“Never in my life have I fit in with anyone,” Mayu Mi Veda said. “I have always been the outcast but now that I am okay with that. I love weird things.”
She said there are no boundaries when no one expects you to be normal, because you can always just do the unexpected.
Singer and songwriter Mayu Mi Veda is a junior at IU pursuing a major in Human Development and Family Studies with minors in criminal justice and psychology. However, she said, she has more drive for music than for school.
Mayu Mi Veda has had a love for singing and music for as long as she can remember, and said she recently decided to pursue her dream of being a solo artist.
The singer/songwriter had never had any musical training until she came to IU and joined Soul Revue, an audition-only performance class in the African American Arts Institute. However, she said she thought of it as a pastime and didn’t take it seriously enough.
In August, Mayu Mi Veda was not re-admitted into Soul Revue, which she said was a huge wake-up call about her musical career.
Following a breakup this summer, Mayu Mi Veda said she had time to focus on herself and figure out what she wanted. She then realized she wanted to pursue her music and career as a solo artist.
Since then, she has released two covers on SoundCloud and said she will be releasing her first ever single called “D!ss” this December.
Mayu Mi Veda writes all of her own lyrics and works with her producer Luan to find the right beats to match her songs, she said. Starting in January, she said she will be learning the producing side of things and will have a studio built in her house.
“If I am going to be my own artist, I should know every aspect of artistry and put in the work to make my own music,” she said.
All of her songs are related in some way to her life, and inspired by everyday life. She said even her covers are dedicated to the people in her life. Mayu Mi Veda said one of her covers of Jhene Aiko’s “Promises” is dedicated to her two brothers, and to her best friend, who died from suicide in the 10th grade.
“I hope to make people feel better about anything and everything going on in life,” Mayu Mi Veda said. “I just want them to learn to embrace my music and learn to be happy regardless of their situation.”
Mayu Mi Veda described her style of music as PB rhythm and blues, which she said is like hippie R&B. It’s a mix of neo-soul, modern R&B and with an electric spin to it, she said.
“You can really hear the emotion in her voice,” said Astrid Mejia, IU junior and manager of Mayu Mi Veda.
In addition to the release of her single in December of 2015, Mayu Mi Veda will also release an original mix tape titled “... Just Vibin’” with all of her own music April 20, 2016.
She said her goal is to be on tour before the end of 2016.
Mejia said she appreciates Mayu Mi Veda’s drive, and believes she can accomplish her goals.
Mayu Mi Veda’s mix tape will be available on SoundCloud for free and iTunes for purchase on April 20, 2016.
“I honestly don’t want to be as big as Beyoncé or anything,” Mayu Mi Veda said. “I just want to have a cool group of people who enjoy my music enough so that I can travel and sing to them.”
