Maya Delilah is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been making a big splash in the music scene with her cool effortless blend of jazz, soul, and pop. Her soul/RnB pop song, Breakup Season, launched her career into the bigger spotlight by amassing 11 million streams of Spotify, while her impromptu guitar videos continues to earn her millions of views on Tik Tok. Well, this is just the beginning. Her long-awaited full-length debut album, The Long Way Round, is a representation of her own life story unearthing themes of love, trust, and happiness. And thanks to °1824, we had an opportunity to chat with Maya to talk about music and her debut album. Her new album is full of infectious groovy tunes that’s executed with great laid-back precision. Songs like Squeeze dish out some of the tastiest funkiest grooves I’ve heard recently. It’s giving massive Prince energy, including his trademark playful flirty lyrics that she utilizes to great hypnotic effect. It brings a lot of potential to the rest of the album which promises to be a deep exploration of different genres, styles, and influences that has impacted and shaped her sound and musical worldview growing up. Maya is an incredible guitar player with a very refined playing style that perfectly fits the vibe of an intimate jazz club but also the bigger stage. Maya learned guitar by ear. “I think that learning by ear helps me connect with the music so much more. It took away the academic side of music for me and brought in so much more passion.”
I think Maya really showcases the beauty of the instrument—that there is no wrong or right way to understand music, and everyone’s journey is different. The guitar is a very sensitive instrument because you have a direct and visceral contact with the strings—and the way Maya plays, her fingerstyle approach and how she listens and hears the harmony makes her very deeply connected with the guitar, like it’s just become an extension of herself. Her sound is very clean and pure, and her style is very much about her listening to her bandmates and recognizing important spaces and taking breaths, as well as the playing. And becoming one of Spotify’s “Artist to Watch” for 2025 is a remarkable recognition for this English-based guitarist. Often, making a name for yourself as an accomplished virtuoso guitarist and making a name for yourself as a singer/songwriter can be two very different diverging musical paths. Two paths that often can be at odds with each other. But Maya Delilah getting noticed from both passionate music listeners and industry professionals so early in her career is something very few accomplished guitarists can say. And demonstrates her innate ability to blend her trademark intricate playing style with catchy songwriting that appeals to a diverse audience. “It feels incredible, very surreal. A very big honor and very exciting.”
- Carlo De Dios
