Cover songs of AnnenMayKantereit and Paula Hartmann made maïa famous on TikTok and YouTube two years ago. While her beginnings were still tentative, the up-and-coming artist was gripped by unexpected creative energy: Singles with the emotional impact of “Konsumier mich” and “Ambulanz” have been appearing at regular intervals for the past twelve months, slowly but surely giving an idea of the calibre of talent that is on the way. Sometimes with a fragile voice and reduced instrumental accompaniment, sometimes with an urgent timbre and electronic beat sequencing, the singer–songwriter conjures up intense mental imagery and unabashedly addresses the themes of a generation scattered between new beginnings and upheaval. However, anyone who suspects kitsch is mistaken: maïa is aware of common clichés and finds an awareness, a language for emotions, which are then translated into songs such as “Mach kaputt” and “Stadt der Geister”. It’s music that gets under your skin and into your heart and soul, for that is where it originated.