Mae Muller
Mae Muller: "When I was younger it took me a long time on my journey to get to the point of self-worth. Understanding that I deserve to be treated and respected"
Bronte Evans | 20/03/2021
Rising star Mae Muller, a singer-songwriter based in London clasps her cards close to her chest with little information surrounding her out in the world. We chat with Mae and touch on her experiences with mental health, touring with Little Mix, and tearing down the stigma of toxic masculinity amidst tracks such as ‘Therapist’.
Mae is one of the most high-grade forthcoming musicians. Mae’s sound and profound lyrics place her exclusively and beyond in the industry. Mae released her debut studio album ‘Chapter 1’ through Capitol Records followed by her EP No one Else, Not Even You’ at the latter period of last year. The pandemic has stirred sudden changes in the music industry following COVID-19. Particularly for Mae who has been action-bound. Mae shared, “It was such a huge change. But now, pretty much a year down the line, it gave me a chance to sit and think about what matters and what I want to make. Being able to spend more time with my family was nice as well. You’re kind of left with I think what’s important. And of course, I miss touring so much. I can’t wait to be able to play again. I have really missed those sorts of everyday life. When it’s all taken away, you’re like ‘Oh my Gosh’, and what was important back then isn’t as important now. But I think now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Head Above The Clouds endeavors to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health and raise recognition. Mae opened up about her experiences with mental health. “It’s weird because I think over the past few years the conversation about mental health has changed so much. Even when I was growing up it was nowhere near as important as it is now. I definitely had anxiety. For me especially being an artist, you’re always kind of overthinking everything and comparing yourself to other people, which is never good. But I think it’s so much more, when we talk about it, we end up being able to relate to one another. And I think that’s important. So, although it’s better there is still a lot of work to do. But, you know, we’re in a much better place than we were 5/6 years ago.’
Reflecting on the theme of mental health we invited Mae to share any suggestions for sustaining a healthy mind throughout this period. "There are quite a few different things I’ve learned. I’ve learned to be quite good at having time to do whatever I want to do. That to me, well, it’s kind of simple, take things like, just watching a program. It’s about finding a safe space. Another thing I like to do is go on a walk. I go on a walk and I buy a nice cup of tea for myself-and enjoy the peace. Even by myself, because I’m doing this for me. It’s important to be nice to myself. Another thing is I’m also choosing to not scroll on my phone, which is a big help because I know, that’s something I do a lot. I just get sucked into comparing myself, which is the worst. I’m trying to live with that a little bit as well of me aswell.”
Mae was catapulted into the music sphere of touring and writing. We asked Mae if it was everything she envisioned and how this unique journey has transpired so far. “I think I was kind of naive when I first got into it. I didn’t realise how emotionally draining it was. I was so biassed because I’ve always been very confident in my ability to do things. When I put my mind to something, then I can do it. I’ve worked really hard knowing in two years, I’m going to be where I want to be, and I’m going to be killing it. I’ve learnt you’re gonna have to work hard at this process. And it’s not just going to be like, ‘you’re good at this’. I think it’s just knowing you’re going to get there like, it takes a long time. And now, knowing i’e worked so hard, I’m so happy that it did. It was such a long process because you learn so much on the way, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so like, so grueling. Saying that I always knew from the second I started doing sessions and I got a glimmer of what life making music would be like and that it could happen me. after that I had tunnel vision."
Mae Muller’s music is infinitely valuable because the lyrics are abundant with self-worth. This signifies an astounding influence on those that are growing up, consuming her songs. Mae followed on from this and shared, “When I was younger it took me a long time on my journey to get to the point of self-worth. Understanding that I deserve to be treated and respected. For me growing up, especially when I was a teenager, I put so much on myself. I let people treat me like the way I though I deserved. That’s what I thought love was and then you grow up and it’s like, actually no, I’m a good person and I don’t deserve this. I concluded that when you’re putting yourself first, people that treat you better. So once I kind of figured that out, it felt natural to me to start writing about it. I was doing it for me, at that point it was a way to get my feelings out. I then had people relating to it and of those I had people messaging me. I realised then that oh my god this is so much bigger than me. So many other girls are like going through the same things that I did. The more I started writing about that I thought yeah, this is as much about me anymore, and seeing other people reach out was really like a turning point.”
Mae aims for her music to empower listeners, in the hope they realise they should love themselves, exercising as a valuable lesson, so they won’t ‘wait around for somebody else to realise how great they are’. “ It’s about knowing your value. I think it is hard to get to that point of being alone. I wasted so much time and energy getting upset by how other people treat me. I want people to just realise you don’t need any of that.”
The track ‘Therapist’ is Mae’s most significant hit to date. From my initial listen, that was something I noted from the very first second. The track’s infectious chorus “You don’t need a girlfriend. You just need a therapist. You’ve got too much drama. I’m not qualified to fix it.” portrayed a relationship where there is no equality. It explicates that many are frequently estimated as companions on how much they can take and how much emotional support they can deliver to someone. These lyrics bestow that you can strive to support, encourage and give someone your all but it can also be exhausting and can bring you down also. It is a beautiful song and entirely relevant. It is pleasing to appreciate that a young girl can consume this message within music. Yet if you cannot relate to these lyrics in the sense of a romantic relationship, you can connect them with on another level about relationships and friendships.
No One Else, Not Even You is available across all music streaming platforms. Mae’s music encapsulates her personality and honesty. This is music that empowers alongside beautiful melodies.