A spotlight interview with Maria Uzor, ahead of her appearance on the LOUD WOMEN radio show on Resonance FM today, and LOUD WOMEN Fest Bristol on 22 August
Where do you call home (geographically and musically)?
Geographically my home is a council estate in Norwich, UK. Musically it’s somewhere in a dark corner of the cosmos.
Describe your sound in three words.
Human in progress.
Tell us about your music
I’m an asthmatic, well not so much these days, but I used to be. I was at a rave once saw someone else’s Ventolin inhaler on the floor. It made me smile because the place was really going off and, thinking back to my own experience, I was picturing whoever had lost the inhaler struggling to keep up. I wrote the track ‘Ventolin’ from my album Soft Cuts a couple of days later. A slinky, sparse electronic tune about connection and yearning over asthmatic medication.
What’s your local scene like — and how do you fit in, or stir it up?
Norwich is a cool little place. It’s quite isolated from other cities so has its own vibe going on. There’s a lot of noise, electronic, rock, experimental, dance, and party stuff going on. I’ve never really been part of any scene, I flit between it all.
If you could rip up the rulebook of the music industry, what’s the first thing you’d rewrite?
Oh god, the first page I’d rip out and burn is the one that puts whiteness at the top of the hierarchy. The myth of white supremacy, and the impact of colonialism is so embedded in western society, in all of our systems, that so many white people don’t even realise it’s there. The act of dismantling it and creating a truly equal society seems enormous and unlikely in our lifetime, but baby steps can be made just by taking up space, not allowing yourself to be shrunk down to keep others ‘comfortable’, and taking the time to check in with yourself every day, making sure you’re always speaking and acting from a place of love and your own truth.
What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
The biggest hurdle as a solo artist is often finding the funds to realise your vision. I’m a DIY artist out of pure necessity. I taught myself to play, produce, mix, shoot, edit, design, and started my own record label because I couldn’t afford to pay anyone else to do it. When you’re creative you have to do it, it’s in your blood. If you hang around waiting for someone else to come along you might be hanging around your whole life!
What’s the proudest moment you’ve had so far as an artist?
I’m always proud whenever I release something. The amount of work that goes into self-releasing an EP or album is immense. It’s also a very vulnerable place to be, as you quite knowingly open yourself up to criticism. It can be difficult but I get a sense of pride in knowing that I’ve flown outside of my comfort zone and I’m still alive to tell the tale!
What’s next for you?
My album ‘Fantasyland’ is out on vinyl and digital on 3rd September, available at the usual online stores or via my Bandcamp. I’m playing some dates around then too so keep an eye on my socials, or better still, sign up to my mailing list
Catch Maria Uzor live in session today on the LOUD WOMEN radio show on Resonance FM
