Meet Maria & James | Musical duo

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria & James and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
We decided to pursue a career in the music industry because of our desire to share what we create with others. The creative process behind all of our music making – from recording an initial melody, to producing and mastering the final song – is one of the main reasons why we fell in love with an artistic career, as it brings our stories to life.

We both grew up in households that loved all types of music, so we were exposed to the many different styles from being young. I think that has been a huge advantage for us when writing original material, as it gives us a wide spectrum to draw inspiration from. We’ve learnt so much from being independent artists and we couldn’t imagine doing another career!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We began our musical career together during the very first lockdown. Alongside studying music at Newcastle University, we wanted to showcase our original material – as we both love to write! Despite many amazing performance opportunities such as the Mayor of Darlington’s charity variety show, our most exciting musical adventure was collaborating with world renowned drummer Keith Carlock on our single ‘Alice’. This was a fantastic opportunity and we were amazed he wanted to work with us on the track!

We tend to record a lot of our songs in our bedrooms and we’ve learnt a lot by doing this all ourselves. However, in the future we’d love to be able to branch out and collaborate with more studio producers.

One key thing that sets us apart is that our relationship allows us to connect on a deeper level when it comes to music. You’d think this would cause substantial arguments, but surprisingly it doesn’t… yet!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In Colorado, our hearts belong in Fort Collins. There are so many incredible places to eat like the Rio Grande and Avogrados and amazing places to see live music where open mic nights are always happening. The Mishawaka Amphitheatre is another stand out feature of Colorado, not only for their onion rings, but for the great atmosphere too. Our dream gig to perform and another beautiful feature of Colorado is the Red Rocks Amphitheatre – if you can see a gig there then we highly recommend it.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Our parents have been the ultimate supporters during our whole lives and during our pursuit of a career in music. Their guidance and dedication have been immense. Whilst visiting Colorado this past summer however, one person has been especially important in our branching out across the pond – Jessi Reed of Fort Collins. Jessi has not only supported our musical endeavours but countless others across Fort Collins and the entire US, inspiring many to undertake a future in the arts and providing a source of creativity for so many.

Website: https://mariawinter54.wixsite.com/mariaandjames

Instagram: @maria_and_james_

Twitter: @maria_and_james

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariaandJames1

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCBJ5X6FNudA_0wSASQPK62Q

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1q8BZ2iolCtzKY9eD1n3P9?si=hd8g89TgRtqp14g_7WC7Mw

Image Credits
Scott Akoz