NYC Native Mae Krell Opens Up in New Single

NYC Indie singer Mae Krell peels off layers of their personal story as they release their newest single “are you sure?” on March 5.

Mae Krell
Mae Krell by Sarah Midkiff

Krell is more than a singer, they entered the music industry through photography and traveled around the nation capturing pictures. They wrote poems and aspired to become a performing artist one day and found the courage to do so. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, they find ways to connect that with her artistry. Krell is also an advocate for mental health and incorporates messages surrounding the topic within their music.

Before this new release, they created and dropped their singles “Monsters” and “Scars” when they were just a teenager. Their debut EP Anabasis released in 2018, resulted in a nationwide tour at the age of 19. They took a two-year hiatus from music and returned in March 2020 releasing four new folk-pop singles and receiving about 500,000 streams on all of them.

At the time, it helped me take a step back and learn about myself and why I was really doing all of this. I was so worried about what other people thought for so long that I forgot to enjoy making music- I was so overcome with anxiety all the time. I write songs to figure things out, get closure on situations, or just to express how I’m feeling. Releasing those songs is scary, but I’ve learned that I can’t be too much of a perfectionist or else I’ll never put anything out.

Mae Krell

These new releases start a new era for the artist as they confront past hardships, self-love, self-truth and reflection. Some of their influences are Bob Dylan, Phoebe Bridgers and Gregory Alan Isakov. When the 21-year-old returned from their hiatus they came back with a more mature and understanding approach.

“are you sure?” is their first single of 2021 and it was written on the two-year anniversary of their sobriety. The song explores cognitive dissonance and feeling stuck even though they made a lot of progress. It dives deep into the low moments that make you forget how far you’ve come. Krell pours their emotions into the song singing over a guitar loop with pain in their voice. The lyrics honest, raw and intimate. Although spreading awareness wasn’t their initial thought about the track, they hope releasing this “personal and intensely emotional” song will bring discussions about it to normalcy.

More so than raise awareness I want to normalize talking about feelings. Why don’t we share how we feel when someone asks? What’s wrong with being honest and open? I think the world would be a much kinder place if we all had an open mind when we asked someone how they’re doing.

Mae Krell

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