Maya Manuela: The Sound of Surf Pop Melodies

Maya Manuela writes with a rare mix of clarity and softness, crafting songs that feel both sun-warmed and emotionally raw. Originally from the East Coast and now based in Nashville, she creates music that sits between indie folk and surf-pop glow — warm melodies carrying lyrics that know how to cut gently. A visual thinker at heart, Maya approaches songwriting like she’s building scenes, letting the outside world fall away until the story inside becomes vivid enough to follow. Her work lives in the in-between spaces: beginnings, endings, and all the quiet shifts that shape who we become.

SNQLX: Your songs have this dreamy clarity — like late-afternoon light. What kind of atmosphere do you try to create when you write?

MAYA: Thank you so much, that’s so sweet! Honestly, my external environment is always changing when I’m writing. Sometimes I’m writing with producers in their studios, other times it’s with friends at their houses and a lot of times it’s just at home alone in my room. I do tend to love to write in sunny rooms though hahaha. I’ve learned to focus much more on my internal environment. I try to be clear minded and present when I’m writing and allow myself to let the rest of the world really fade away. I’m a very visual thinker so when I’m able to be present while writing I’m almost seeing the songs as movie clips. 

SNQLX: Your music is often listed as surf pop — why does that label feel right for you, and what does it mean in your world?

MAYA: I grew up on the water, my dad is an oyster farmer and my grandfather was a lobsterman. I don’t think I realized how much being by the ocean and on it really influences people. Surf pop feels right because it’s pop but it isn’t super upbeat, it’s sort of a go with the flow but still sunny feeling vibe. I’m really excited to keep exploring the genre and experimenting with it more. 

SNQLX: “Multiverse” connected with so many listeners. Did you sense it would hit that way when you first wrote it, or did it surprise you?

MAYA: I actually almost didn’t even record it, which is wild to think about now. I was living in Nashville at the time and had been writing with other writers a lot and kind of got this complex that if I wrote something alone and it was easy that it wouldn’t be good. But that song came from such a vulnerable, genuine place I think some part of me really wanted to release it. Luckily, I brought it up to my good friend and producer Phil Barnes and played it for him in a session. He immediately encouraged me to record and release it and I’m endlessly grateful for both his support and his bringing the song to life. 

SNQLX: Your melodies always feel warm, even when the lyrics cut deep. Is that intentional, or just how emotion translates for you?

MAYA: Thank you so much! I think it’s honestly just how emotion translates for me. I really love pairing hard hitting or deep cutting lyrics with happier sounding melodies or production, though. I think it’s sort of how I am as a person, I hold a lot of pain and joy at the same time, so it means a lot to hear that it’s coming through in my music. 

SNQLX: There’s a cinematic feel to your production — almost visual. Do you picture scenes when you’re writing or arranging?

MAYA: Yes! I’m a very visual thinker and often will see the songs I’m writing before I have the exact lyrics for them. I’m super fortunate to work with insanely talented producers, too, and they’re all pretty cinematic producers as well. 

SNQLX: start with the end feels like both a breakup and a rebirth. What part of yourself did that project help you uncover?

MAYA: Start with the end was a much softer, more vulnerable project for me. There are a lot of love songs on it that deal with relationship anxiety and being in this sort of in between of wanting to believe in love and to settle into it and never feeling quite safe or certain enough to do it. It helped me express a part of myself I usually don’t express in that way. 

SNQLX: When you collaborate, what kind of energy do you look for in another artist or producer?

MAYA: Definitely someone I feel safe with and who seems excited to be working with me. I usually like to get into a flow and not overthink too much while we’re writing and it can be really challenging to work with someone who is second guessing stuff. I’m definitely sensitive to other people’s moods so I feed off the vibe of the room a lot.

SNQLX: Your songs balance vulnerability and control — you let people in, but you never lose your footing. How do you find that line?

MAYA: I think part of that comes from allowing myself to lose control or my footing in other areas. I’m a big journaler, I read the artist’s way a few years ago and try to do morning pages every day (even if it’s at night hahaha). I also will intentionally write really unhinged and cringey or bad songs when I feel like I’m blocked, I’ve found it usually will make room for more intentional creation to come through. 

SNQLX: What’s a lyric of yours that still hits you every time you sing it live?

MAYA: Multiverse always really resonates with people which I’m so grateful for. I think maybe my favorite line to sing live is from Cause She Got Away, though, it’s “why don’t you ever delete those photos you have of her, do they remind you of the guy that you still wish you were?” 

SNQLX: If someone were discovering you for the first time, which song would you play to say, “This is me”?

MAYA: Ooh, it might be a few hahaha. Right now I’m really identifying with the production and mood of LAURA, playing pretend, radio station and maybe it’s the mushrooms. 

SNQLX: What’s something fans might be surprised to learn about how you actually make music?

MAYA: I really hate wearing shoes when I’m writing hahaha. 

SNQLX: Is there a sound, instrument, or texture you’re itching to explore on your next record?

MAYA: Yes, I definitely want to lean into more bass and beat driven songs. I LOVE bass and drums in general and would really love to center them in my next project. 

SNQLX: When the lights go down after a show and you’re finally alone, what usually runs through your mind?

MAYA: Gratitude. And exhaustion. But mostly a lot of gratitude. It’s really wild that I get to play in front of people, this is something I’ve dreamt of literally since elementary school and it’s been a really long road getting here. It feels so surreal to be living in the dream I’ve always had, even if it isn’t always the exact way I’ve pictured it. 

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Maya Manuela creates from a place of presence. Whether she’s barefoot in a studio, writing in a sun-washed room, or remembering the tides that shaped her childhood, her songs begin where honesty meets imagination. They unfold like small film scenes — tender, vivid, carrying both ache and warmth at once. And when the lights fall after a show, what remains is gratitude. You can hear it in the softness of her voice, in the quiet breath she takes before stepping offstage. The dream she once pictured as a kid is now the life she’s stepping into, one heartfelt song at a time.