Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mary She. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mary, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
I actually recently went through a very bad social burn out. After consistently going out, networking, and performing for well over 9 months, I experienced my first major burn out. I lacked motivation to do anything creative and it took a huge hit on my confidence as a creative and a musician. After a few months of mental recovery and much needed self care, I learned to start setting boundaries for myself. You cannot be the best artist you want to be if you do not allow yourself to rest and recover. In order to create real music about genuine experiences, you must allow yourself the time to experience those moments fully.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Mary She is an 21-year-old Egyptian-American singer-songwriter born and raised in the Bay Area. Her passion for music began at a young age, as she started singing and playing various instruments, including the piano, guitar, harp, and ukulele, when she was just 4 years old. Mary She is a multi-instrumental singer-songwriter with a heavy background in classical voice. With the ability to understand musical theory and an immediate comfort in working with various genres, it allows her the upper hand when it comes to creating as she has many experiences to pull from. Being an Egyptian-American artist who grew up listening to lots of music by Arab artists such as Fairuz and Umm Kalthoum, she can easily sing Arabic melodies and implement them into her songwriting. She also has a deep love and appreciation for classic rock and jazz, influenced by the melodies of Ella Fitzgerald and the songwriting of Billy Joel. She is self-taught on the guitar and ukulele, which she picked up to help her accompany herself on her Instagram covers throughout her career.
In July 2023, Mary made a triumphant return to the music scene with her latest single, “Soul n Body.” This captivating track experiments with a blend of early 2000s R&B vibes, infused with elements of jazz and Arabic influences.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My strongest qualities as an independent artist include networking, vocal technique, and social media branding. With over 10 years of classical voice under my belt, developing proper technique through choir, my range as a vocalist is vast and allows me to be comfortable singing a variety of genres with different ranges and agility. It also allowed me to continue to develop my voice without harming it. Another skill that is crucial is networking, which actually came naturally to me. The ability to talk my way in certain rooms to open up opportunities for myself is the reason I have my success and network today. I can only work as well as the people I surround myself with. Social branding I began when I started posting my singing cover on Instagram under the name Vocal.Mary. I then grew my following through the use of hashtags and singing on various talent lives hosted by influencers on Instagram. From there, my following has continued to grow and I’ve grown close to many in my fan base throughout the years. My advice to any who want to start in the industry is get out of your comfort zone. Practice and keep practicing. Take a chance on yourself and surround yourself with people who have YOUR best intentions in mind.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
When collaborating with other musicians, my biggest green flag is someone who creates with the intention to create art, not to produce money. I find that those who love to create are the best to collaborate with because real art comes from genuine emotions. Authenticity is extremely hard to replicate. Music is fueled by emotions and feeling, it’s hard to connect with writers and producers who only create to make money or get streams.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/maryshemusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/maryshe
