Australia has produced some of the world’s most loved pop princesses from Kylie Minogue, to Delta Goodrem to Jess Mauboy. In 2019 a new face with a powerhouse voice is taking the stage, singing songs about everything from 21st century feminism to experiencing heartbreak for the first time. Brittany Maggs hails from Sydney’s North West and although this fresh-faced and sweet 19-year old is young, she is far from an amateur! The past two years of her life were spent amongst the hustle and bustle of the Los Angeles studio scene where she earned her stripes under the guidance of some of the biggest names in the game. Returning home Brittany is currently supporting Aussie powerhouse and Eurovision Song Contest runner up, Dami Im on her Australian tour and has just released her new EP From Me To You. marie claire sat down with Brittany to talk about the challenges of being a young woman trying to make it on her own terms.
MC: Firstly, congratulations on the release of your new single Reasons and your first EP From Me To You. How special is it for you to be releasing your first EP?
BM: Oh my gosh it’s kind of like a pinch me moment. I’ve been working on this for a very long time so to finally have it out there is a dream come true.
MC: This album is very personal and deals with heartbreak, growing up and facing changes in your life. Was it scary to put so much of yourself and your emotions into this album?
BM: Yes, song writing is always very scary because you have to be vulnerable. When I write I like to write about the things I’m going through at that point in time. it’s good because I can document how I’m feeling and now I can go back and be like, “wow, I’ve come a long way”. Writing the EP was quite confronting because I had to revisit some old emotions and really feel them but I’m really happy with the outcome.
MC: You were offered a development deal with one of the big record companies in America when you were still in high school but decided to turn it down. Can you talk us through that decision?
BM: Yeah, so basically when I was travelling back and forth to LA, I was still quite young, and I didn’t have a lot of life experience so I was letting people tell me who I should be and what I should do. At first, you get so blinded by how amazing everything can be but when I would come back home, I would feel like I wasn’t being me and I wasn’t being true to myself. So basically, I just made the decision and I was like, “I have to come home and find out who I am first before I have a label telling me who I should be”. I’m very happy I did that because I’ve gotten to find my own sound and who I am as a person and an artist.
MC: That was a really brave choice, but you must feel so vindicated knowing that you went with your gut and now you are releasing music that you’re proud of.
BM: Yeah and I’m a really firm believer that everything happens for a reason hence why I have just released a song called Reasons (laughs). In this industry there’s so many high highs but there’s also some very low lows but they’ve all brought me to where I am today. Turning down that opportunity in America made me come back home and I almost got better opportunities here like the Dami tour and I get to release my own music and I get to write my own music, so I think that it was a really good choice.
MC: As you’ve just mentioned, your currently on tour with the magnificent Dami Im. What has been the biggest thing you have learnt from Dami on this tour?
BM: So much. Her stage presence is incredible. She’s just so calm and her vocal abilities are insane. Dami has really taught me what it means to be a good performer and how to have a presence on stage. She talks to the crowd like they’re her friends and I love that.
MC: What’s been your favourite moment form the tour so far?
BM: I think when I get to meet everybody after the show because I go out after the show to the merch stand and say hello. It’s amazing to hear people’s reactions to the music and to have people saying, “I love Reasons and it affected me in this way”. I’m loving getting to meet people and seeing their reactions to the music on From Me To You.
MC: How long have you been working on From Me To You?
BM: It’s been in the works for almost one and a half years.
MC: Wow. It must be such an amazing feeling for people to be hearing the music that you’ve been working hard on for so long and to be getting that feedback.
BM: Completely. I still remember the first show and just before I went on stage, I said to myself, “Wow! This is it. Your about to sing your deepest darkest feelings to an entire crowd. There’s no going back now.” But I just love it and I love seeing people’s reactions, especially to Lazy Boy, because that one’s funny.
MC: And someone who is always in that crowd cheering you on is your mum who is your biggest fan girl. How much has her support helped you?
BM: Oh my gosh my mum is incredible; she’s like my lifesaver. She’s so selfless. She does everything for everybody else and she used to travel with me all the time and when I got the tour with Dami she was crying because she was so excited. Having my mum there with me and the fact that she is able to come along on this tour and on this journey with me is the best and I couldn’t imagine having anyone else on this ride with me. She’s my rock.
MC: Is there any other artists whose story has really inspired you?
BM: I always say this, but I really admire Ariana Grande. I think that girl has faced so many hardships and so many things that would stop a normal person, but she just comes back stronger every single time and totally dominates the charts. I also love Alessia Cara who wrote Scars to Your Beautiful because her lyrical content is so positive and all about self-love which I think is so important.
MC: What’s been the hardest part of your journey as an artist?
BM: I think in everyone’s careers there’s always those times when things are going a bit slowly and you can feel like you’re not really going anywhere and you have that moment of, “do I continue? Am I meant to be doing this? Is this really it?”. And when I used to travel to LA it could get really lonely and at times I’d be in the studio for massive long hours. I think being so young and doing that was hard, but I wouldn’t change it for the world now because it made me stronger and now I can sit in a songwriting session for how many hours and be fine and not complain.
MC: And I guess I want to know what would be a moment for you when you would feel like, “wow, I’ve really made it”?
BM: I don’t ever want to get comfortable or be complacent. My first show on the tour I kind of took a moment when I was on stage and I went really silent because I was like, “wow, I’ve worked so hard for this and its finally paying off”. I’m sure there will be more moments like that, but I never want to stop pushing. I always want to do better and do more. That’s just the kind of person I am.
MC: You’ve just released your first EP and there’s already so much buzz around it. If you could look into a crystal ball and see what the next year of your life has in store for you what would you hope to see?
BM: My dream would be to have my own tour. We’re going into the studio to start writing again in the next week so I guess I’d love to release an album next year. But yeah, just to continue performing and growing and releasing more music.
MC: Doing what you love…
BM: Exactly. So much has happened that I’m very grateful for and the Dami tour came to me at a really hard time for my family so it was really awesome to have some good news and ever since then things have just been going up. I feel excited about the future.
From Me to You is now streaming on all platforms.
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