Commemoration: The performance was to celebrate her joining the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, which has honed artistes like Amy Winehouse and Rita Ora.

 

Maya Mason started learning singing at IAID when she was six. Now admitted to Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, the 13-year-old recently came back for an exciting performance at her alma mater in Doha, Anand Holla reports

It was a tiny venue for a mini concert, but the booming voice of the star of the evening made it seemingly expand into a grand hall.

Maya Mason, who was down in Doha for a homecoming gig at the IAID Academy for Dance, Music and Arts, sang all of three songs in the 30-minute-long event on Thursday night. Yet by the end of it, the audience of around 40, comprising mostly kids enrolled at the institute, their parents and the IAID staff, were in awe of the young British talent.

With the confidence of a seasoned pop star, Maya filled the room with her smooth, full-bodied vocals that belie her 13 years of age. Accompanied by IAID’s instructors on the guitar, keys, bass guitar and percussions, she held her own, nailing the nuances at every bend and turn.

After singing Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful and Bruno Mars’ When I Was Your Man, Maya had warmed her vocal cords up just enough to belt the Adele chartbuster, Set Fire To The Rain in rousing fashion.

So robust is Maya’s pitching and delivery that listening to her with eyes shut would make you think that a singer in her late 20s is at the microphone.

After the show, Maya told Community that singing liberates her. “When I sing, I feel like I am expressing myself in the best way possible,” she said.

The performance was to celebrate her joining the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, which has honed artistes like Amy Winehouse and Rita Ora. Since last September, Maya is being trained there in everything from music and dance to theatre.

“I was six when I joined IAID in 2007 and began learning western vocals and piano,” recalled Maya. Soon, she began learning dance, hip hop and jazz music as well. As a student of IAID, which follows the curriculum of the London College Music, Maya consistently secured distinction in her exams.

“I used to have a really nasal voice. Over four years, the teachers here taught me how to use my diaphragm effectively. I then started getting more of my chest voice, which made it easier for me to hit the higher notes.”

It’s not just Maya’s rich vocal timbre that seems to have been inspired from Adele, but even her singing style leans more on the multiple-Grammy Award winner’s than anybody else.

She said, “I love how she projects her powerful voice. I borrow that from her. But I don’t want to sound like Adele. I want to sound like Maya.”

And she does.

“Every good artiste has something different or unique that makes them special. So I want to develop my distinct style as well,” she said, talking about the many hours she spends every day practicing singing and dancing.

“I really try and get into the song. I think of how that person must have felt when he or she sang it. Then I try to feel those emotions and sing it my way.”

When she was at IAID, she performed at events like Tribeca Film Festival at Katara and Flower Each Spring Program at Qatar Foundation.

Rajesh Jadhav, Director of the 12-year-old IAID, said, “Maya is a natural, and her being a good student, we could easily fine-tune her techniques. She is special in how she didn’t have an ounce of stage fright when she performed the ABBA classic I Had A Dream, in front of a 1500-crowd at our Talent Extravaganza Night last February at the Qatar National Convention Centre.”

“Yeah, but my goal is to perform at venues like Madison Square Garden or Wembley Arena. That would be amazing,” Maya said.

So is she charting out her future as an out-and-out commercial pop artiste or is she settling for a more personal musical journey? The question seemed to confound little Maya till she let out a smile and answered: “It’s more like a personal journey for me I guess. I don’t care about fame or selling records.”

Jadhav broke in, laughing, “Now she will say she doesn’t care about any of that. But once she grows up, she may change.” When asked the same question again, Maya laughed, paused, and put it rather smartly, “I’ll go wherever music takes me.”