Episode Transcript
[00:00:08] Speaker A: Hi, guys. Welcome once again to the Raj Core podcast. I've got a fantastic guest lined up today who I actually discovered on Tick Tock and wow, I thought, man, the music is because I. I like my rock music. So she. Well, I'm gonna introduce herself. Maya, over to you. Introduce yourself.
[00:00:28] Speaker B: Hi, I'm Maya Lakhani and I'm a British Indian independ, independent alt rock artist.
[00:00:34] Speaker A: Yeah. When I. When I first heard of your music, you reminded me sort of like Linkin park, sort of that kind of vibe.
[00:00:40] Speaker B: Oh, cool. Yeah, that. That's cool. I've not heard that before, so that's. That's a nice one.
[00:00:45] Speaker A: Did you know that, you know the guitar riffs and stuff that you've got like.
[00:00:48] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:00:48] Speaker A: Progression of it. It reminded me of sort of Linkin park stuff and.
[00:00:52] Speaker B: Oh, that's cool. I mean, I used to listen to them a lot when I was younger, so, you know, there might be some. Some influences seeping through that.
[00:01:00] Speaker A: You know, especially the latest track which, Which, Which.
Which I heard. I forgot the name of it. Now I've got something. There's so much.
[00:01:06] Speaker B: Is it in the sunset or driving to the sunset?
Yeah, yeah.
[00:01:10] Speaker A: So that. That's what. Actually, Actually that's. That's the track I found on. On Tick Tock, because that's how you discover music these days.
[00:01:18] Speaker B: It is, yeah. It's changed, isn't it? Our music discovery in the last few years. So.
[00:01:24] Speaker A: Absolutely. But before we get there, I. As you know, this podcast is about musical excellence and just how you got. I just want to. Because there's not much. Well, I. I try to find something about you on social media and stuff, about your background and stuff. I mean, we know you're a British Indian, but don't know much more about you. So you want to start off, like, just tell us a bit about yourself, about your childhood and how you got into music.
[00:01:46] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So I've, like, always had a real passion for music from like, my first obsession was the Spice Girls when I was like 4 and I were just. I was. I loved them so much and I think it actually, like, got me into music.
And then when I was around like seven or eight, like, I wrote my first song and then I started my first band when I was 12.
[00:02:17] Speaker A: Really?
[00:02:18] Speaker B: Yeah. Very school of rock vibes.
But yeah, we, like, we used to practice every Friday after school and we wrote original songs and stuff. So that was like a really good introduction into like, actual music making at quite a young age. And then I was in like, various bands throughout my life. And then Covid happened and I'd always like wanted to learn how to do solo rock music, you know, as a solo artist. And I just, I always thought, oh, like, I have to have a band. Like, I don't know how to do this completely on my own. And then Covid happened and I was like, right, I'm never going to have this much time again in my life to learn how to do this. So I learned like how to like produce, like record and produce from my bedroom basically.
And I learned how to do like how to make a website and how to do like self portrait photography for all the artwork and stuff. And I put out my first song in 2020 in lockdown and it was called the Line.
And it just started this really beautiful journey for me because for me the achievement alone was being able to do this and like proving to myself that I could do it. But then when I released it, like actually quite a lot of people heard it and it got a lot of like radio play and press and things like that, which I just like, it kind of. It blew my mind. And so I was like, right, like, wow, like, you know, I've got something here, so.
[00:04:02] Speaker A: Hi guys, this is Raj Kaul. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast. If you want to support the rest of my music, if you could go and check me out on Spotify on Apple Music and add my songs to your playlists if you like them. Thank you.
So how did you sort of. Because you play guitar, you sing. Were you, are you formally trained or was that just. You just picked it up and how did you, how did you manage to learn that?
[00:04:42] Speaker B: Quite like mostly self taught, to be honest.
Like, and I think it's, it's all been through like practice and things like that. For example, like when I was in my first band when I was a kid, like, and you know, practicing singing every week, you know, when we would go and practice on Fridays and then in other bands and things like that. So I've like, I've never really been like formally trained as such, but a lot of it's self, self taught and.
[00:05:14] Speaker A: The only, the thing is like I'm a, I used to, I used to be part of a church worship team as well. So when you're practicing on a regular, you, you, you also get the stage part of it right as well, which is a totally different, isn't it?
[00:05:30] Speaker B: It is, yeah. It's, it is a very different thing. Like being, you know, making music in your bedroom versus like being on, you know, you Kind of have to like embody this, this character and like, you know, people want to watch exciting things on stage. So it is a whole different discipline.
It really is.
[00:05:51] Speaker A: I've got to say, your social media is great and, and I love that you, you, you, you emphasize your British, British, Asian rock. Just so cool. Yeah, I think it's one of the coolest things. I was telling my wife about yourself and I thought, how cool is she? And there's some.
[00:06:07] Speaker B: Thanks.
[00:06:07] Speaker A: And there's some bits what I've seen of you, like where you've, you've got an Indian outfit on, you got guitar and stuff. It's just.
[00:06:15] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, I think when. So I, I played Glastonbury last year and something, something that was very important to me was like, I was like, I want to like represent my culture on that stage because, like, I know how much it would have meant to me like as a little girl seeing that. So I was like, you know, I really wanted to do that and like going forwards, it's something that I really want to incorporate into like my, my stage looks or musical style or you know, like photography and art and things like that. Because I just think like representation is important, you know.
[00:07:02] Speaker A: So you, you, you, you, you, you're practicing, singing and perform the performance side of it every, every week during practice. What was that band about? Was it, look, was it like a girl band thing? Was it like a rock sort of thing?
[00:07:16] Speaker B: Yeah, it was a girl rock band, basically.
[00:07:20] Speaker A: That's so cool.
[00:07:21] Speaker B: Yeah. 12 and like kind of had it going for a few, a good few years. It was like in the MySpace era.
So yeah, it was fun. And it like, it really did give me that like foundational sort of practice and knowledge about songwriting and you know, making rock music and stuff like that. So it was definitely really important.
[00:07:48] Speaker A: Who are your rock influences at that age?
[00:07:52] Speaker B: Like my, my favorite, my all time favorite band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They're my favorite and like, they were kind of the band that got me into rock. And then I started listening to all different kind of things. Like, I really love PJ Harvey. I think she's amazing.
It's a band called Garbage that I love that are like, you know, really big in the 90s and still continue to be like huge. So.
And I really, I really like, like seeing women in rock particularly.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:24] Speaker B: Because, you know, it's just really cool. Like the guitar I play is like Joan Jett signature guitar. So, you know, it's nice to see more women in rock.
[00:08:38] Speaker A: Absolutely. And it's Nice to see British Indian women in rock.
[00:08:44] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:08:47] Speaker A: Yeah. Not to overemphasize that. I don't mean that. It's just. It's just you're. You've got. You got yourself a real niche.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I just think, like, I know that, you know, if I. If I was, like 8 years old or whatever, and I saw somebody that kind of represented me doing rock music, it just would have, like, meant the world to me at that age.
[00:09:09] Speaker A: Absolutely, yeah.
[00:09:12] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:09:14] Speaker A: She's only young. She's two. She's two and a half. But she's. Yeah, getting into music.
[00:09:18] Speaker B: Oh, that's sweet.
[00:09:19] Speaker A: So what about your guitar side? How did you learn that?
[00:09:24] Speaker B: So like, I've been playing for. For quite a while, but I sort of never really considered myself to be a guitarist. I'd always say things like, oh, yeah, I play guitar, but, like, just for songwriting kind of thing. And then when, like, Covid happened and I was like, right, you know, I'm gonna make a song from scratch myself.
I did this. I don't know if you've heard of Masterclass, it's like this online course thing. No. So it's. I think there is one that's kind of similar, the BBC run, but it's another one where, like, they have all these kind of famous people that do, like, 10 lessons on, you know, whatever. And I did one by the guitarist called Tom Morello. I don't know if you know of him, but he's the guitarist from Rage against the Machine, and he also has a lot of an audio slave, and he has solo stuff as well. And I was so inspired, like, by this master class because he really, you know, kind of broke things down in a really inspirational way and was like, you know, anyone can. Can play as long as you can, like, do, you know, do the basics. Like, you've got this. And it changed my outlook on playing. And I learned how to, like, solo and stuff like that through doing that. And it really. It changed something in my mind about. No, I am. I am a guitarist.
So it was.
I was just. It was really inspirational. And if anybody's listening who, like, is learning guitar or kind of wants to play more, I definitely recommend doing that course because I've.
[00:11:08] Speaker A: I've. I've been sort of trying to learn guitar. Some of my friends are really good guitarists. Play with me. I've got on Ibanez here.
[00:11:16] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah. So nice.
[00:11:19] Speaker A: But I'm not very good at it because I think it's the lack of time as well. So yeah, but that's really interesting that you. You found that course. I mean, I struggle with getting. Switching chords fast enough. Yeah, really, really struggle. It's like.
[00:11:34] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, but I think it's like, it's. It's practice makes perfect.
[00:11:38] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:39] Speaker B: You know, just got to put that time in.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah. Practicing that. Yeah. So, okay, so you've gone from your guitar, you've gone in lockdown. You released your first single during lockdown. How did you learn the production side? Was it through YouTube or.
[00:11:57] Speaker B: Yeah, so I just was watching like, online courses about how to use. So I use a software called Logic Pro on my. Yeah, so I. I kind of learned. I. I'd had it for a while and I sort of knew how to use it, but there were certain intricacies and things that I just never got around to learning. And then I. I was like, no, I'm going to learn this properly. And I did this like, 10 online course on this website, and I think it. I think it was free, actually.
And I was like, right, okay, I have a better understanding of this now. So it was kind of. It was starting again in a way. And like, right, gonna learn how to do this properly, learn how to do this properly, and then I'm gonna make a song.
[00:12:44] Speaker A: So you've learned that back to your vocals and guitar because.
Okay, when you're recording something, you know, you've got to have a bit of knowledge in stuff about your keys and. And playing, you know, even playing your guitar. The theory side, how did you learn that?
[00:13:02] Speaker B: Oh, my theory is terrible, but, you.
[00:13:05] Speaker A: Know, you know, your key.
[00:13:06] Speaker B: I mean. Well, I can. I, like, I know how to. To write a song and. And play guitar, but like, my. My theory knowledge is. Is absolutely awful. And you don't have to like, know how to like, learn about or you don't really have to know about theory to. To make a good song, to be honest. I think it. I think it does help probably if, you know, you have a better understanding of things. But I would say that it's not like 100% necessary if anybody's listening and thinking, like, I want to start, like, start learning how to make music and is really intimidated by this whole theory thing. Like, it's nice to have, but you don't need it.
[00:13:47] Speaker A: Yeah, I think what I meant is that in the term, in terms of, like, you could you produce the track? You've got to have some basis.
[00:13:54] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:56] Speaker A: Do you know what I mean?
[00:13:58] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, like, I like, I know how to like to play guitar chords and I Know how to like, I guess that, that knowledge of like, you know, theory is there of because knowing, knowing what chords go together and, and things like that.
[00:14:11] Speaker A: Exactly. Because if you're singing, you know, I've got to sing in this key and stuff. So. Yeah, even something simple like that, that's, that's what I mean. And if you're, if you're, not, if you're not practicing that it's going to be a challenge or.
[00:14:24] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I think it's just like the more you play and the more you sing, like it starts to come naturally.
[00:14:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:32] Speaker B: And these, these ideas of theory kind of go out your mind because they're just like, you're just in the flow of it.
[00:14:38] Speaker A: The reason why I asked these things, because a lot of musicians I, I, I interview, I think they take it for granted how much you actually know and people do, you know, including myself. We can just go in. Okay, I'm gonna sing. Yeah, give me the key. I'm singing here. But even that's a skill in itself.
[00:14:55] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, you're right. Yeah, I think we, Yeah, I know what you mean. I think we do like downplay things sometimes a little bit.
[00:15:03] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, that's a great school. Like, not everyone can sing just if you give them a key.
Not everyone can do that. So.
[00:15:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:11] Speaker A: Did that, does that come from your band practice?
[00:15:15] Speaker B: I think so. I mean, I've always had like a real ear for music and, and singing and stuff like that, so I think there is like a certain element of like a natural ability with like, with kind of singing and kind of knowing how to find the right key on things. But yeah, I think it, you know, the more you practice, the better you get at stuff. Even TikTok's quite handy. Like I do my vocal warm ups on there because there's so many amazing creators that post like warm ups and it's so helpful just to like be able to hit certain notes and stuff, so.
[00:15:56] Speaker A: Hi guys, this is Raj Kaul. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast. If you want to support the rest of my music, if you could go and check me out on Spotify on Apple Music and add my songs to your playlists if you like them. Thank you.
That's really interesting because my main thing is I'm a vocalist as well, so I was going to get into your vocal side. So what do you do? What is, what's your normal routine in maintaining your vocals and improving them? Or is that one?
[00:16:48] Speaker B: I mean, like I always before, before I have like rehearsals and shows I always make sure to warm up my voice because it does, it really does make all the difference. And I have.
So I used to like have singing lessons. Like last year I had like five or six I think. And we recorded like a vocal warm up on my phone. So I, I use that. And then there's some like, as I mentioned, there's some really good ones on TikTok as well where like short, like little ones, like 60 seconds. But it really like, it does help to open up your voice.
[00:17:23] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:17:24] Speaker B: So yeah, and like drink lots of water. Not really cold water as well, kind of, you know, room temperature.
[00:17:31] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't like. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's really interesting. So in terms of your latest track, what was the process involved in that? Like, and because I found in there, even your vocals, they were so expressive.
There was a lot of expression and a lot of emotion in your vocals. So how did you, how did you get to that, that, that, that, that part in, in terms of vocals and the track itself.
[00:18:04] Speaker B: I think with that one, like I, because I obviously record and produce myself, there was about a hundred different vocal takes really of that. Yeah, I went way overboard.
I'm not doing that many again. But I think that's self producing has its challenges because for example, if you're working with a producer they'd be like, that was a great take, keep that one. Whereas like I think as musicians we tend to be quite self critical.
So it was like, oh no, I could do better, I can do better. And I had, by the end of it I had like 100 different vocal takes to go through and I was like, oh no, why have I done this to myself? Really? So much. There's too much choice here. But I think I do, I did whittle it down and yeah, I'm really happy, happy with how the vocals sound on that song.
[00:18:59] Speaker A: Fantastic to be fair. Honestly.
[00:19:01] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: It really stood out. It's interesting because what I started doing with my vocals is I'd just like to know your perspective on this is I do one take, right? And then where I see any, any bits need to improve, I just write, I'll write over it. Yeah, I record straight over it. So the take.
[00:19:19] Speaker B: Okay, so it's. So it's gone.
[00:19:21] Speaker A: Yeah, it's tough if I listen to it, the one take and then think, yeah, do that, that bit. And then that's another way to do it, isn't it? Because it just yourself. Yeah, I'm not saying it's better in.
[00:19:31] Speaker B: Any way, but that's a good Idea, though, because, yeah, sometimes, when, when there's too much choice. And also when you go into that recording mode, like, you do change how you sing. And sometimes I'm like, oh, the demo, like the vocal from the demo was quite nice because I was just like in the zone and not like worrying about it, so.
But it's. Yeah, it's fun.
[00:19:53] Speaker A: Yeah. Because I record at home as well. I used to record. Yeah, but I started to. Like yourself, record at home. Okay, so going forward, what's next for yourself, Maya?
[00:20:05] Speaker B: So I'm basically in the process of making my first EP this year.
So I've like, got some, some songs coming out soon and I'll kind of waterfall release them every couple of months.
But yeah, that's kind of the plan for this year and I want to do lots of live shows as well. Hoping to do some festivals again. So that's kind of the focus this year.
[00:20:32] Speaker A: Are you performing in Berming at any point?
[00:20:34] Speaker B: I mean, I'd love to because it's funny, like, I've. I've only ever performed in London and Glastonbury.
That's like the two places I perform. So I'd love to do like, different parts of the uk and I think Tick Tock has actually been really amazing because I've reached like so many people from different places around the world, but also in the uk. So it's like, it's nice to start like building that fan base in different parts, parts of the country.
[00:21:04] Speaker A: How was Glastonbury?
[00:21:06] Speaker B: Oh, it was like.
It was like one of my biggest dreams was playing that festival. So it was, it was incredible. Like, it was amazing. And there's just something very, very special about Glastonbury because I've been like, I think like four times myself. So, like, playing there was unreal. And I remember, like, standing on the stage and I could see like in the distance, I could see like the top of the pyramid stage. And I was just like, oh, yeah, one. One day I'll be. I'll be playing that one. So, yeah, it was, it was like a real, like, life moment, I think.
[00:21:47] Speaker A: What was the response, like, from the crowd at that point?
[00:21:49] Speaker B: Yeah, it was great. It was really great and like, I got some really amazing opportunities out of playing Glastonbury. Like I was on the, you know, BBC News, like, two days after doing that and like, there was so much like press coverage and, and things like that. And having. Having the performance filmed professionally by the BBC as well was a really, you know, unique opportunity. So I'm Very thankful to have done that. And I just, I want to, I want to go back there and play it, play it all again.
[00:22:23] Speaker A: Absolutely. I'd love to see that again.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:26] Speaker A: So, yeah, where, where can the, my, where can the listeners follow you on Instagram and check you out?
[00:22:33] Speaker B: And yeah, so I'm on all of the platforms as Maya Lakhani underscore. So I'll spell that as M A Y A L a K H A N. I underscore on, on everything. And then I also have like a mailing list and stuff on my website and I always send out new stuff to, to my mailing list subscribers first. So if you're interested, sign up.
[00:22:55] Speaker A: Fantastic. Make sure you follow Maya, guys. Yeah, One last question. Normally I normally finish off with what does musical excellence mean to you? And how, what advice would you give to, to any up and coming musicians?
[00:23:12] Speaker B: I think, yeah, I think in terms of advice, I would say like, just start, just start doing things. Because, like, before I started producing my own stuff in my bedroom, the first thing that I did was I started putting out covers on YouTube.
And that was like quite a big thing for me because I was always worried about what about the comments and what, what if people don't like it. But once you start putting things out, you're like, oh, actually this is great, and people are liking it and it's upping your own confidence. And then the next thing was like, I'm going to make a song and release it myself. And then the next thing was like, I'm going to do more and I'm going to play shows. So, like, just start. And like each, like each hurdle that you cross, like, things start to become easier.
[00:24:05] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:24:06] Speaker B: And it becomes less of a, like a mountain, if you know what I mean.
[00:24:09] Speaker A: Yep, absolutely.
[00:24:12] Speaker B: And then in terms of like, musical excellence, I think, like, I believe that, like, if you love what you're making, that is the most important thing and that in itself is excellence.
You know, as long as you love it, that's the main thing. And then if you put it out into the world and other people love it too, that's the cherry on the cake. That's kind of what I believe.
[00:24:37] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:24:38] Speaker B: Because you have to, you have to like, do things for yourself first because it's an art form, you know, and you want to be happy with it.
[00:24:46] Speaker A: I was talking to someone the other day and DJ Swami, I don't know whether you've heard of, and he, he, he was just saying that he's, he's, he had to find a way to motivate himself to do his music. Because it became a proper job.
[00:25:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
Because it wasn't just the passion project anymore. It was like.
[00:25:09] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah.
[00:25:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:25:11] Speaker A: So it's very interesting you say that and. And so he had to do that. He was just talking about his guitar. He was saying, before, I used to really look at. Clean my guitar every time I use it, and now just cleans it when he. Whenever he can sort of thing. Just little things.
[00:25:24] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:25:24] Speaker A: So it's really interesting to. That.
[00:25:26] Speaker B: That's funny.
[00:25:27] Speaker A: Thank you so much for. For coming on and it's been an absolute pleasure, honestly. I'm a big fan of your music. I was saying to my wife, as soon as I heard your music, I was like, check era. And then on top of that, you're being a British Indian like myself. It was great.
[00:25:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:25:44] Speaker A: Not that. Not that that reflects anything on your music because even if you want, your music's that good anyway. So.
[00:25:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:25:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:25:52] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:25:52] Speaker A: But it's a. But it's a. It's a cherry on top. Yeah. For me. So thank you so much, guys. If you like what you hear and see, and if you leave a review on. On YouTube or. Or Spotify and Apple and catch, make sure you follow my as well. So that's all for us today. And may I stay on because I. I'm just gonna hit the stop button for the end of the recording and. And we'll chat offline. So God bless you all. Thank you.
[00:26:21] Speaker B: But thank you so much for having me on the show. I've. I've really enjoyed talking with.
