New MaHA Rocks' song is bold, with bluesy vocals and solo guitar parts, which tells about self-respect, conscience, and principles
MaHA Rocks' second single “You Live Under Ground” created during the military conflict in Ukraine is to be released on August 8, 2024.
MaHA Rocks is a Ukrainian songwriter, blues & rock singer, guitarist, recording artist and a voting member of the Recording Academy / GRAMMYs®.
Interview: What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
I've been into music since childhood. I was too small when I couldn't walk yet, and for some reason I always appeared near a piano, trying to play it and understand what this instrument was created for. My grandfather had an incredibly beautiful baritone voice and we sang together sometimes. Although we did it just for fun and because we love music, my grandfather always wanted one of our family members to do music professionally because he respected this profession so much. Though I didn't take music seriously and as my future profession I had chosen economics, I kept doing music as a hobby, playing guitar in my teenage with my friends, and forming a garage band. I also used to be a ballet dancer and I performed on the stage of Opera and Ballet Theater, dancing to orchestral music. I adored the theatre atmosphere, stage, and orchestral classical music. I was exploring rhythm and accompanying music by dancing ballet.
Although I have a Master's degree in Economics, fate didn't let me build a career in this sphere. My vision declined rapidly, leaving me with only 5% of it, which is almost blindness. That's when I took music seriously and I was inspired by the will of my grandfather. I studied vocal styles and music production at Berklee College of Music, but generally speaking, I'm self-taught with a huge passion and obsession for music. I never stop studying music.
Any moments you wish you could change in your music journey?
I totally enjoy my music journey and I wouldn’t change anything. I clearly understand the advantage of any good or bad moments in my career and I use it as an inspiration for my future releases.
The only thing I would love to see some positive changes in is the local musical education and the Ukrainian music industry. It could have been better and it should have modern techniques to develop musical skills with the help of experienced music teachers in different genres of music.
When did you start creating music?
During my teenage, when I was playing guitar with my schoolmates in a band we wanted to write our original songs, but we all were self-taught and the lack of musical education spread doubts about our songwriting talents. The game changer was my rapid loss of vision. I suddenly lost not only my ability to see but also all my dreams, the future, and the feeling of being inside of society with my network of people who don’t understand me and what I’m going through. I wanted to be alone with all my thoughts and worries, spreading my experiences into the notebook and playing guitar for hours just to escape this world for some time with the help of music. I wrote so many songs and I ended up recording my own album in a studio as a solo artist calling myself MaHA Rocks.
Have you received support or recognition from established artists?
I receive the greatest support from my family. They believe in me and encourage creating music. My listeners and fans are another driving source and motivation for me. They are waiting for my releases and I feel responsible for consistently sharing my new songs. I hope one day I will receive recognition and support from famous artists, but for now, I’m just working for my audience.
What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?
For aspiring artists I would advise them to be themselves and find their own unique image and self-expression in music, to listen to their intuition, ask other musicians for advice if they feel stuck because there are ways to develop your music career, never take into your heart critiques or compliments just have this information and use it for your growth. When I first started my career I was criticized for having an accent. I speak four languages: Ukrainian, Russian, English, and French and my songs are in English. I’ve never been to the US to practice an American accent, but I worked hard and practiced a lot to get proper pronunciation. Now most of my listeners are from English-speaking countries.
What genre or style of music do you specialize in?
I express my feelings and thoughts in the blues and rock genres of music. I feel most organic in these styles. I was inspired by my favorite rock bands of all time and I listened to a lot of blues during my studies at Berklee College of Music. I am a true fan of rock and blues bands and artists. I’ve been chasing the world, traveling a lot to attend huge rock festivals and concerts to see my favorite bands playing live. I was lucky to attend the last tour of Whitney Houston, enjoying her performance in Dubai. At this time, I’ve seen live most of the bands I’ve been inspired by.
Can you share more about your past releases and any upcoming projects?
My first studio album was “I Will Survive” created in pre-conflict times in Ukraine back in 2021. My song “I Will Try” featured in this album became very popular among blues fans. Overall, the album consists of indie rock, blues, and American rock songs.
The single “Not Fair” was created during the missile attacks and blackouts in Kyiv. The idea of the lyrics, music, and production itself had come into my mind long before the conflict arose, which inspired me to work on and develop the particular song. I used cinematic sounds to deliver the wild atmosphere that was going on around me. This song was presented for Grammy consideration in 2023 and I have received a lot of positive feedback from music industry professionals, Grammy winners, and listeners.
On August 8, 2024 I release a new rock single called “You Live Under Ground” with bluesy vocals and solo guitar parts, which tells about self-respect, conscience, and principles. With this song, I'm also studying mixing with a mentor to be able to mix my own production the way I feel it. And I have many more draft songs waiting to be presented to the music world.
In addition about the album “I Will Survive” read Guitar Girl Magazine review here
In addition about the single “Not Fair” - video of the song creation here
Do you believe you have the potential to achieve great success in the music industry?
I think you stop being a musician if you don’t believe in yourself, in God. Losing hope may downgrade you to the mindset of an ordinary person. Creators need to have their own beliefs to create masterpieces, experiment, and go beyond the established concepts and stereotypes. As a songwriter, I achieve great success every time I manage to implement all the ideas I have in my mind exactly the way I want them to be into a final recording. As a singer, I feel like I’m on top of the mountain every time I cope to convey the right feelings that I have been searching for many hours to find in my soul and express them with my singing voice. I always continue to develop my skills and never stop doing music. I kept working in the toughest conditions believing in music during the military conflict in Ukraine, facing restrictions on music activity, and still seeing the growth of my fan base. My conclusion is that I rely on fate and enjoy my music journey together with my fans. My main goal in doing music is to come up with and produce the greatest songs for people to enjoy. And I think that listeners decide who has the potential to achieve great success in the music industry.
MaHA Rocks' new single “You Live Under Ground” video announcement from Kyiv, Ukraine.