance, the importance of family, and what inspires her art.

By Ammar Thomas

First of all, how are you? This photoshoot was a lot today.

I'm good. I did the Soul Train Awards two days ago. They had it in a mansion. It was like Tyler Perry's old house at 9 pm in LA. It was freezing cold outside. I had this little dress on, and the performance was hard to do because the wind was blowing. They had to stop filming for a little bit because the wind was that bad. We were all in the trenches, freezing cold, trying to fight through, so I got a little sick, but that's fine. I'm good now. LA at night is freezing!

Where are you from?

I'm from Indiana.

So, I know you kind of blew up on TikTok and Instagram. Is that where you got your start as far as vaulting your career?

Yes, I would say social media is kind of the core of it all. I got discovered on Instagram by the President of Roc Nation, Omar Grant, who signed me. He saw my Instagram covers. A lot of, I mean, my whole fan base has grown pretty much from Instagram and doing lives and TikTok. Social media has been a huge part of my career and my story.

Is it exhausting being constantly on the phone or making content?

Yes, I think that if I wasn't a singer, sometimes I dream of escaping and moving to an island, deleting all my social media, and being in the sun all day, which sounds very peaceful, but I'll probably get bored. But it's exhausting.

So that was around 2020 or 2021, right? In a short time, a lot has happened. Most recently, I heard you on Chris Brown's new 11:11 album featured on "Best Ever." That's probably my favorite song. How does it feel to ascend so quickly?

I think honestly, it doesn't. I think it's been years of work. I've known I wanted to sing since I was five. I know everybody says that, but I've really known that it's been my dream since I was a baby. So I think that I've been working my whole life towards it. And I feel like you work and work and work for a decade. And then suddenly, something flips, and it happens really fast. So it looks like it happened super fast. But really, it's been years of this, so it doesn't feel like it to me.

I can understand that. Now I Love your album! It was one of the best R&B albums of 2023. The album starts with you going at an EX. There were a lot of songs, "Sex With Your Ex," "S(EX)". Is this album from a personal place?

Oh, 100%! 100%! And I think that's why it did so well because people can feel that. But really, it was the whole thing is about a relationship that I was in, and still am in. So I'm still going through it. Some of them are still relevant to me. But it takes you through that roller coaster that relationship starts to where we are now, to be honest. And there's not really a conclusion or an answer in the project. It doesn't end with the finale. It ends with, well, we're still here, you know.

Top & Pants (similar styles) **AMARI CARTER**.

So the double back is a thing?

Yes. But I don't know, it's like one of my best friends. So it's not really like an ex, we don't talk, we come back, we don't talk. It's like they're always kind of around. But the relationship just changes. But it's a person that I don't think is ever going to leave my life. I think the circumstances are just going to grow and change over time.

So is there such a thing as closure for Maeta?

Not right now. I wish sometimes for my own sanity, but I don't really want closure because I'm not done. I still want to experience that person, that relationship. So for right now. No. So I'm still making songs about it.

So what can we expect moving forward then? As far as the content.

I think that I want to be a little less toxic. I'm so over that word, first of all, but moving forward, I want to sing more about positive things and love and dancing and having fun. I want to get a little less in my feelings. But I'm a Pisces. So I don't think that's possible. I'm Pisces, very emotional. I mean, naturally an emotional person. So I don't think that's going away for me.

I hate to say this, but I hope it doesn't. I love your music because I can connect to it.

Thank you, and I think it's good to feel. I would rather feel things so heavy than not feel anything at all. You know?

Are you a crier?

Yes. I love to cry. I may cry when I leave here. I really love to cry. It feels good to get it out. But I try to limit it because sometimes it can ruin a whole day, you know, but I'm definitely a crier. But I don't like to cry in front of people. Once I'm very comfortable with somebody I'll start crying. It takes a lot for me to cry in front of people. I mean, I tear up every once in a while, but I never let it like be a full meltdown.

You know what? That's good. Because in this business, I would think you would have to have a wall up somewhat. It would take a lot to become vulnerable. Or is the music that space where you get really vulnerable?

The music is [the space where I get vulnerable,] but also I have a big mouth and I tell everybody my business. I have no issue telling people what I'm going through in my life. I think the bigger issue for me has been to build the wall a little bit because I'm so open. I've had to learn not to trust everybody and stop telling everybody your business. I think that I used to do it to relate to people, but I've learned that you just can't trust people. So you have to keep it all to yourself a lot of the time.

True but so many people in public life right now are monopolizing; I guess that exposure. I've recently purchased Jada Pinkett-Smith’s new book. And I thought I could never be that transparent. But you are to a certain extent in your music. So do you think in trying to pull back will it be reflected in your art, or you're going to still give us what you're going through?

It's going to still be what I'm going through. And I think it's always going to be love because I'm naturally just a lover. I just think that it's gonna be a little less painful. I'm not even in it personally, though, it's kind of reflecting my life, because I'm not in a place of that right now. I'm growing, I'm growing in my career. Letting go of certain, like triggers and things, you know, like, I just moved, and I feel like I kind of left a lot of baggage in my old apartment, and I feel like a weight has been lifted off of me. So I think the music's going to reflect that. But love is always going to be there. I don't think I'm ever not gonna sing about love. No.

And how do you keep sane when you're moving so much, You're doing so much. You said you just came from a performance and now you're here. And now you're going to go off to I'm assuming another performance? What do you do to stay grounded?

I love my team. I keep talking about it. I really love Jason & Kevon. They keep me. I mean, first of all, they will never lie to me. They're brutally honest. And I just nothing is ever sugar-coated with them. And I have new background singers that keep me happy. Like, I've just realized that I've been so happy. And it's like because I'm around these people that I've really loved. And they're new in my life. And I've just noticed a change in my overall mood all the time. So I think depends on who you're around.

So are you family-oriented?

Yes! I barely see my family, but we talk every single day.

Would you say you're forming your family? In a sense?

Yeah. Because I've left my family in Indiana, my real family, and I've kind of created my own family, new family and community. And it's weird because you leave home. I'm the only one that really lives... I'm the only one that lives away from Indiana right now. And I have this whole other life that they don't even know about, you know, so it's interesting how life works.

Switching gears, what was it like working with Chris?

Okay, here's how that happened. Actually, it was, what two days before the project came out? I don't even know if it was two days before. I heard he needed a female vocalist and heard the song and cut it. It was out two days later. I didn't even work with him in the studio. I've never met him in person before. But he did call me the day it came out and thanked me. And he's very nice. But yeah, it was a very last-minute thing. Like so last minute.

For it to be such a phenomenal song and you've never interacted with him. You were just able to hear it and understand what was needed. Do you do a lot of your writing?

Yes, and I also vocal produce myself. Like every single song I've ever done 90% of them. I vocal produced myself. So I'm very good at just cutting songs. I have my engineer whom I've been working with for like five years. So when it comes to just recording songs. It's just natural, but I love it. So yeah, that song was very easy. It took me like 30 minutes to do.

Wow, that's amazing. Who else do you want to work with?

I've worked with many people who were on my bucket lists, so it's hard to even say.

Well then you know what stop for a second what has been a bucket list goal professionally?

One of my bucket list goals is to headline Rock In Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I've just watched so many of those performances and I've dreamt about doing it and it keeps me motivated when I watch them. So I want to headline that one day.

Have you been doing a lot of traveling lately? Where's your favorite place?

The first time I went to London, I didn't like it, but I really liked this recent trip and I loved Amsterdam.

So you went on a European tour?

Yeah, I did a European tour. Amsterdam, Paris, and London? I really love Amsterdam a lot. We were only there for a day.

So you have to get back. So let me pivot a bit to fashion! Is fashion important?

Yes, I have been making Pinterest boards of my favorite outfits since I was like 12. I don't even know when Pinterest started. But it inspires me. I think I'm still figuring out what I like for myself. I'm very simple. I think that I like complex, crazy things [worn] on other people, but I don't think when it comes to me, that's my vibe. I'm still kind of figuring it out. You know?

I noticed at today's shoot you chose and had input on your favorite looks to be worn for your feature.

Yeah, I love the colors and textures. And I'm really into it. I just need somebody to come and guide me a little bit, but I'm very inspired by it. And I just love being around those creative things. I did Paris Fashion Week this year and New York. And I just, I loved it. I mean, it's chaos!

Great! Have you gotten to any islands, any vacations coming up, or any downtime for Maeta? Or is it just too much right now?

Honestly, no downtime. But I don't, I don't want to stop. You know, I think during COVID and all that time, it was just like what you can do and now I'm in a place where it's like, I don't want to stop working. But I do. I do want to go to a little island sometime soon. And just lay there for like a few days.

Well, you said that's your dream.

Yeah. So we'll see.

Well, I hope you get there.