Artist Spotlight: Mai Anna

Earlier this year, Diddy said “R&B is dead.” Thankfully, with her new song, “Jupiter”, Mai Anna is here to prove that he was dead-wrong. A fun mix of ethereal pop and synth, but supported by a powerful Afrobeat drum track, Anna proves that nuance production can continue to push this still-growing genre forward.

So who is Mai Anna? Anna is a 22-year-old Harvard student (whoa!) who was born and raised in Queens, NY. The Japanese and Puerto Rican singer has recently moved to London, UK, where she’s found new producers to help in combining her silky vocal tones and immaculate vocabulary with the production they deserve, to make for the perfect blend of pop-infused R&B.

Something that I really loved was the clear connection between Mai Anna and her influences. On my first listen, I could already tell that Anna has found inspiration from Ella Mai, Khelani, and Jhene Aiko, and is able to incorporate this into tracks that still clearly exhibit her own creative spin, touch, and sound.

With how great “Jupiter” sounds (and it sounds heavenly), its meaningful subject matter is the icing on the cake. Anna investigates themes of jealousy and romance, and the difficulties of competing with another woman when you’ve fallen head over heels.

Mai Anna tells us that she has a very consistent and exciting lineup of tracks scheduled for 2023, and so we are strongly recommending that you stay tuned for it!