Maya Vik’s ‘Lay Low’ EP: Idolator Premiere
Norwegian singer Maya Vik will release her Lay Low EP on December 16, and ahead of that, Idolator is premiering the funky, synthy and altogether ghostly set in full. Vik herself lays her sensual vocals over “Lay Low,” the first cut, before guests like Dawn Richard, rappers Little Pain and Handerre Linni and crooner Morgan Phalen each take a crack at the same haunting track, all of them detailing the story arc of a winter romance, from its beginning to the inevitable end.
“Since my music usually leans more towards funk, I think it’s really fun to put out music that wouldn’t necessarily be a part of my live show, but is still related to what I do live,” Maya tells Idolator. She continues, “I really like the idea of putting out as much music as possible at this point. And I felt that this beat that I produced was something that I could take in so many different directions that I really didn’t want to choose one direction. So I asked some of my favorite artists at the moment, all very different, if they wanted to do a song on this beat, and this is the result.”
Give her Lay Low EP a listen in full below.
Maya Vik on collaborating with Dawn Richard: “I was introduced to Dawn through a fellow friend of ours a while back. I’m a huge fan of Dawn’s work, and I think she’s an amazing singer. Her album Goldenheart has been a favorite since it came out. So to be able to work with Dawn has been a true honor. This was tracked by my producer Patrick Lukens who produced my song ‘Dynamite’.”
On working with Little Pain: “A friend of mine tipped me off about Little Pain a while ago, and I’ve been following his sad Twitter since. I went to his live show in Brooklyn a few months back and really wanted him on this project. The beat is already kinda sad and I figured he’d add an extra layer of sadness to it, which I must say he did. I’m also on one of his songs on his upcoming Mixtape When Thugs Cry, out soon.”
On Morgan Phalen: “Morgan is a really good friend of mine, I met him in a taxi after he played the Oya festival in Oslo in 2007, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. Morgan co wrote my second album Bummer Gun and he’s just an amazing musician. So I really try to involve him in all my projects, ’cause I really trust his taste. More Morgan collabs to come.”
On Handerre Linni: “He is Norway’s best rapper at the moment, I really like his style and this version was actually the first version I got back, and that’s when I pictured how this EP could be.”
Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.
