Maya Amolo on finding her voice and being in charge of the creative process

“I don’t really know what inspired me,” the Kenyan singer and songwriter says. “Growing up, I was always on the piano, playing the guitar and singing in my room with my dog.”

A part of a crop of top-rated new R&B proponents in Africa, Maya Amolo has been hailed for her distinctive talents. Bearing a warm, wholesome voice and introspective lyricism, she has drawn the attention of leading music tastemakers including America’s National Public Radio. She has also been named Spotify Africa’s Fresh Finds artist and Apple Music’s East Africa Up Next inductee.

A global citizen in upbringing and thinking, Maya Amolo grew up in Nairobi, completed high school in eSwatini and went to college in New York. It was in high school that her musical talents came to the fore.

“I found my musical identity in high school. I was listening to a lot of new R&B from artists like H.E.R., Jhené Aiko, Summer Walker, PARTYNEXTDOOR. That was when I was like these guys are on to something – I'd like to do that,” she says.

And so she got down to it, recording covers to beats she ripped from YouTube and posting them on SoundCloud. The experimental offerings were well-received, spawning a community that would listen and share. They even earned her the first gig in 2018.

But her first break would come in 2020 when she released her first EP, Leave Me at the Pregame.

“This is when I felt the impact of my work. People were talking about my music, and it was the first time I got on major playlists. I got my first-ever TV and radio interviews and I was like, okay, this is good.”

Leave Me at the Pregame, which takes listeners through a journey of self-acceptance and healing, was followed by her first album, Asali, which explores themes of infatuation and love and their contradictions. Asali (Sweeter), the deluxe version, delves into matters of emotional and physical intimacy.

These solid releases would open the door to something she had only dreamed of – an appearance on A Colors Show. With Spotify keen to showcase the vibrant Kenyan R&B scene, the streaming service teamed up with COLORSxSTUDIOS to organise a writing camp and A Colors Show recording for its Tantalizers Sessions in Nairobi. As it turned out, Maya was one of the artists invited to participate.

“Oh my goodness, it almost feels like it didn’t happen. The whole thing took me back to my high school days in eSwatini when we'd be in the IT Centre waiting for ages for a three-minute video to load because the internet was so terrible. Those were the days we would watch Colors, and it’s all I’ve always wanted to do.

“Then I got the email, and I remember thinking ‘This is not real’. Then I saw the set – the stage, the microphone, the backdrop and everything. They let you see the tape right after the recording, so when I got off and I looked at the monitors, I was like, ‘Oh my God, like, this is me in a COLORS show.’ It was very nerve-wracking once I realised that it was happening, but it counts as one of my best moments.”

On her developing production skills, the artist says this was necessitated by the need to be in control of her creative process.

“Many times, I wasn’t comfortable with the producers I was working with – they didn’t seem to inspire much confidence. So I decided that by the time I am meeting a producer, I have a third or a half of the song ready. I like to present the base of the song, and then the vocals come after.

“Luckily, the producers I’ve been working with recently are happy to let me take charge of the process. They are like ‘give us a chord progression, a baseline’, and I’m getting a lot better at it. Hearing what I want and knowing what I have to do makes sense.”

So what does her song-making process entail?

“I don't really have a process. It’s all about creating that type of rhythm and balance to enjoy at home and in the studio. I think being in the right space mentally and mentally is important.” So a good night’s sleep, a smoothie and a bit of meditation then.

On what we can look forward to, she says the R&B experiment continues.

“I say this often, but this year I am optimistic. I’ve been in the studio more than ever this year. I am experimenting a lot, branching out, and trying different stuff. I am having a lot of fun infusing other influences into R&B. A bit of funk here, a bit of amapiano there. My next EP is done and will be out soon.”