We all need that one moment to realise what we love doing the most and Atlanta Mae found hers in a musical theatre. Mae is a London based singer/songwriter who found her passion for music and performing while participating in the theatre. The adrenaline rush that drew her to the stage motivated Mae to pursue her dream of becoming a musical artist.
In terms of musicality, “Mae’s music is a product of all the Born in London, her music reflects the urban sound escaping the city, but regular visits to the Caribbean to visit family have influenced her sound adding a sprinkle of island flavour.”
She debuted in the mainstream industry with her song “Cut It Off” and now, she is taking the things to the next level. Today, Atlanta Mae is releasing her single “Be About It”. Following the saying “Show Not Tell”, the single depicts different stages of flirting. Bringing female protagonist into focus, “Be About It” shows how well can women control the situation.
While the theme would make one to think of the song as a typical flirt track but this song is one of the kind. Unlike singles today that try to depict the narrative through just music, Mae has incorporated “conversation” and “banter” within the track that immediately takes us back to Missy Elliott’s era.
CelebMix talked to the singer about her journey, new single and goals for the future. Check out the complete interview below:
Please introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Atlanta Mae and I am a singer songwriter
We read that you got your first experience as an artist in a musical theatre. We would like to more about your journey as an artist.
So I started to go to performance arts school aged 5 through my reception teachers advise as I was extremely shy in the school social setting. Through attending performing arts I came out of my shell and realised I had a PASSION for performance and in particular dance and music. Music and even writing songs was a part of my childhood and I wrote my first song aged 9. It wasn’t till my teen years did I know that I wasn’t going to do anything else and the arts is fully my lane and happiness.
Considering that you don’t just sing but also write songs, how do you perceive your art?
Art is very subjective. I see writing songs as just another form of expression and another chance to narrate my surroundings and other people’s lives. Art is super important as it’s a reflection of society at a particular time in history. Without art there would be very little to question so to me my craft and the overall process of making a song and bringing that into fruition is super important.
What do you think is the best part about being an artist? What are some of the challenges that you have faced on the path towards your dream?
The best part about being an artist is that I get to do something I love and have always dreamed about. Just like if your dream is to become a doctor and you succeed the satisfaction from that can’t be matched. Just like any dream there are always challenges. Sometimes I’m simply not inspired which is a rubbish feeling but it’s about pushing through those areas and being resilient in your goals. I have faced so many closed doors trying to break into this industry and it can be disheartening if people don’t see your vision or potential yet which has happened a lot to me and is still happening but at the end of the day, I believe in myself. I know that I have what it takes and I know that it’s only a matter of time and that’s literally how you have to be.
Congratulations for “Be About It”. Please tell our readers a bit about the single.
Thank you ! I am so excited to release as this track is so fun and I feel like is me currently. It’s where I’m at currently in my life which is a really fun time. Be About it is about when you first start talking to someone and it’s new, fun but also full of anxiety. It’s playful and really pokes fun at the kind of people that are just talkers which is why the main refrain is “don’t talk be about it”. Like, don’t tell me what you’re about, show me kind of thing. I think everyone will be able to relate and I had a lot of fun recording that track which comes across.
The single seems to be a healthy flirt track where the woman protagonist can be heard taking the complete control. In terms of music too, there are a lot of transitions within the track, something we don’t usually see in the songs.
Yeah 100% this is a flirt track ! I’m a massive flirt slyly but within in reason. I think women should take control in romantic situations. We are the ones who seem to be clear in what and who we want so why not go for it? I’m really happy you guys feel like there are a lot of transitions in the track as that’s what I always aim for. Music is meant to take you on a journey or a story and life is about transitions so it’s important to showcase that. I believe music and art is like a mirror of our lives, like social commentary so I tend to do the 90s or what I like to call the Missy Elliot effect in my tracks by having breakdowns or cool different bridges to really show another voice or perspective in the song.
Please tell us about the creative process that went behind creating “Be About It”.
Well after the producer Snider7 and I finished Cut It Off he sent me a few beats and Be About It was one of them, at the time it was called Safe Crash and I fell in love with the beat and overall swing. It made me feel like Beyoncé, every female artist knows what I mean so I was hooked and determined to write a banger to what he created. I wrote Be About It on the train as I do most of my songs and I was on the way to meet bae and was feeling all cute, the sun was shining and that’s when the first line of the pre-chorus just came to me. “You the right one, you the right one” I LOVE when songs just happen like that but sometimes you have to engineer them a lot more. I took the first 4 lines out of this random verse I wrote 6 months prior and then everything else fell into place. I wrote the whole song over a course of a couple days as things with bae were super awesome and all flirty at the time.
Can we expect a music video soon?
You will have to wait and see…
From your debut single “Cut It Off” to “Be About It” and other singles that you are working on, how do you see your evolution as a singer and a songwriter?
I see my evolution as an artist as a steady incline. Like a chart and the famous “slow and steady winds the race”. My goal is to have longevity, and be around and voice for the culture for many years. I plan on releasing 6 singles to begin with before creating some sort of project, these singles will introduce me and all my sides or layers.
Would you like to share with us your future projects or endeavours?
As I used to be a teacher, young people are super close to my heart. I would love to one day to a collaborative project with children from schools or centre and get more young people from underprivileged backgrounds involved in the industry and creative process from a lot younger. I also wanna start a vlog or podcast as I want to be an open book and show how easy it is to do what you love so look out for that !
Lastly, do you have any message for your fans and people who will be discovering your music?
Hey! These songs are from me but really for you. thanks for taking the time to listen and i can’t wait to share more xoxox
The single is out on all the streaming platforms. You can follow Atlanta Mae on social media using @atlantamae to keep yourself updated about the new songs and shows.
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