Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: Absolutely! I’m Maria Deirisarri, born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia with Colombian parts! Music has been in my life for as long as I can remember–my parents put me in music stimulation classes for babies when I was just a few months old. I’ve taken many, many lessons for piano, guitar, ukulele, voice–you name it. I’ve always loved to sing, and it’s been very clear to me since I was a little girl that my life is meant to be filled with music.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: I have had quite a bit of formal training, the most being vocal coaching. I took guitar lessons for several years, and I think approximately 3 piano classes. Funnily enough, piano class was the first music class (not counting the baby stimulation class) that my parents put me in. After the third class, my stubborn four-year-old self refused to go to another piano class as I declared that I just wanted to sing. This is a decision I have regretted as I continue to work on teaching myself to play piano.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences’?
A: My first musical influences were Michael Buble and Natalia La Fourcade, two of my parents’ favorite singers, so I would hear their music very often. Two of their songs, “Feeling Good” and “Un Pato”, have become some of my personal specialties. Two strong musical influences that I came across on my own are Billie Eilish, Stromae, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. I absolutely love them and their art, and they’ve played a huge part in how my style has developed. As for my “stage name”, I just chose to go with my real name: Maria Deirisarri. I know, I know–it’s a hard last name, but I’ve always been stubborn, as you can see back when my toddler self refused to step foot in another piano lesson. But I love my name, and I have no intention to change it.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Diamond’. Is there a story behind it?
A: Yes–Diamond and Freedom were released on October 28, 2022. There actually is a cute story behind it. My mom, who’s a custom jewelry designer and professional gemologist, always jokingly asks for diamonds on her birthday, Christmas, Mother’s Day, any opportunity that rolls around. My family and I haven’t been able to get her any, but last year on her birthday, I presented her with a different kind of diamond. In song form! I never thought the song would turn out how it did–the song to me reminds me of a toxic relationship built on ownership and unbalanced power. The recorded version of Diamond is dark and haunting, and the background harmonies seem trapped in this artificial cage. I absolutely love the way it turned out, and I even took the harmonies out of Diamond and made them into their own song, which ended up becoming Freedom.
Q: What is the message of your music?
A: I write about everything and anything I feel, and as a 16-year-old, I feel A LOT. Not always the most reasonable of emotions. So all in all, the message of my music is that I will always be unapologetically me, and I am not afraid to say what’s on my mind or what my heart feels. So why should you be?
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I sing in multiple languages–English, Spanish, and French. I can connect and communicate with listeners who are multicultural and speak different languages. Ah, yes–my “sound”. I’ve been told before that my music is all over the place and needs to be more coherent. But I’m not interested in having all my music sound the same. I am redefining alt-pop, baby. I don’t make a sound, sound chooses to be interpreted by me. I take pride in having songs in various genres. Take two of my songs, Diamond and Ice Giants. They are two different sides of a coin, completely different ambiances and styles. But I like that about me–I have something for everybody, and I will definitely continue to create and experiment with new sounds.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: When it comes to personal fulfillment, pride in watching my songs grow, yes. But on the more business-y side of that coin and on a monetary level, no. The music industry is very difficult to squeeze profit and returns out of if you’re an undiscovered independent artist. I’m expecting much more, and I will not hesitate to keep pushing until I break through and can create a stable living with something I love.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: My creative process varies from day to day. There have been days when I’m sitting and plowing through homework assignments, and boom! Inspiration hits me and I go write an entire song in ten minutes. That’s how one of my singles, Knock Knock Knock, came to be. Other times, someone will enrage me, and I’ll have something to say about it. Just like that, I wind up with songs like I Am Enough. Other times, it takes me a little longer. Deadlines are hard to meet in the creative world, but sometimes I manage it. Diamond was one of those songs–I had to create it in time for my mom’s birthday while still producing a work of art I could love and relate to. I didn’t want to just get it done, it had to mean something.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: Music career-wise, stage moms. One in particular. I was actually hunted down once after an undiscovered artists showcase and berated by a mom who was angry that I had gotten farther than her son in the competition. It was an awful experience, and unfortunately, my thirteen-year-old self had to perform onstage in tears. There’s also been the struggle of talent show rejections, which are really blessings in disguise when you consider their contracts. When it comes to life in general, I’ve struggled with some health issues, one of which is an odd heart arrhythmia. (Surprise! I wrote a pretty badass song about it… “Junctional Rhythm”.) But I can count thousands more blessings than difficulties in life.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: Oh, goodie. Hold on to your socks, ladies and gentlemen, haha. I am proud to be the Halcyon’s Got Talent winner of 2021, the Dunwoody Idol of 2022, the two-time runner-up of the nation-wide Delta Mu Mu Chapter talent competition, and finalist in many local songwriter’s competitions. I am an independent recording artist with 11 singles out and about everywhere–at only 16 years of age. I am MARIA DEIRISARRI.
