Two weeks ago, I had the immense pleasure of listening to singer and songwriter, Maricelis, perform all of the songs on her new EP live. Titled “Day and Night,” the EP is set to release July 10th. The show was given at SanSe 152, a tapas bar in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The entire show went smoothly, and it was a truly amazing experience getting to hear such a great voice perform such excellent songs.
Maricelis is from Puerto Rico and is going into her final year at Syracuse University. Passionate about music from a young age, she has been singing and writing her own songs for years. She recently released her first single “Wild,” and has also been featured in two collaborations. From the Lana del Rey-esque “Sweet To Me” to the flashback to the 20s jam that is “Jazz Love Song” to the very raw and honest song that is “This Is Me,” Maricelis has created an album that is sure to please anyone due to its variety in sound, honesty in lyrics, and richness in voice.
As of now, her music can be accessed through SoundCloud, and her EP will be available through Spotify and iTunes. Last week, I was fortunate enough to sit down for coffee with Maricelis and ask her a few questions about her EP and the work that went into it, among other things.
How long have you been working on this album?
I started writing the songs for it over a year ago. I’ve been writing since I was a little kid. I would write songs about the dumbest things ever and sing them to my little cousins. As I got older and matured, I began writing songs with deeper meanings and more depth to them. All of the songs on the EP are based on certain life experiences. Freshman year, I met this girl, Faith Lauffeuer, who worked with SUR (Syracuse University Records), and last year she told me she wanted to manage and work with me on my music. After that, I went over to SUR, auditioned and met with people, and that’s where it all got started.
Did you compose all of the songs?
Some of them. When I write, I usually write the lyrics and sometimes a melody will form in my head to go along with them. I’ll use my piano to play certain chords and try to match them to the song. Most of my songs I turned in with basic chords, and then the people over at SUR helped me add more beats and instruments to them.
Where did you draw inspiration for the songs?
Like I said, each song has its own story. “Sweet To Me” is about an encounter I had with this boy who was friends with my friend’s boyfriend. I thought he was a jerk, and I think he didn't have that great of an opinion about me either, but it turns out we were both wrong about each other. One night, we ended up dancing on top of a pool table and drinking. Many times, I’ll just meet a person and be instantly inspired. We could have the smallest conversation and afterwards I’ll imagine a whole story in my head. “Wild” is about the first guy I was with after I broke up with my boyfriend. To me, this song represents being free without having to be tied down. This guy taught me how to feel comfortable with my body and that no one can tell you that what you are doing is wrong. “Jazz Love Song” and “Collide” aren’t about anyone in particular. The first I wrote because I have always been interested in the 1920s. I wrote “Collide” after breaking up with my boyfriend when I started having hope that the future would bring something great. It encapsulates what you feel when you are at a techno concert and you let yourself go along with the music. From that feeling, the song evolved into this love story I made up about two people meeting at one of those concerts. “This Is Me,” I worked on last. I wrote the bridge in the studio. This song gives closure to the album and finally getting over everything. It talks about who I am today, vulnerable and honest, and why I am that way. It’s a song that represents the album as a whole.
What’s your favorite part about the entire process?
I have two favorite things. The first was getting to record in a studio. It feels so cool and it’s so fun to be in there seeing how the songs come to life and learning about the different music editing programs. My EP wasn’t created solely by me, though. This is where my second favorite thing comes in. I love that it was a collaborative effort. I worked with tons of students and musical directors. It’s really interesting to take a really complicated song like “Jazz Love Song” over to a group of students and have them contribute ideas.
Were you influenced by anyone in particular?
Yes. “Sweet to Me” was inspired by a song I heard for the first time at this dance show I saw in London. After that, I looked up the soundtrack for the show and found the name of the song. Then, I started watching "Twin Peaks" and realized that the guy that had composed the song from the London show had also worked on the soundtrack to "Twin Peaks." That song, “The Pink Room,” greatly impacted me when working on “Sweet To Me” because it’s really grungy, dirty, and real, just like the series. “Jazz Love Song” sounds like your typical jazz song but with a modern twist. For this one, I listened to "The Great Gatsby" album a lot.
The people that most inspired me though were Lana del Rey and Tove Lo. Their honesty and vision inspired me. Both of them embrace womanhood and sexuality. However, just because Lana del Rey inspired me doesn't mean that all of my music is going to be the same. I don't want to be a copy of someone else. All of my songs are different because I’m still trying to find the style I like.There are numerous female artists right now who are feminists and aren’t singing that mainstream pop you are used to hearing and I like that.
How did you decide on the title for your EP?
First, I looked at all of my song titles and realized I didn't like any of them as the title to the EP. Then, I thought that I didn't want for it to be titled “Maricelis EP” because that’s just not original. So, I started listening to the songs again and in “This Is Me,” there’s a line that says “day and night, the need to feel free.” Like I said, “This Is Me” closes the album, and it’s a perfect representation of who I am. The phrase “day and night” represents my two sides. The “day” side is my side that’s more sensitive towards life, the side that sees the beauty in nature, a humanitarian side. My “night” side is the side of temptation that every human being faces: the temptation to drink and party. My night side battles with that mentality of when I was a little kid and was told that sex before marriage was a bad thing. Slowly, I’ve realized that it’s something natural and not a bad thing. There are two poems on the EP, and one of them also has the phrase “day and night” in it.
How would you describe the EP in five words?
Liberating, sexual, dark, fun, and wild.
What was it like to perform all of your songs live?
It was interesting. It was different because it was acoustic. When you perform live, you get into it way more. You let yourself go. There’s more passion in a performance, especially when you have the instruments right there along with you. It’s interesting because I’m still receiving feedback from people. Performing live is still a process of looking for people’s reactions. I had performed a few songs in Syracuse a while back, and I would like to do that again but with the tracks playing in the background rather than with live instruments because the problem with doing an acoustic show is that people will hear a song one way and then think it’s different when they hear the actual track on the EP. This show was way more fun than the one I put on back in December. That one was smaller, the audience mainly composed of my family members that were there to support me. This one was more of a celebration of the culmination of the entire process.
Are you working on anything else at the moment?
Whenever I’m inspired, I write. So far, I have a lot of songs already written that I’ll probably use for my next record. Production-wise though, I’m not working on anything right now because I’m taking a break from all the work I had to do this past year. I’m thinking the next thing I’ll release is songs in Spanish.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I like to live in the moment, and I don’t really like to plan too far ahead. However, my ultimate ambition—three ambitions actually—the first is to become a movie actress. The second is to keep working in the music industry. Lastly, I want to become a humanitarian and do some sort of service, but not service in the giving money or visiting a hospital kind of way. I want to do something beyond that. Maybe start some sort of organization targeted towards helping the education here in Puerto Rico. I see myself doing some kind of community service, and it’s through that aspect that I want to be seen as a role model, not through what I say in my songs.
