Mareya – ADHD & ME
Melbourne-based Māori pop artist Mareya brings a whole lot of energy and a whole lot of vulnerability on her brand new single, ‘ADHD & Me’.
Detailing the struggles of living with the titular condition, ‘ADHD & Me’ is a candid and powerful anthem about the Aotearoa-born artist spending so much of her life not understanding the nuances of her own brain, and the immense sigh of relief which accompanied the arrival of her diagnosis:
“‘ADHD & Me’ is a song that encapsulates the ADHD experience while also touching on the sense of freedom I had when I finally knew what was going on with me. Knowing the reasons why I did the things I did allowed me to lift a lot of self blame off me for being the way I am. I finally had an explanation and it was like a lightbulb moment for me.” MAREYA
A powerhouse producer as well as songwriter and performer, Mareya captured the magic and emotion of the single in her very own home studio in Melbourne, with co-production by Younique, mixing by Lachie Milne and mastering by Nic Barnshaw. Wanting to approach the huge central theme with the care and consideration that it deserves, Mareya put a lot of energy into finding the right sonic qualities to accompany its meaning. Striking the perfect balance to celebrate its own beautiful brand of chaos while also doing justice to its hardship, she decided that a bright and bouncy pop track, full of heart and sincerity, was the way to go about it:
“There was a choice that had to be made when writing the song, do I make it a ballad or do I make it fun? If I make it fun, does it invalidate the experience? I chose to make the song mostly fun and upbeat because the lyrics capture the truth of the song and I wanted fellow ADHDer’s to at least have something upbeat and feel good to bop to transmute its heaviness. I also feel that the choice I made here expresses the hyperactivity that comes with the type of ADHD I and many others have. I chose to have a slow and softer bridge section to honour the pain, sadness and frustration that comes with living with ADHD.” MAREYA
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