Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Maja has stepped outside her usual folk stylings on her newest single, presenting the soulful R&B slow-burner 'Cigarette Smoke'.
A song lifted from her debut album 'I'll Get There' that's slated for release later this year, 'Cigarette Smoke' finds Maja navigating the different energies of her new city by channeling her inner Winehouse with hints of Christina Aguilera's high-end vocals shining through."The opening line to the song is: 'Cigarette smoke and familiar faces, the wrong people in the right places, the right people in the wrong places, I'm learning to trust that I will find my place here'," Maja says.
"There are parts of big cities that we don't want to see or are undercover, and it was kind of shocking moving from Brisbane and I wanted ['Cigarette Smoke'] to capture the gritty and dark parts of living in a big city.
"My first job was down the road from a brothel, which I didn't expect haha!"
Flush with lush harmonies and tantalising piano melodies, 'Cigarette Smoke' is a track that leans into its smokey jazz club roots wrapping its velvety-smooth rhythms around your ears like a slinky kitty cat purring around your leg.
Ahead of its release tomorrow (25 June), scenestr is stoked to premiere 'Cigarette Smoke' today. Enjoy.
"'Cigarette Smoke' was inspired by Nai Palm's solo album 'Needle Paw' and I wanted to keep it very stripped back, only using vocals, guitar and backing vocals," adds Maja.
"During the recording process I found myself actually getting frustrated with the timing in the chorus because it didn't feel perfect, but in the end, I embraced it because it feels raw and real.
"It's imperfect and so is Melbourne. I hope the listeners can relate to it in that way."
Maja 2021 Tour Dates
Tue 6 Jul - Wesley Anne (Melbourne)Sat 17 Jul - Rotary On Church (Melbourne)* 10:30am show
