This year, 20-year-old Sunshine Coast singer-songwriter and captivating emerging artist Mayah, penned her 50th original song, formed an eclectic new rock band, and produced her newest release Loved & Lost.
The song has clocked up nearly 30,000 streams on Spotify in just over a month.
Despite her young age, Mayah has achieved great success with her first three songs, Endless Mistakes, Butterflies and Making Space, with more than half a million collective Spotify streams thus far.
Loved & Lost, written following the loss of a dear family friend, is a beautifully constructed, heart-rending song and a powerful journey into and out of grief.
As Mayah explains, “Loved & Lost is a reference to Tennyson’s notable line: ‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’.
“Although the song was written from a place of deep grief and loss, it speaks to the part of us which longs to celebrate our lost relationships and cherish the moments spent together,“ she said.
“Ultimately, it is a song of love, remembrance, celebration, and healing. We all need to find a way to be OK.”
A captivating mix of acoustic guitar, rhythmic beats and piano, overlaid with Mayah’s unique and unmistakable vocals, Loved & Lost, despite the subject matter, is surprisingly joyful and uplifting.
Recorded with Aaron Giffin at Sleepwalk Studio in Coolum, Loved & Lost is Mayah’s first solo-produced song and it was released through Brisbane Distributor Gyrostream, via all major online streaming platforms.
Significantly, the song was released during Queensland Mental Health Week and Mayah performed her song live at the launch of Nurture Festival, a Sunshine Coast youth mental health and wellbeing initiative at Mooloolaba Surf Club.
Nurture Festival founder Nathan Taylor said, “I’m a massive fan of Mayah and I think she’s incredible.“
“Her latest song Loved & Lost resonated with me at a deeper level with my passion for mental health and suicide prevention.
“I’m so proud to have Mayah as a young ambassador and feel extremely privileged to know she will perform at the Nurture Festival 7 May 2022.”
Gyrostream director and distribution manager Alex Wilson said, “I think it’s a great song with a lovely sentiment and it certainly shows Mayah’s growth as a songwriter and an artist.“
Mayah regularly performs her solo show around south east Queensland. In her three-hour solo live set with acoustic guitar and haunting vocals, she plays an arrangement of beautifully constructed melodies and unforgettable lyrics.
She recently performed at the Buskers By The Lake in Birtinya, and Noosa Live & Local at the Land & Sea Brewery.
Mayah also performs with her new rock band, which played at the 2021 Caloundra Music Festival and is booked as the opening act for the Fabulous Caprettos featuring Daryl Braithwaite, Russell Morris, Jack Jones, and Rai Thistlethwayte at Nightquarter, in January 2022.
The band will also perform at the Nurture Festival on the Sunshine Coast in May 2022.
