Maya Lakhani on Representation in the Rock Scene & ‘Nightfall’

With an alluring, alternative rock sound, Maya Lakhani is here to change the face of the genre.

The British Indian rock artist was born into the music scene playing in bands from the impressionable age of 12.

Maya Lakhani has since caught the eye of Rolling Stone Magazine and BBC Introducing and is on the path to musical stardom.

The enchanting musician has graced the music scene once again with her track ‘Nightfall’ – a song that encapsulates her unique brand of dark stylish self-produced bedroom rock.

The haunting rock song was released in January 2022 to all streaming platforms.

Just like her previous singles ‘Walk Alone’ and ‘The Line’, Maya wrote, recorded and produced her latest track entirely from her bedroom – a process she adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

DESIblitz caught up with Maya Lakhani to talk about her unique sound, ‘Nightfall’ and her creative process.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Maya Lakhani and I’m a British Indian solo rock artist.

I sing, play the guitar and produce all my own music.

One of the things that separates me, is that I write, record and produce all my music entirely from my bedroom.

This is something I learnt to do in lockdown but completely fell in love with working in this way.

Also, there aren’t that many Indian women in the rock scene, and I feel like this separates me too.

I believe that representation is really important.

As an Indian woman, I have a different story to tell through my music, which deserves to be heard.

What is your creative process like?

I usually start by playing the guitar and improvising some vocals over the top, until I find something that really sticks.

I then go about recording it and adding different parts until it feels like a fully produced track.

I’m always looking for inspiration and thinking of song ideas!

What influenced you to create ‘Nightfall’?

Nightfall is a song inspired by dark thoughts coming to light at night.

When the rush and chaos of the day is done, and you finally have time to really sit with your thoughts. Which can either be a positive or a negative.

It was inspired by a time in my life when I was experiencing some challenges, and I hated just having time to think.

The chorus lyric is “I am holding on when nightfalls, for my life”.

What has been the best performance of your career so far?

Since becoming a solo artist, I haven’t had the chance to perform live yet, because of the pandemic.

However, prior to starting my solo journey, I was in a band. We performed at various venues around London.

One of my favourite performances, was when I played the iconic Rough Trade East in London for an event hosted by one of my favourite bands, Dream Wife.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?

One of my favourite artists is Lana Del Rey.

I would absolutely love to collaborate with her!

I think she is one of the best songwriters of our generation, and her lyrics are always so visual and take you to another world.

I would be so interested to see what her creative process is, and how she goes about making music.

If you could change anything about the rock scene, what would it be?

I would love for there to be more diversity in the rock scene.

I think it’s really important for there to be representation, for young kids to see people who look like them on big stages and doing amazing things.

For our stories to be told and heard.

What has influenced you the most as an artist?

Strangely, I think it was the pandemic that influenced me the most.

Having lots of extra time in lockdown, I decided to learn how to write, record & produce music from home.

So that really kick-started everything for me as an artist.

I feel like I’ve really found my style & process as an artist now. So, there will be many more music releases from me this year!

I would also love to start performing my music live, so fingers crossed for that in 2022.

Maya Lakhani is undoubtedly an artistic, passionate and diverse musician.

If you’re a fan of Garbage, Lana Del Rey and PJ Harvey, Maya’s body of work is worth exploring.

With remarkable song-writing capability and a passion for the rock genre, Maya Lakhani is emerging as an exciting new artist who advocates for change.

Check out ‘Nightfall’ and more of Maya Lakhani here.