"I sing for you when your songs are sad"

"Writing like a summer camp"

BYM.de: Maya, you've been working on your new album "Hautnah" for a year and a half. Why so long?

Maya Saban: I do not think it's that long - we could have taken even more time. After the promo-phase to my first album "With Any Sound" one and a half years ago, I also took part in the charity project "Home" in Thailand: We recorded an album with children from an orphan village. Meanwhile, we have managed to donate a second village to open, there live 120 children. This experience has influenced me a lot. After that, I wrote many songs with friends in Dortmund, Berlin and Hamburg - the whole thing was almost a summer camp character. We always slept with someone, had dinner in the living room, opened a bottle of wine and philosophized about life, love and fears. There are many songs created. Most of the time, I came home from home with piano-based ideas, addressed my themes - that's how the songs came about.

BYM.de: Which topics were that?

Maya Saban: In time, I was at a turning point. I've rethought my life, my relationships, my friendships, what I want from life - I wrote a lot about that.

BYM.de: Your 30th birthday is approaching ...

Maya Saban: Actually, I'm not afraid of getting older. It's more about fulfilling my dreams. My thoughts went in that direction: What do I want now? How do I do that? Where do I want to go? You have to ask yourself such questions, so that you have your way in mind.

"I love to tell my story"

BYM.de: Does your album have a message?

Maya Saban: What I like so much in my bio is the sentence: "I sing for you when your songs are sad" - that expresses the following for me: This is my record and these are my feelings, my emotional world is there it. I think a songwriter is a storyteller and I love to tell my stories and give food for thought. I like the idea that maybe I'm even a mouthpiece for others. I feel the same way. I love the plate of India Aria. If she sings "I'm ready for love" then that's not her, that's me, she's singing about me. I always had that feeling and I wanted to do the same with my record. That I talk about myself, but that everyone finds in my lyrics.

BYM.de: Do you have certain people in mind when you sing or write songs?

Maya Saban: Yeah. I "feed" on my outside world, I think a lot about my interpersonal relationships and have written a lot about deep, long-lasting friendships and my partners. Think of me, the situation in which I am and then write about it.

"I dream in German, so I sing in German"

BYM.de: It's certainly a nice feeling to be able to produce an album after one and a half years. Surely you are incredibly proud, right?

Maya Saban: Total. I was on tour with Sasha all February and nobody knew my new songs yet. Presenting the album was very exciting and beautiful, because the Sasha audience is very warm and welcomed us very well. After the third or fourth concert people sang my songs, that was really great.

BYM.de: Why do you sing in German and not in English?

Maya Saban: I think and I dream in German. And if I'm quarreling, angry or making a declaration of love to someone, then I do that in German! English is just not my language.

"I used to want to be made famous and great"

BYM.de: Ever wanted to become a singer? After all, you have already signed a record deal with 16.

Maya Saban: I stood on stage for the first time at the age of seven and looked into the shining eyes of my father, for whom I sang a song. At that moment I realized that I have to sing and want to sing. Right, on my first recording contract I was 16 and had a band with my best friend - back then we were still celebrating, we wanted to sing and make great makeup! Later, I realized there was more to it: being an artist on stage means the stage is your home and people are coming to visit you. You are host and want to show your best side, but also tell about yourself. At some point it was no longer enough for me to sing songs that I do not write myself, that do not express me.

BYM.de: How would you explain to people who do not know your music what "Maya Saban" sounds like?

Maya Saban: My music is folk pop or Euro soul mixed with some chanson. Although she is melancholy and sad, she is understandable, so hopefully one can empathize with the feelings I express. If I manage to tell about myself and thus speak to people from the heart - then I have achieved everything.

BYM.de: Is "Up Close" a CD for driving or more suitable for a candlelight dinner?

Maya Saban: Both! I love to listen to the album while driving. But I'm also happy when you sit down on a meadow in fine weather, have a picnic and "close up" sounds. Sure the record is thoughtful, but actually I'm a positive person and I try not to make things overly dramatic. I am someone who looks forward.

"I love the supremes!"

BYM.de: Are there any bands that have influenced you?

Maya Saban: I love the supremes! Cool and the Gang I used to find awesome. Today I love Kooks, Phoenix and Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys is great as well. At some point like being able to play the piano would be great. In general, artists who have understood that the way to the record can be difficult, but you should not lose faith in yourself inspire me. Then one eventually comes to his destination.

BYM.de: What's your goal?

Maya Saban: With the second record I've already achieved a big goal. I would like to always play, always be able to perform and stay in exchange with my fans. I would like to grow old and wise, sit in my rocking chair and feel that everything I did was right and good. I do not have material goals. I always want to stay true to myself and do what my heart tells me to do.

"A duet with Herbert Grönemeyer would be great"

BYM.de: How important is the opinion of your friends and family to new songs?

Maya Saban: The opinion of others is very important to me. With my first demos I went to my brother and my friends wanted to know if they could feel my songs. I can handle their criticism well, because these people know me best. And if I manage to convince them then I can do it with the rest of the world.

BYM.de: Is there an artist you would like to work with?

Maya Saban: Herbert Grönemeyer would be great, Nina Hagen would be great! I've worked with Cosmo Klein, Schiller, Xavier Naidoo and Sabrina Setlur - that was great. I love duets, I love it when artists work together. At the moment I am concentrating on my album, but I am always open for such things.

BYM.de: Why did "Hautnah" become your first single?

Maya Saban: "I sing for you when your songs are sad" is my guiding principle, which is above the whole album, but especially about "close up". The song gives me a lot of support and strength and I hope it also means support and safety for others. My new single "Clear Love" also conveys this feeling of "Everything will be alright".

"Close up - only naked"

BYM.de: Your video has become very aesthetic. Was it funny to be naked?

Maya Saban: It soon became clear to me that we could only visualize the song with naked skin. At first, we just wanted to project the text onto the body, but then director Oliver Sommer suggested we all sit naked and sing the song. That was a great moment, because that was the first time in a year and a half that people sang my songs and that I went public with a song.

BYM.de: When can your fans see you?

Maya Saban: Since I was on tour with Sasha only, no tour is planned in the near future. However, we try to play as much as possible at festivals during the summer. All data is available on my homepage.

BYM.de: Which CD do you have on your iPod right now?

Maya Saban: "Ayo" and "Undiscovered" by James Morrison

"I am quite diplomatic and ambitious"

BYM.de: If you had to describe yourself - who or how is Maya?

Maya Saban: It's hard to answer, because I'm in a phase where I find myself. I would describe myself as rather diplomatic and ambitious, a bit impatient. In addition, I think too much and would have to get to the point faster. On the whole, however, I try to stay true to myself and my path.

BYM.de: You live in Berlin, do you have a favorite place there?

Maya Saban:: I like the café on the new lake and Charlottenburg Palace. The Bergmannstraße in Berlin is great, there are many cozy cafes. I also like to just walk around the city and look at the sights - and sit with my grandma on the balcony!

BYM.de: Thank you, Maya!

auditions

Donny Hathaway - A Song For You (May 2024).