May The Muse [@realmaythemuse] talks debut EP ‘When Mercury Fades’, getting the call from COLORS and more

Get to know May The Muse, the German singer who quietly made a splash with the tastemakers.

May The Muse is someone who could very easily have flown under your radar in 2020 having only dropped one single in the latter half of the year before seeming to go quiet. She hadn’t disappeared off into the abyss and instead got a very important phone call from one of the most respected tastemakers in music, COLORS. Fast forward to now and May has today released her debut EP When Mercury Fades and the COLORS session dropped last week and has already racked up over 100k views.

With the EP ready it was only right that we got to know a little bit more about the rising star who seemingly burst from obscurity to the spotlight in next to no time. We, of course, spoke on May‘s new EP but also touched on her musical journey and her early life which involved quite a bit of moving.

Who is May The Muse outside of music?

Just a girl trying to understand herself and her surroundings. I’m very sensitive and tend to question everything I feel.

How did your musical journey start?

I started pretty late as I don’t come from a musical background. I always loved singing but was told that my voice wasn’t pretty enough and even got kicked out of a choir. However, by the age of 20 I met Patrice Bart-Williams. He was the first person to believe in me and quickly became my mentor. He basically allowed me to use his Cologne based studio as a playground. Everything started there.

What does the ‘The Muse‘ part of your name mean to you and why did you choose it as part of the name?

I did not choose the name myself as it was given to me but I like the idea of being a muse, wandering through life inspiring people while also triggering certain emotions. I also kinda enjoy pushing people out of their comfort zone. Patrice gave me the name May and Chefket (one of my collaborators in Berlin) named me The Muse.

What was it like for you growing up moving around quite a bit and living in barracks?

I was born in the army barracks but never really lived there, since my parents divorced when I was only a year old. We then moved from one city to another. From Germany to Belgium. We even moved from one side of the street to the other one once (lol) So moving around has always been a part of my life and feels natural to me. I struggle with staying at one place and get bored very easily. 

After releasing your debut single, you got approached to do a coveted COLORS session, what was your first reaction to hearing the news?

I was grocery shopping when I got the call from my management and instantly started crying. I completely forgot what I wanted to buy and just walked through the Grocery Store putting random stuff, that really no one needs, in my basket while crying. It must’ve looked very dramatic as people kept asking if I’m okay 🙂 Anyhow, it was the best thing that happened so far and I feel very honoured to be one of the chosen ones 🙂

What was the inspiration behind When Mercury Fades?

I wrote all of the songs in a very short time. I was struggling with self-esteem had just moved to Berlin, was short on money and on top of that, felt very lonely and isolated. I figured I need to write songs to stay sane so that’s what I did. I wrote a lot of songs and four of them made it on the EP.

Do you have a favourite track on the project? Or one that was particularly memorable to record/write?

Mercury is very dear to my heart and while writing it I almost felt like I had no influence of what I was doing. It was magical and I completely zoned out while being so close to me. I’m amazed by the way my mind tricks itself.

What do you hope the future holds for you?

I just want to make music, play shows, connect with fans and grow better with every song.  And I want to keep inspiring people and keep pushing them out of their comfort zones. 🙂