Website: www.JunkyardJewel.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/mayaazucena
Joining me today in LT's Jazzy Radio Loft & Lounge for my ongoing "Follow Your Dreams" series which I started here in August 2006 is Brooklyn born, gifted singer and songwriter, Maya Azucena. Maya Azucena is best known for her live appearances and she recently appeared at Blues Alley here in Washington, D.C. Her latest album is entitled 'Junkyard Jewel' and she recently took time out of her busy tour schedule to join me in LT's Lounge for a conversation. Enjoy!
LT: Hi, Maya! Welcome to LT's Jazzy Radio Loft & Lounge. For all the folks who may not have heard of you yet, who is Maya Azucena?
MA: This is a funny question to me. It is tempting to be like P. Diddy and speak about myself in third person. But...I...can’t do it man! I can’t do it!
LT: LOL! OK, no problem. :) Where are you from?
MA: Born and raised in BROOKLYN Baybee! Tried and true New Yorker. At the same time, I am my own person within, and so I am many facets of a spiritual woman who could slide naturally in and out of most settings. I love people, and have always been fascinated with what I can learn from other people, places, cultures. I have a lot of philosophies about true friendship and have felt for a long time that REAL friends are not so based on their color, or where they are from. REAL friends are folks that are there for you when things go down. I have learned that my peeps are all over the world. So, I am from Brooklyn ‘til the day I die and yet I feel like a global artist in terms of my connection to people.
LT: When did you first start singing?
MA: I started seriously singing (or taking myself seriously) when I was 4 years old. That means I was standing on a milk crate in front of my parents friends making a show and singing complete songs from beginning to end like it was a concert. Hahaha. That was back when Mom and Dad were still together.
LT: How long have you been singing and touring professionally?
MA: I have been a professional, full-time artist for about 7 years. I’ve been touring just about as long because I’m creative when it comes to connecting with people. I would save up money and pay for plane tickets for my band, and join forces with a fan/friend in a territory and we’d make a gig, and then get up and go there. I booked, managed, and distributed myself for most of that 7 years.
LT: Is this your first album?
MA: Junkyard Jewel is my second full release. 'Maya Who?!' is the first CD that I self-released, self-distributed. I’m serious, I mailed CD's to the fans directly and also took orders from the stores to stock the product. Junkyard Jewel, my second official release is the first one distributed through an outside label: Purpose Records.
LT: You took the initiative to do it on your own! I like that! How would you consider your style?
MA: I call my sound RAW SOUL. I think this says a lot about me. It is live-based soul, with elements of funk and hip hop. My band configures in a few different ways, from a full electric band with 2 backup singers and a horn section, to an acoustic trio with strings. In each case the energy is high and the performance from me is honest and raw.
LT: I understand that you are currently on tour. Where have you been touring and will you be going next?
MA: I have been: Boston, New York, Philly, DC, Maryland, Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, all up and down California, Stockholm, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Zoeter Meer, London, Bath, Nepali, Rome, Milan, Reggio Callabria, ALL OVER Croatia, and more. I will be in Austin, Dallas, China, Philippines, Burma, Sri Lanka, Belgium, Paris, and more before this Summer. I’m sure I forgot something.
LT: What was the idea behind the title of your latest album 'Junkyard Jewel'?
MA: Junkyard Jewel is the title track of the CD. I was inspired after reading a very important book, Manchild in the Promised Land, by Claude Brown.
It is a memoir of a young hustler boy who was in Harlem growing up around the same time as Malcolm. He could not even reference Malcolm, because they were contemporaries. This youth was such a leader, even in his hustle game, that though he was often the youngest and the smallest, everyone came to him for direction.
By the time he was 18, he was like an old man who had been in and out of the prison system his whole youth. He began to lose interest in the dead ends of hustling. He taught himself how to play the jazz piano.
Ultimately, he came back Uptown as an adult and taught at the Riker’s Island High School (where he had been locked up before).
I can’t explain the impact the book had on me. Its all of our young boys – the ones I grew up with. They are brilliant and the state of affairs helps them to forget how incredible they are. Those are junkyard jewels. In the worldly sense, Junkyard Jewel is someone who’s life has burdened them so much that they are unable to see how beautiful they are. As an album title, it also expresses the street-meets-organic vibe that is in my music.
LT: That is very interesting history about Claude Brown living in Harlem as the same time as Malcolm. I think we had to read Manchild In The Promised Land at some point during my school years and hearing you talk about it makes me want to go get it and read it again! What do you think of the music industry today?
MA: No comment. No really....there is nothing to say about the music “industry.” They ain’t looking for me, and I ain’t looking for them. One day, if there is actually an industry left, I might be able to do some business with them on my own terms. In the meantime, I am an entrepreneur and have not waited for any handouts to help me be an artist.
LT: What is your opinion on the independent route vs. the getting signed with a major label Route? Any opinions on your experiences so far?
MA: I strongly encourage the independent approach. If you are an artist then you can express yourself truly through your art and through your business by learning the basic process of creating and distributing a CD from helpful books and magazines. Once the basic process is understood, you will see that it is not brain surgery.....It’s people. It’s communication and raising awareness of what you are building. Stay committed to your own brand of quality, and things will begin to unfold.
Listen, it is not a quick process. You must think of this as starting your own business. There are artists out there with what I call a “Lottery Mentality.” They put in a dollar and fully expect a million in return. I am not saying that you will not win the lottery...I am saying it is highly unlikely. So, imagine if you WORKED for it? If you build something, then something will be there. Getting a “deal” does not stand for much these days. Ask yourself if it is a GOOD deal. A deal guarantees a whole lot of nothing. That is like saying “Yay, I have a boyfriend!” And? Does he even know your name? Does he care about you? Do you have a good relationship? Or do you just walk around with some strange man attached to your arm. If anyone has ever been in a bad relationship you know that just having a man to say you have a man doesn’t mean much. It should have something real associated with it. Same with “deals.” I can really go on and on....So, uhhh. You might have to interview me in person for more on this.
LT: OK, sounds good! Let's do that the next time you're in town! What are your plans for the future? Where do you see yourself going for your upcoming albums?
MA: I want to move people through music. I love, love, love this gift. I want to continue to tour the world and make music and express God’s love and healing. I want to remain free. I want to stay in love with life. My upcoming album is going to be special. I have been working on it since before Junkyard Jewel. Just wait! It will be a fully produced project (not acoustic) with some very cool songs.
LT: How can people contact you?
MA: www.JunkyardJewel.com
LT: Maya, thanks for swinging through the Loft & Lounge! All the best with your new album and hope to see you when you swing through D.C. again!
MA: Gracias, LT!
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