Leeds-based R&B, pop, and soul artist MAAME has been writing music for a long time, but it took her a while to pluck up the courage to share it.

By Graeme Smith

“It takes a long time for your songwriting ability to develop sometimes,” she muses after I asked her about her journey into music. “I think when I started, I had enough awareness to know I wasn’t ready and kept on pushing until I felt like my music was strong enough.”

She debuted on our pages in May 2025 with a sound that was certainly strong enough. Sure was a bold first effort from her, delivering groove, airiness and frustration in its lyrics. That was followed by two more singles in July and August – Beautiful and Ego Tripping.

“I didn’t start writing songs until I had vocal lessons many years ago from 2017, that was when the whole thing ignited. It was the first time I felt like I might have something,” she goes on. “That was when I first moved to Kent where I didn’t know anybody, so it felt quite isolating, and I needed a distraction, an escapism, and singing in my vocals lessons really gave me that satisfaction. Songwriting from there became an obsession.”

From Kent, MAAME came to Leeds and hit my radar. I was instantly enchanted by her honest brand of R&B. Like her earlier singles, her latest Daydreaming goes deep with the emotional introspection while giving us plenty to unpick in the composition.

A powerful bass beat kicks things off before the vocals take on a pleading quality in the first verse. They reflect on all those things that seem to be just out of reach, feeling very relatable.

“I tend to daydream a lot, it was something I did a lot as a child and its followed me into adulthood,” MAAME says of the single, “but I do think its a common human experience to daydream, want to escape, want to think of an alternative reality.”

It’s a different style from her other singles, something which she acknowledges too. “They tend to be a little darker and more intense,” she says, “but there is also a part of me that’s lighter and is honest. I also love the pink cloudy aesthetic; its something I’ve been looking forward to exploring and I knew would match this song perfectly.”

I wanted to know more about that and asked her about the evolution of her sound through the first few singles.

“I feel like my sound so far has been experimental; I wanted to give people a variety of sounds, like a taster of different avenues I could take,” she answers. “I feel like the songs are becoming more confident and more vulnerable, and I think more authentic to myself. I hope to dial this up even more in my upcoming singles and take a slightly darker turn in contrast to this single.”

It’s a tantalising thought that MAAME is just getting started and we can expect a lot more from her going forward. It screams star quality. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her on the same bill as her musical inspirations Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, and Thuy someday.

For now, she’s keeping it humble. “I look forward to bringing out a more cohesive artistic identity,” she says. “I know the music I’ve been doing now is great, but I think there’s still room to improve; I wanted to give myself space to do this as I think its important to build up momentum rather than try and be perfect from the word go, otherwise where else can you go from there?”

“I think people like to see someone develop and improve overtime, I think it makes the artist look more relatable and, overall, more inspiring. I would definitely love to be able to perform my songs live at my own gigs somewhere, so I’m hoping to work towards that next year.”

MAAME will be lighting up the Leeds live scene soon, I’m certain. “I think Leeds has been a fantastic place to start out as an independent artist,” she says of the city she now calls home, “…there is a plethora of really talented artists around and it feels comforting to see people like yourself who are just as passionate. It reminds me that I’m not completely alone doing this, and I think it can be motivating to see other artists chase their passions.”

Daydreaming is out now, and you can listen to it below.