It's Starting to Make Sense: Tkay Maidza

top CALVIN KLIEN , shorts and belt VAQUERA, shoe DIESEL 

While navigating the uncharted waters of the music industry— and personal life— the eclectic artist proves that she’s in control of laying the groundwork for years to come. A visionary storyteller in her own right, for Tkay, the best artists are those who provide an overall experience for listeners. Through invigorating visuals, catchy tracks, and all-encompassing on-stage energy, the now-Los Angeles-based artist has found her rhythm, as evidenced by her swiftly rising stardom.

office had the chance to sit down with the chameleonic artist and chat about where she is at now. Coming off of her first headliner tour, working on her new album, performing alongside Billie Eilish, and more, Tkay show’s us that her time is now, and it’s definitely not fleeting.

Continue reading below for an exclusive interview.

Where are you currently? What's your headspace like? What's going on?

I am currently in LA. It's a really hectic week because I've just had a lot of big changes happen in terms of my teams and everything, but it's really positive. At the same time, I have so many shows coming up, and just a lot of exciting things happening. So it's kind of trying to find a balance between bookkeeping, like back-end stuff, but at the same time, pushing forward and thinking about the exciting stuff that's happening.

I feel like it's such a transitional time for so many people right now.

Definitely, I mean, with the world opening up, it just seems like everyone's in that, "Okay, it's go time," head-space and everyone's releasing music. And there are tours being announced, like every day, it just seems like you're letting go of the old view that probably existed in lockdown, and you're kind of open to new possibilities, and you can travel again. Yeah, it's kind of overwhelming.

Well, you just finished your tour, right? Congrats.

Thank you. Yeah, I did my headline tour, and before I did this tour with Billie Eilish, which was a very last-minute thing. But both were really amazing and it was really cool to see people come from Billie's shows to mine. It was a really cute tour and I was surprised by my tour selling out, but it was great.

How did it feel like being on stage again? You were just saying how the world's opening back up, and how people are going full speed ahead. So what was it like being around all that energy?

Being on stage is my home. I feel like it was almost a part of me that I forgot existed for such a long time and in the last few months, it's felt like the complete version of me exists again. So it's been encouraging and motivating to see my music exist outside of my bedroom.

I can't even imagine how surreal it must feel to see all of these fans come sing all of the words to all of your songs especially when you created them from your bedroom.

Yeah, exactly. I think it was a big surprise. I finished most of my songs before lockdown. So I feel like most of lockdown it was things coming out and all you can really gauge is the interest going on the internet. But it's still not an accurate depiction of how your music is being received. I think with touring and everything, it can make a really big difference to someone's career and I think that's what was really helping me. It's almost like, if I'm on Instagram, you can't really see who I am from the way I post. So I think playing shows connects the dots.

Kind of having more of that, "online persona you" versus "real-life at your show" you.

Exactly. And also playing shows makes me understand what works and what doesn't, and you can't really get that unless you're in front of people. So that's what's really helped to say like, "Oh, yeah, I shouldn't play songs that I have that are similar to the ones that are the best in the set. So I should really keep going ahead of those ones."

On tour and stuff too, you performed with Billie. How was it? Talk to me about your feelings opening up for her and performing with her.

It was really surreal. Billie has a really welcoming fanbase. So it's almost like if you have a high energy set and just have great energy, they're going to be so encouraging and be like, "Yeah, don't leave, keep going." And then they're very interactive as well. So it was it felt like I was playing a headline show before her, but then it's also in the stadium, which is insane. But it felt like I was playing my own show to some extent.

I saw her at Gov Ball last year and I know that so many people were literally just diehard fans.

Totally. I remember when I would go to shows, like say if it was Panic! At The Disco or something. That was one of my first concerts I went to, and anyone that played before Panic! was so excited to see them because I was like, "Oh my god. I don't even care what you're playing it's probably amazing." You're just screaming for no reason. So I'm sure when you go to a Billie show, you're like, "Oh my god, I'm just so happy to be here." And that's kind of the vibe I got. It was so cute.

Wait, so are you a big Panic! At The Disco fan?

Yeah, that was the first concert I went to by myself with my friends.

Oh my god, I never got to see them play, but I feel like it would have been life-changing. On another note, your music is experimental and nothing short of evoking. You kind of bring in that alternative twist and really make it your own. So who were some northern stars that you looked up to when curating your own sound?

Missy Elliott is one of them. Kendrick, Kaytranada is a big one for me. Who else? Kanye West, ASAP Rocky, FKA twigs, and Lauryn Hill. Like that's kind of the mood board for me. So I think they have a great understanding of curating, and like overall energy. I feel like a lot of their music as well can be - it's great. Like in a relaxed setting, and also in a live setting the visuals are just the complete package. It's an experience. And I remember when I was young, I was more so into the rollouts, even though when you're a kid you don't really know the rollouts, but you're just seeing music videos and skits and stuff in between. It elevates the songs sometimes as well. Tyler, the Creator is another one for that. I just like it when people give you a complete experience. I think they're all left-of-center acts, but they also do have those sensibilities of having mainstream big songs. But I feel like they always try to introduce things that people haven't heard before.

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You've mentioned too, that you feel like now in this time, there's a place for you and your sound. When was a time that you finally felt like the doors were opening up for you?

I feel like when I started the Last Year Was Weird EPs. It felt like there were a lot more hybrid artists coming out. More so like, underground as opposed to having one really big artist, so it just means there's a bigger market now. And I think that's just been in the last four or five years where acts like Smino, Denzel Curry, SZA, like, and even Doja Cat. I feel like a lot of these artists and stuff before if you were doing too many different things and if it wasn't necessarily in a pop format, then it was like, "What's this? This is not a big song." But I think now it's about feeling, experience, and moods. Everyone can curate their own playlists. So I think everyone's just gravitating towards that kind of sound which makes it easier for me to be like, "Oh, it's okay if I decide to just go with what I feel." A lot of them, do what they want and it's what makes them happy.

Definitely. I feel like back then, I don't know how much current it is with songs on the radio, but that was kind of being your only driving force of where you could go and listen to your music. So say if you weren't hip hop, you weren't pop, you weren't country, what radio station would your music be on? I feel like just moving into the streaming world and where you have social media, all of that is definitely making it a much bigger space for everybody.

Yeah, totally. I think it's been encouraging and exciting. I think the guidelines for now is, is your music good, and is it solid? As opposed to what genre it is. And I think, you know, if you think of any of those artists, you can hear a lot of the influences, but they're making it their own as well.

People are featured on your tracks, and vice versa, so what is it that you look for in an artist when you're wanting to collaborate with them?

I just look to see if it's in line with the music I love, like, I just have to really love the song. And I have to relate to the lyrics. Usually, if it's in line with how I see myself in the future. That's kind of how I judge it. But I'm always open to working with artists smaller than me or bigger than me as well. It's just whether the song stands up to what I expect music should be. That's kind of what I look for.

Has there been a favorite track that you've come out with that you would just want to relive in that moment all over again when it was first released?

I'm always excited when I release. I think "Kim" was a cool moment when that came out. That was epic, because when I was working on that song, the dialogue in my mind was, "Wait 'till everyone sees this." Because I just didn't think anyone would expect it. Another one would probably be Bang My Line, which I just dropped with this band named Cosmo's Midnight. I think that sounds really cool and I would listen to that, even if I wasn't on it. So I felt really blessed to be on it. And that's kind of what I want to feel like collaborating on stuff. This is better when you're like, "Oh, my god, I can't wait and I would listen to this regardless."

You've recently made the transition moving to LA and you just announced as well that you're going back to Australia to perform for the first time. So how has the transition been for you moving? And what are your feelings about going back home and performing for the first time in a long time?

Moving here has been almost seamless, in some ways. I felt like it was the natural progression. I was meant to go back a lot of times last year, but just with the way the world was shaping up it just made no sense for me to go back to Australia. So eventually, I started renting an apartment. And I was like, oh, it's a year lease so we'll see what happens in a year. And now it's really interesting because it feels like my home and I have friends come over all the time. And I'm hosting people, which is kind of insane. I'm really proud of my place. Going back I'm really excited. I went back to Australia this year, twice already. It was really nice to see my family. I was worried that maybe it felt like I was going backward even though I was visiting. I feel like when you leave certain places you're almost like, "I'm never coming back." You know, even if nothing bad happened. It's kind of like I'm becoming a new version of myself and going back to my hometown sometimes can uncover old feelings and old emotions that you had when you were there. But going back was very positive. I was like, "Oh, I'm proud of who I was before I left, and coming back I'm like, wait, I've grown, but I still understand the space and understand my family even better, and I feel more mature."

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I feel like it's scary going back home, especially when you've grown into a new person so far away from it. It really resonated with me when you said that can kind of feel like you're going backward when maybe it can be seen as a full circle moment?

Yeah, totally. The other thought that I tend to have is, "What if I go back, and everyone's kind of moved on from me existing in their lives?" So it's like, you come back and you're like, "Where did my friends go? Did they leave? Oh, you're getting married now?" I'm not even thinking about that so that was also a big worry. It's like, where's everyone in their life? And how are they going to receive me? Are we still going to be friends? But it was all totally fine. It's just anxiety. No, it's scary. Even for me, just going home, people are getting married, people are having kids. And you're like, "Well, I'm just trying to figure out my life and my career and my trajectory." And you're having fun doing that. So you're wondering if you're gonna have a disconnect with your friends because they just don't fully understand that you're a freelancer.

So when you were home these past few times it's all great things happening.

There was a lot of great stuff, but I feel like at the beginning of the year, I was going through some sort of spiritual transformation where in some senses, my career's at the best place it's ever been. But in my personal life, it just felt like there was a big question mark. I feel like now I'm in a place where I'm like, "Oh, I found my tribe. I understand who my friends are here in LA and I also understand who still has my back in Australia." So that was kind of what I was going through and I think going home kind of reconfirmed a lot of things about myself, and like how much I've grown over the last few years.

How did you balance the two of those between your personal life and the struggles that you were going through and then the success that you had in your career?

I think it's a mindset thing. I think the biggest thought I had was, how could I be doing so many amazing things, but then I just go home or go back to the hotel room, and no one's messaging me, I'm not talking to anyone, I don't really feel close to anyone. And that was like a new perspective that I had before. Before it was all, "I love traveling, everything's fine, and I'll see you when I see you." But I think it was that feeling of like who am I actually close to? And who are the people I can go to when I'm going through something? I feel like I've really branched it out of my head. And now I reach out to my friends and I reach out to my family if I really need to, but there's also a place where you're like, "Okay, I'm focusing." And in those times when I'm not speaking to people, it's okay, you're busy. See it as like a glass half full as opposed to half empty.

Just kind of changing your mindset on it. Yeah, I have some friends who are artists too, and I know that it can be kind of a lonely place where you're on stage, and you're feeling all of that excitement and that happiness, and you come home and you're like, "Well, where is that feeling anymore?"

Yeah, it is really tricky, but it's just a mindset thing. And I think there was always a sense that I heard someone say, "Oh, I'm a multimillionaire and I have a massive mansion, but I'm the only one that lives in it." It's basically like I fucked it up with everyone else in my life kind of thing, but you have a mansion and everything you've ever wanted. It's your choice if you wanted to have people in your life or not. So it's like how far are you gonna go to get what you want? And are you okay with the path?

Changing your mindset on different things is way easier said than done.

That's for sure. Yeah, I think when you're moving up in terms of your career and who you are, your circle becomes really small and it's hard to trust people. So you start thinking to yourself, "What am I okay with? What am I not okay with?"

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What's a piece of advice that you heard when you were first starting out that you carry with you now?

So simple, stay true to yourself and follow what makes you happy. Think about the things that bring you immediate excitement. That's what you should follow and nothing else.

That's great advice. I feel like those little pieces of info and advice that you hear, especially when you're first starting out are the things you definitely carry with you as the years go on.

Totally. The other one I heard was just focus on the music because that's kind of your insurance. It's almost like you if you have stuff done and ready, you always know what you're going to do next. If you're kind of lost in the sauce, then how can you back yourself up if you're not even working on what makes you, you?

So I know we're still just reaching midway through the year, but so far, looking back on it, would you say that this year has been weird so far?

Oh my god, it's been so, so weird. I'm almost like, damn, I finished the projects and now I feel like I'm experiencing my weirdest year.

How so?

It's basically the stuff to do with relationships and family. And it feels like it's that life-defining year kind of thing. So I'm just kind of having growing pains and trying to deal with it. But I feel like I'm also just meeting types of characters that I never thought I would come across. Just learning how other people function and the different layers of people that you come across as well. You can only really experience that when you leave Australia. I feel like Americans are very layered, and it's more so you're trying to maneuver yourself in that space.

Even being in LA, you probably run into so many weird people.

Oh, yeah, for sure. It takes me so long to understand people's intentions. They could be the nicest person, but they can still have bad intentions. And it just takes so long to understand that, but I'm slowly getting there. And then also just trying to make time for myself, I'm just trying to find that balance.

Especially when it's something that's all-encompassing like this is.

Yeah, it just feels like spiral city at the moment, but at the same time, the best year of my life.

When you hear the word weird I feel like it kind of has that negative connotation, but it's refreshing to hear you not use it in a negative way, but just kind of using it as like anything but ordinary.

It's a little bit negative, but I feel like it has a sense of sarcasm. It has a bit of I think you're almost laughing at yourself, in some ways, you know? It's like the emoji with the spiral eyes.

Oh my god, no, I use that one literally every day. I feel like that just like, that's my mood all the time. Okay, random question now that we're speaking about it, if you had to pick three emojis to describe you in your life, what would they be?

Bow and arrow because she's a Sagittarius. I will definitely pick the moon one that's creepy smiling. Yeah, the shady ones that are looking to the side and they're happy, but you don't know what's about to happen. And then probably the clear glasses one that's kind of just like, "Oop!"

I know that you've finished your trilogy of Last Year Was Weird. Can we expect to see bigger releases coming from you soon? 

Yeah, I'm working on my album now, so that's kind of where I'm at. I'm really excited. I've been on and off working on it for like the last eight months and then I'll get back in and I'm off to these shows. So I think it's gonna be fun.

Do you have sort of a rough time frame of when you're thinking of releasing it?

Not exactly. Maybe I'll start at the end of the year rolling it out, but we'll see. I'm not really trying to rush it because I want it to be great.

You can't rush anything. Everything always takes time, right? 

Yeah, it has to feel right. I think even when I have moments of feeling like I'm not being productive or anything, I feel like my mind is still always just trying to figure out what I'm trying to say, what things are meant to look like, and what it's meant to sound like. It's an ongoing process. It could be a three-month thing, or it could be a two-year thing.