This week’s Track of the Week comes from BIMM Institute London student Maisi.
Check out her latest track, ‘Yellow Line’ below!
Describe your new track in three words…
Catchy electro-pop
What inspired you when writing this track?
The day before the country went into the first lockdown, me and my boyfriend said goodbye to each other on a train platform (hence ‘yellow line’) as at the time, he was living in Essex and I was living in London. We were supposed to be meeting in London the next day, so it was a very quick and ordinary goodbye. However that evening, the announcement was made, and like so many couples in the country at the time we weren’t able to see each other for months. This song explores the feelings of a compulsory long-distance relationship, and the regret I felt for not saying goodbye properly the evening before.
Are there any artists that inspire you when writing?
Lyrically, it’s mostly Lily Allen and Baby Queen. I love both of their honest, relatable and conversational lyrics. Musically, it’s Charli XCX, Baby Queen and more recently Dylan and Mimi Webb.
What would you say makes your music unique?
I think my lyrics are what makes me stand out because I just say it how it is and try to write as honestly as possible. I think a lot of artists are writing for other people at the moment, whether it’s for it to do well on TikTok, or so a label will like it, or whatever. But I just want to write what I want, for me and no one else.
Do you have a process you follow when writing a song?
I wrote this one in the studio with Jack Bowden from a band called Tors, and Ian Janco, a brilliant songwriter friend of mine. I remember coming into the studio knowing what I wanted to write about, and we started with that and a piano from which Jack built up the song around. We finished the whole thing in about 6 hours. It just worked.
How has studying at BIMM helped you develop as an artist?
One of the best things about studying at BIMM has been meeting new people and being able to get their feedback. Everyone at BIMM comes from such different musical worlds and I love getting different people’s perspectives on my music.
What’s next for you?
I have so many finished songs, I think I’m going to release them over the next year or so and see what happens. I just want to get my music out there.
