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10 Questions with | Maria Krauss

Maria Krauss definitely needs to take a day off. She recently graduated from high school in the state of Pennsylvania, performed at the LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL FESTIVAL in Las Vegas, and dropped her new cover single "Jealousy, jealousy". Indie Boulevard managed to catch up with Maria to talk about upcoming plans, personal life and music.

IB: Maria, you are only 18 years old, but you have already achieved success as an artist. You have two singles out, you play live, you have a big fan base. Tell me, do you remember that turning point when you realized that you wanted to make music on a professional level?

Maria: I have always had a love for music and would play shows for my family and friends when I was younger. I remember feeling this incredible excitement while performing. I started taking private voice lessons and I realized that singing was my way of communicating with others and getting in touch with my emotions. It wasn't until I was in high school that I decided I wanted to do this as a profession.

IB: You said you struggled with mental health as a child and found music to be a great coping mechanism. How did it happen?

Maria: It was always very hard for me to express how I was feeling. I had a very hard time coping with my stress during middle school and junior high, everything seemed harder for me and I did everything I could to not show that I was struggling, which only caused things to get worse. Music seemed liked one of the only things that helped me, it was like therapy for me. Hearing a song that describes exactly how I was feeling was amazing.

IB: How did your parents react to the fact that you want to start playing music?

Maria: They were very supportive of my decision, they encouraged me to continue with my voice lessons and motivated me to participate in activities that would help me improve, such as open mic nights at a local cafe. Later on I started recording music and they helped me pay for music recording expenses, music videos and everything I needed to make my dreams come true. I am beyond lucky to have parents like them.

IB: Your voice sounds very bright and clear, I can guess that you worked very hard to achieve such a result. How did you manage to combine school and vocal lessons?

Maria: It wasn't easy. I was 14 years old when I started working part time 3-4 days a week, I was taking private voice lessons once a week, I was volunteering and participating in after school activities, and I still managed to be an honor roll student. I had to learn how to find a balance at a young age. During high school, I had two jobs for a period of time, I was recording music in a studio in NJ, commuting every weekend to write songs and to do 10 hour long recording sessions. Now I'm recording with a local producer.

IB: You just graduated from high school. Do you already have any idea what you will do next?

Maria: I have plans of going to college, after a deferred semester. I have been accepted to a few colleges but I haven't committed to any of them, my heart was set on Berklee college, and I still have to go through my audition with them. Things have changed so much for me lately. I have a booking manager that is working on getting tours and concerts for me, if I do start touring and getting paid to perform on a regular basis, I might have to do college online. My goal is to get signed by a record label and get my songs on the radio.

IB: You released two singles "Dark" and "About your Love" and both reached a thousand streams on Spotify. They really sound amazing, especially "Dark". I know that this song was written during a very difficult period in your life. Tell us about that period and how the song saved you.

Maria: As you know I was struggling with all my mental health issues, and being in high school around so much drama, deception, false friendships and relationships. It broke me to realize that the friends I had were not really my friends, and the people I loved didn't really love me back and they just found ways to hurt me.

IB: You recently performed at the "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL FESTIVAL" in Las Vegas and I can't even imagine how exciting it was, the audience was delighted. Tell me how you dealt with your emotions?

Maria: It was a dream to be able to perform at the festival!! It was actually my first festival ever, it was nerve wracking but I had my family there with me, having their support was a blessing. I was also lucky that I had my friend/producer Rory Miller performing on stage with me, which boosted my confidence and helped reduce my stress.

IB: At the festival you presented some new songs, does this mean that a new single is coming out soon?

Maria: Yes! I'm super excited about my new music! I'm working on a bunch of new music that means so much to me. I will be releasing them soon !!

IB: An important question, what is your favorite album that inspires you?

Maria: That question is hard! I love many albums for different reasons, but I would say my favorite is SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo because I've never resonated with an album more. I love how she’s so honest and vulnerable in her music, which is exactly how I want to be. She inspires me to hopefully help many people in the future through my own music.

IB: And the last question, Olivia Rodrigo or Ariana Grande?)

Maria: Not fair! If I had to choose, I would say Ariana Grande. She's my idol. Her talent is incomparable, her resilience and her strength through all the hard things she has been through is incredibly admiring.