About MAA

There are at least two artists with the name MAA. 1) MAA (real name Tanaka Maria), born January 25, 1986 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese electronica/pop artist, formerly known as MAR, the vocalist of short-lived rock group MarBell. After the group disbanded, she debuted in September 2010 with the electro-pop single, "GHOST ENEMY", under the stage name MAA, which comes from her name Maria. With thirteen tattoos on her body (the alligator on her back being her symbol), she is known for her rough nature due to her outgoing and carefree personality. Her exotic looks, due to an American father and Japanese mother, have drawn comparisons to many Western pop artists. Due to her eccentric attitude, many have given her the nickname, "psycho Cinderella". In December 2010, her debut mini-album, "Monkey Kingdom" was released. MAA said, "My papa calls me a crazy monkey, so I titled the album Monkey Kingdom, as in my own kingdom," she explained. "If people could have the chance to get to know me through this album, I think that'd be a good thing." 2) The debut album of MAA, Tuhkankantajat, is a synthesis of diverse musical styles and influences, ranging from lounge to folk, from pop to ambient, and yet all the while creating a wholistic work of singular vision and voice. The approach to sound on the album evokes a different time and place, one of lush warmth and presence, one that perhaps harkens back to some past decades, in contrast to the crass and bland trends of today's music industry. Recorded with analog reel-to-reel tape technology, and using a setup consisting of acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, cellos, trumpets, pianos and Fender Rhodes, the result is a rich sonic palette to immerse oneself in, a tapestry of sound to soothe one's soul. At the center of the group MAA is a trinity consisting of figures from divergent musical backgrounds and (sub)cultures: A.A.Cederberg (Halo Manash), J.J.A.Kettunen (Somnivore, Slave's Mask) and M.I.Pöyhönen (Tuhat Kuolemaa Sekunnissa). They are in turn aided by their friends and collegues, including the legendary John Murphy (Knifeladder, Shining Vril, Death In June, ad infinitum), Risto-Matti Salo (Pimentola), Fredrik Löf (Velvet Desperados) and Antti Hyvärinen. The album was recorded by Antti Haapapuro (Halo Manash, Aural Hypnox) in his analogue studio Katajan Kaiku. Sung in their mother-language of Finnish, the tracks on Tuhkankantajat express and ruminate on the core aspects of Man and Life: joy and sorrow, victory and surrender, love found and lost, and the eternal longing for the soul's true homeland - truly these are spiritsongs for a soulless age. MAA ~ Tuhkankantajat was completed a year after it's initial conception, on Spring Equinox of 2010. It is to be released by Anima Arctica in a limited edition of 500 CDs. http://www.animaarctica.fi/maa http://www.myspace.com/tuhkankantajat http://www.facebook.com/pages/MAA/127500000602580