Elaine Mai, a Dublin-based queer artist, songwriter, and producer, first charmed audiences in 2011 as an acoustic solo act with only a guitar and a loop pedal. She has evolved into an accomplished electronic artist and producer over the years. Elaine has made her mark with over 5.2 million Spotify streams and 100,000 listeners by 2019. Her debut album, ‘Home’ (2021), was hailed with glowing reviews and won her nominations for the sought-after Choice Music Prize in the Album and Song of the Year categories. Her track, “No Forever (feat. MayKay),” received 14 million radio impressions in Ireland, leaping to No. 2 on the Irish Radio Breakers chart and No. 6 on the Viral 50 Ireland Spotify chart.
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Elaine Mai has just released an exhilarating single, “The Moment(feat. soft centre)” We had the opportunity to interview her about the new bop and beyond.
Q: Hey Elaine! Congratulations on your new release, “The Moment (feat. soft centre.)” The song exudes a palpable energy from the very start. How did you go about crafting the musical arrangement to convey this sense of exhilaration and joy?
A: Thank you! Putting together the arrangement for “The Moment” felt like tuning into a specific frequency. I wanted to capture soft centre’s meaning and the emotion she was evoking, that hazy room filled with people and colliding memories. Although there’s a sadness to what she’s conveying, I also heard hope and I wanted to bring that more hopeful and accepting angle to the story, that’s why I chose the melody and instruments I did. The vocal is so gorgeous, so it was an amazing piece to get working with and it flowed really easily for me.
Q: soft centre’s vocals truly elevate the song to another level. Can you share the story behind how this collaboration with soft centre came to be?
A: soft centre had originally written the vocal as a lead for another project which did not come to fruition. When I heard it, I was immediately taken by its rich and emotive quality. I felt a pull to breathe new life into it, to emphasise the beautiful vocal and harmonies and build a soundscape around them.
Q: What is the central message or feeling you hope listeners take away from this song?
For soft centre and I, The Moment” explores the juxtaposition of ‘then’ and ‘now’. The emotions that hit you when you’re unexpectedly greeted with a familiar face from the past. I hope listeners connect with those feelings of nostalgia, longing, and acceptance, beautifully encapsulated by soft centre’s lyrics. And, if it makes them want to dance and lose themselves in the moment, then I’d say we’ve succeeded!
Q: Were there any personal experiences that came into play while crafting the song?
For me the focus was very much on enhancing and showcasing the story already created by soft centre. Adding synth and chords to shift and sway the meaning and feeling, and giving it a new more hopeful perspective was my focus, so no, personal experiences did not play a role in this one for me.
Q: With the release of ‘The Moment,’ what’s next on the horizon for Elaine Mai? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations you’d like to give us a glimpse of?
After “The Moment”, listeners can expect two exclusive remixes from my debut album ‘Home’. ESSEL and CHANEY will be reimagining “Still Feel (feat. Ailbhe Reddy)” and “(Go Slow)”, which I’m incredibly excited about. Beyond this, I’m deeply immersed in the creative process for my next album.
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Enjoy listening to “The Moment(feat. soft centre)” by Elaine Mai here.
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