Maya Unagi is a South Asian-American songstress raised in the ever-shifting cultural tide of the Bay Area, Maya Unagi has long been a beloved figure in the local scene. Her music—lush, emotional, and unapologetically unhurried—is equal parts refuge and rebellion. With roots in classical music and deep ties to jazz and R&B, her sound draws from the old while dreaming into the new. We caught up with Maya Unagi to discuss her new single ‘Stumbling’, upcoming EP, Pieces, and more below.
“Stumbling” feels incredibly intimate and spacious. Can you walk us through the emotional headspace you were in while writing it?
I wrote “Stumbling” through a retrospective and compassionate lens. It started off as a love letter to my younger self, grew into an affirmation for my present self as well. Looking back, I see how much I’ve blossomed and grown into myself. However, I still feel incredibly lost today. And I started thinking about how twenty years from now, I hope to be able to look back (again) from a place of even greater peace and clarity.
Your music has a beautiful sense of patience—it doesn’t rush to deliver meaning. Where does that sense of slowness and intentionality come from in your creative process?
The music that I’ve found most impactful takes time to digest and make sense of. Upon first impression, it’d leave me with more questions than answers. It makes you think. To me, meaningful music takes time to unfold, and often takes time to make. You can’t always force your way into productivity—sometimes you just have to sit patiently and wait for ideas to land on your shoulder.
You’ve worked with an impressive lineup of collaborators on this track and your upcoming EP. How do you approach collaboration while maintaining your artistic vision?
Out the gate, I’m pretty selective about whom I collaborate with, which I think is a major factor. If I’m working with someone, it’s because I like their style and trust their taste. I’ve learned not to force collaborations that aren’t aligned. From there, I try to set intentions and provide as clear of an idea as I can upfront, often through references. It’s a balance of being open, but uncompromising about the right things.
There’s a clear jazz and classical influence in your sound. How have your musical roots shaped the way you compose and produce today?
I’d say my background as an instrumentalist gave me strong foundations, both from a technical
perspective and a creative one. I think listening to jazz and learning classical repertoire allowed me to embrace tension and dissonance, and depart from the confines of “safety” and familiarity of more popular genres.
“Stumbling” touches on themes of self-forgiveness and transformation. What inspired you to explore that space emotionally and lyrically?
I’m a chronic over-thinker with a LOUD inner critic. Especially since veering from the beaten path, I’ve struggled with a lot of doubt and self-scrutiny. So I think this song was borne from an attempt to reframe and resist the spiraling, and help anyone else fighting similar battles feel seen and held.
As a South Asian-American artist, how do you see your cultural identity informing your work—whether overtly or in more subtle ways?
Though it doesn’t influence my work in a super conspicuous way, streaks of my conditioning and (social context) definitely present themselves thematically. Although, without saying too much, one of the tracks on ‘Pieces’ is a clear reclamation and has more direct ties to my South Asian identity.
The textures in “Stumbling”—harp, analog synths, soft percussion—feel almost tactile. Do you think about sound in visual or physical terms when producing?
Honestly, I don’t really visualize the sound that much! I’d say the extent of it would be staring at waveforms—like watching the visual changes when I play with modulators on a synth VST or something.
The title of your upcoming EP is Pieces. What does that word mean to you in the context of this body of work?
I picked the name “Pieces” because it has a few different meanings. The EP is supposed to represent different “pieces of me”, musically and conceptually. “Pieces” is also intended to refer to an assortment of songs.
So much of the music industry is driven by instant impact. Have you ever felt pressure to conform to that pace—and how do you resist it?
I touched on this a bit in the second question—even though the industry landscape glorifies a meteoric pace, I stay steadfast in my slowness. I take my time writing and sitting with my songs, and refuse to chase a “trendy” sound and cater to virality. At the end of the day, I just want to make music I enjoy.
What do you hope listeners take away from “Stumbling” and, more broadly, from Pieces as a full project?
I hope “Stumbling” invites self-compassion and hope, and that ‘Pieces’ offers solace and a safe space to reflect. I hope it can serve as an antidote to doubt.
