Meet Emerging Artist, Mae Krell in This Tell-All Q&A
This is an interview done with Mae Krell, read her story below! If you, or anyone you know, would like to be highlighted in The Zillennial Zine, shoot us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram!
Q: Tell us your story! Where did you begin and how did you reach the caliber you’re currently at?
A: I went to my first concert when I was fourteen, and that’s what really introduced me to the idea of live music and I started the journey that I’m on today. I had a moment while at that show where I realized that I wanted to be doing that. I wanted to be on stage connecting with people in the way that I felt connected. But I was shy and I was terrified, so I immediately gave up on that idea and thought “if I can’t be on stage, what’s the closest I can get?” and the answer was the photo pit.
I ended up learning the photography ropes and getting pretty heavily involved in the live music world for a couple of years before realizing that watching and capturing other people doing what I wanted to do wasn’t going to be enough for me to be happy. That was a couple of years ago, and since then I’ve slowly transitioned into trying to make music as opposed to photographing other musicians! I didn’t grow up in a particularly musical family or anything, so it has definitely been a journey to get here, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
Q: What makes you love what you do? How long have you been making music? Would you call it your passion?
A: I wrote my first song in my late teens, around the same time that I put out my first EP “anabasis” – so I guess that puts me at about five years now, which feels kind of crazy to say. I definitely feel like music is a passion of mine, but it’s also more than that. Making music is the only thing that I can do constantly and still not get tired of. It makes me happy and makes me feel fulfilled, I’ll be writing and singing, always, no matter what.
Q: What are some accomplishments or milestones you’ve reached lately?
A: I had the absolute honor of being on as the support act for Ethan Jewell’s “Lonely Together Tour” for all of January, and we played one of my favorite venues in NYC, which is where I grew up. That was pretty cool. I also put out a really personal and vulnerable EP and have gotten (mostly) good responses to it, which is always amazing!
Q: Tell us about “imposter syndrome”!
A: the “imposter syndrome” EP is a hyperpersonal and vulnerable collection of songs. They span from breaking up with a friend to losing your first love, getting sober, and then kind of realizing that all of those things (at least for me) are parts of growing up. Although it’s named “imposter syndrome”, working on this record was a big step for me in combatting that exact feeling. Jakob Leventhal (who produced all the tracks) is an absolute joy to work with, and I’ve always felt listened to and involved in every piece of the process when working with him. That’s unfortunately not something that I’ve always felt in making music, so being in a position to be heard so clearly created a lot of feelings of imposter syndrome for me.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone who is starting out in the music industry?
A: Slow doesn’t mean not advancing! You just have to push and keep pushing. Working toward a creative career, whether it’s in management, booking, or as a visual artist, actor or musician is exhausting. Especially if you’re someone who comes from a working-class background and has a full-time job on top of pursuing your art. You’re going to constantly see people “making it” in what seems like overnight. It’s either formulated in advance with a lot of resources or they’ve been working at it for years. It’s super easy to get discouraged and become resentful, but everyone around you is a friend or a person you can learn from (or both!) as long as you let them be.
Q: What do you want our readers to know about you and your music?
A: I’m just happy to be here. If you’ve listened to my music before, thank you, and I hope you liked it. If you haven’t, I would love it if you’d check it out and I’d love to hear from you!
Go Check Out Mae Krell!
Instagram: @maekrell
TikTok: @maekrell
Spotify: Mae Krell
Apple Music: Mae Krell