A Few Words With Maala

Intertwining soulful vocals with cool calm beats, MAALA has fast established himself as an indietronica wunderkid thanks to his critically acclaimed debut Composure. He is headlining Summer Sounds, presented by The Edge as part of Auckland Council’s summer series of free music in parks. Kicking off on Saturday 21 at Three Kings Reserve from 2pm, the line-up includes some of New Zealand’s hottest pop acts including Nomad, Dunes, and Emergency DJ Clint.  Ahead of Summer Sounds, we sat down with MAALA and had a chat about some of his favourite things, his music, and what fans can expect on Saturday.

How did you get into music?
As far as songwriting goes, I started around about the first year of high school. I’d learnt the piano as a kid but I figured I’d be about ten times cooler if I learnt to sing and play the guitar.

Describe your sound in three words:
Unpresidented Emo Pop

Your debut album Composure has been getting an amazing response-what are some themes that you wanted to convey in them?

I guess I didn’t want to try and convey anything too specific. Composure to me was about working through a lot of different conflicting emotions and making sense of it all.

What can audiences expect from your show?
It’s just me up on stage at the moment. You can expect a mix-bag of tracks from the album, EP and one or two new tracks.

What’s your favourite gig ever? (both your own and another artist):
Seeing Unknown Mortal Orchestra at St James was a highlight. I think my Auckland show in 2016 was my fave, that was a very special one.

Who else are you looking forward to checking out at Music in Parks?
My pick would be that one with Sal Valentine at Myers Park – that looks like a hot ticket.

What is your favourite thing to do in Auckland over summer?
I can’t go wrong if I’ve got a whiskey in hand and a book to read. That sounds magic.