Katrina Rees
Here at CelebMix, we love introducing you to some of the hottest new talent on the block. 2017 saw the rise of a number of sassy female artists including Dua Lipa, Anne-Marie, and Julia Michaels but with a new year, comes another talented lady that you need to know about.
Introducing Marisa Maino, a rising pop starlet who is passionate about music and is unapologetically herself in the process. Marisa started off her career as a dancer with a Russian ballet company, however, a knee injury forced her into exploring other art forms.
After moving to LA, Marisa focused on acting and singing, despite others encouraging her not to. Going with her gut, she applied for The X Factor, and whilst the TV process wasn’t for her, it did cement the fact that music was the career path she wanted to follow. Referrals for co-writes followed, but a co-writer who told Marisa that she should be a jazz singer who doesn’t talk on stage made her realise that whatever she wrote should truly reflect her as a person. What’s the point of music if you cannot be yourself?
Since then, Marisa made the move to Nashville which has allowed her to develop her sound and ensure that it is authentic to her personality. Speaking about her music, she said: “My sound is always going to be reflective of me – so quirky pop in a way. I think that as I get older, I can always have that ‘Adele vibe’ with the more serious tones. But at my age, I want to make sure my music stays young and vibrant. I want to make sure I live it, and that people feel young and youthful when they listen to my music.”
At the end of last year, Marisa dropped her debut single ‘Hot’. Premiered on Popdust, ‘Hot’ is edgy, full of sass and will be relatable for anyone who’s ever wanted to diss an ex’s new partner before realising that they’re actually pretty great. With fierce lyrics such as “His new girlfriend is hot, I was hoping for a trainwreck but she’s not”, Marisa proves that she can truly deliver a punchy offering.
‘Hot’ also shines light on the girl hate that exists in the world. Speaking to Popdust about the track, Marisa said: “How many girl’s nights have happened where a group of girl’s get together to drink wine and trash talk the ex’s new girl… But no one ever wants to admit if the new girl is awesome.” Instead of tearing down the girl, Marisa comes to the conclusion that the ex is the one to blame and wonders what the new girl sees in him.
Since the release of ‘Hot’, the track has been streamed over 71,000 times. The song also triggered support from Spotify in the form of its Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlists.
2018 looks set to be an exciting year for Marisa and we can expect new music from her very soon in the form of her second single, ‘Boy Toy’. We can’t wait to seeing what else she will have in store for us too.
