Maeta is slowly building her musical universe with each project serving as its own world, yet all part of the same galaxy. In 2021, the rising singer made her formal introduction with Habits, her proper debut EP. The seven-track project is as explosive as the Big Bang with Maeta guiding listeners through a dysfunctional relationship.
“Habits was [about] toxic love. You like somebody, but you guys are messing with other people and it’s just kind of messy,” Maeta explains to Rated R&B on a beautiful May afternoon.
The rising singer is in Washington, D.C., having lunch outside at a restaurant near her hotel. She’s reflecting on her current love story, the driving force behind the music she’s been creating over the last couple of years.
Her new EP, Where I Hear Your Name, out now on Roc Nation Records, continues the trajectory set on Habits. “The project’s about the same person,” Maeta reveals before noting how things have changed since Habits. “We had a couple years of just getting a lot closer.”
The cover art for When I Hear Your Name shows Maeta, wearing a white knit skirt and top, as she lays languidly on a U.S. Virgin Islands beach during sunset. In the backdrop, a blood moon emerges, possibly symbolizing a profound immersion into Maeta’s emotions that takes place throughout the project.
Maeta chose to shoot the cover in the U.S. Virgin Islands to represent a cherished trip she went on with a love interest that brought a sense of calm to their storm. “We went on this trip to an island and it made us really close. We got to be away from the world, be with each other and be in love,” Maeta reflects.
When I Hear Your Name takes on a noticeably more sensual tone compared to Maeta’s previous works, Habits and her independently released project, Do Not Disturb. Captivating songs like the opener, “Sexual Love,” featuring James Fauntleroy, and the soulful “Though The Night,” featuring Free Nationals (co-written by Lucky Daye), capture intimacy in the bedroom.
“ASMR,” penned by BEAM, is lyrically more explicit than the other two as Maeta finds herself in a heightened state of pleasure with her partner exploring the depths of her treasure trove. “That foreplay got me out my mind,” Maeta sings over a pulsating beat.
There’s enough steam on When I Hear Your Name to loosen up the impurities of Maeta’s complex relationship — and there are certainly songs that echo this sentiment.
On the Ambré-assisted “Control Freak,” Maeta finds herself falling for someone who is showing signs of insecurities: “He can’t see me with nobody better than he / Got a problem with me taking authority.”
Then, there’s “Clarity” featuring Daye, where Maeta sings about receiving mixed signals in her situationship. After calling off their relationship, they move on to “Kissing New People” featuring Ty Dolla $ign.
Despite the excitement surrounding this fresh start, she still feels some type of way about her ex. “I hope you don’t see you around / Can’t let you see how much I miss you,” she sings in “See You Around,” written by The-Dream.
When I Hear Your Name includes additional writing and production support from Ant Clemons, Camper, Demi Lovato, DIXSON, Elijah Blake, Fallon King, KAYTRANADA, Kehlani and more.
In Rated R&B’s interview with Maeta, the rising singer recalls her musical upbringing, guides us through the complexities of When I Hear Your Name and teases future projects.
What was your soundtrack growing up?
I’m from Indiana, so it’s like folky, country-ish music. I didn’t listen to a lot of country music, but my family played a lot of soft rock like The Eagles and John Mayer, who I still love to this day. My dad would play random stuff. We would go on a lot of road trips and he’d always pick an album and play it. I remember him playing Corinne Bailey Rae. I got into R&B in middle school and I was like “I love it.” My friends played all R&B like Jazmine Sullivan and Keyshia Cole. I was obsessed with Dondria [and] Alicia Keys. I always knew I wanted to sing since I was a kid and have been working towards that since then.
Now, here you are a singer signed to Roc Nation Records. You dropped your official debut EP, Habits, in 2021 and you’re back with When I Hear Your Name. How would you describe the journey between both projects?
Honestly, the project’s about the same person, but I’ve reached a new level with somebody. Habits was about toxic love. You like somebody, but you guys are messing with other people, and it’s messy. We had a couple of years of just getting a lot closer. We went on this trip to an island, and it made us really close. We got to be away from the world, be with each other and be in love. Our relationship is very complicated but on this trip, nothing mattered. So, I took a lot of inspiration from that trip. [When I Hear Your Name] is about complicated and deeper love. Musically, it’s a lot more advanced. I worked with huge people for this project and pushed myself in ways that I haven’t.
As you mentioned, you worked with a lot of big names on this project, from James Fauntleroy and The-Dream to SZA and Lucky Daye. Was there anything you kept in mind or communicated to the various collaborators to make this project flow cohesively?
Honestly, there was no plan for this project. We knew we wanted to make it more musical. I wanted to sing more. Some of these songs I had before I put out my first project like [“Anybody”] with SZA. I’ve had that for four years. When I got signed, that was one of the first songs I cut. It just never made sense to add it. The-Dream song that I have [“See You Around”] is two years old. I got that before Habits came out. There’s a lot of songs that we had that I knew I wanted to be out one day. It just didn’t make sense. Now it feels right. Once we decided we were working on the project, it kind of molded itself.
With so many big collaborators on this project, do you feel pressure in any way?
I don’t think we had the intention of like, “Ooh we’re gonna get all the biggest people and then make this project look this way.” It naturally happened that way. I’m so proud of the music that it doesn’t put pressure on me. I don’t want people thinking that I just use names to make my project blow up because it wasn’t that at all.
You posted a photo of you and The-Dream at the studio last year. What was it like working with The-Dream?
The-Dream is fun. He’s very blunt, but it’s fun ‘cause we can just talk sh*t. I really liked working with him. He’s tough on me like, “No, do that again. That was bad.” His whole message was like, “You need to convey emotion. Stop trying to sound pretty. People wanna feel. They don’t wanna listen to some pretty perfect singer.”
You mentioned that you had “Anybody,” co-written by SZA, in your back pocket for a few years. At what point did you know it would be the right fit for the project?
When I first got signed, I heard SZA’s demo of it and was like, “I love this song.” But it didn’t fit [Habits]. Recently, my A&R sent it to me again two days before the project was due. We had pushed the project back multiple times, so I was texting my team like, “Guys. I don’t wanna hold this project. Let’s turn it in.” So I had to quickly go in the studio and re-record my vocals from four years ago. We had a day to mix it. We were all rushing and sweating. That song was definitely a last-minute decision, but it felt right. I think the story of the song fits the project, and it just blends well ‘cause I kind of wanted to go the pop route on the project. I think that song leans that way a little bit.
James Fauntleroy appears on the opening track, “Sexual Love.” You two previously collaborated on his holiday song “Mistletoe.” What was it like reconnecting with him and what’s the story behind “Sexual Love”?
James is one of my favorite people to work with because he’s just a genius. I’m in awe of him every time I’m around him. I’ve been working with him for years, but he just blows my mind every time. We were at the studio working on a KAYTRANADA project that I’m doing. He was writing some stuff for that. We were just talking about music. He played me “Sexual Love” and I was like, “I need this song!” He was like, “You can have it.” We spent a few months working on that one because it’s a very complicated song. There’s like two octaves singing on top of each other the whole time. He wasn’t gonna be on it at first; it was just gonna be me. But we didn’t wanna pitch it up ‘cause it just sounded weird. So it was like, “Just keep him on and he’ll sing below me the whole time.” I’m proud of it.
When I Hear Your Name adds more nuance to the toxic love story that began on Habits. What was your intention with this project?
The project takes you through my relationship with this person — it’s all over the place. This one started off very passionate and sexual, like, “I’m in love with this man. I’m obsessed.” Then you start seeing red flags and things get a little rocky. We start trying to hurt each other; that’s where “F**k Your Friend” comes in. Then, it’s kind of a breakup — like “See You Around” [and] “Something Happens When I Hear Your Name.” We didn’t talk for like six months, and I was miserable. I missed him so much but that’s when I recorded all those songs (laughs). It ends with “Through the Night” because it’s like, “Let’s just put all the bullshit aside. We’re bad for each other, but right now, I just wanna make love to you.” [When I Hear Your Name] is kind of all over the place because it just goes up and down. But when you love somebody, you kind of just deal with it.
You titled the project When I Hear Your Name, which pulls from “Something Happens When I Hear Your Name.” How did that song encapsulate the project?
I feel like we all have one person — and that’s this man to me — that it’s just something about them that triggers me. When I hear his name, it’s just something about this person that I cannot get over. That’s just what the project’s about.
I heard the project was originally titled S(EX), named after the track penned by Kehlani and Ant Clemons. What made you rethink the title?
I felt like it was more than that and people weren’t getting the idea of having sex with my ex. I think that they took sex so literal. Then I was like, “Something Happens When I Hear Your Name.” But everybody was like, “No, that’s too long.” So it was like, When I Hear Your Name and it worked. I’m glad that we changed it. I think it shows the message of the project so much better.
What do you hope listeners take away from When I Hear Your Name?
I want to show that love is complicated and it’s okay not to know why you feel the way you do. That’s one thing I’ve been trying to figure out. I think that we have to accept the fact that love is hard and complicated. And that’s what the project shows. I hope it comforts people who are going through that.
Is there anything you learned about yourself while working on When I Hear Your Name that you’re applying to your debut album?
I think, with my team, I’m learning to stop shutting down ideas and being such a control freak. I’m a control freak with my music. I’m very specific about vocal producers. I don’t like to record with new engineers. I have my ways, but I think that I’m learning to be open and just relax.
Earlier, you mentioned a project you’re recording with KAYTRANADA. What can you tell us about it now?
It’s coming in August. [There are] six songs, four written by Fallon [King] and two written by James Fauntleroy. I’m excited about that too.
Stream Maeta’s new EP When I Hear Your Name below.
