Mae Powell

Mae Powell, an indie pop singer/songwriter whose vocals and instrumentation favor a jazzy, playful manner even amid frustrating subjects, started issuing her earliest self-written material during the opening years of the 2020s. The optimistic debut album Both Ways Brighter reached listeners in 2021.

Powell’s childhood in San Diego included frequent exposure to folk musicians tracking sessions inside a makeshift garage studio run by her mother and sister. Her northward relocation in 2014 led to studies in broadcasting and audio production at San Francisco State University, where encounters with fellow musicians quickly turned into ongoing collaborations. The observational style of Frankie Cosmos soon prompted her to begin composing original songs.

Recording sessions for the first album commenced in 2018 alongside guitarist Spencer Owings, bassist Mayya Feygina, drummer Sam Jones, and lap steel guitarist Garrett Barley. Producer Jason Kick subsequently joined to complete final refinements. Addressing both unfavorable current events and routine daily hurdles from an upbeat perspective, the completed Both Ways Brighter surfaced via Park the Van Records in August 2020.