A Chat with MayKay (05.11.25)
Bursting onto the Irish and international music scene with her band Fight Like Apes, and subsequently Le Galaxie, singer-songwriter MayKay captures listeners in the palm of her hand and takes them on sonic journeys with each melody. Now, as a solo artist, the Irish musician has found a new chapter to her creative progression with several well-received singles and a debut album. We speak with MayKay about the single ‘Dating’, music production, supergroups and more.
OSR: What made you decide to pursue a musical career? What drew you to music?
MayKay: I think, like a lot of musicians, I didn’t really MEAN to pursue a career. About 20 years ago, my friend Jamie and I really wanted an excuse not to stay in college because we both had picked courses that we hated. We just wanted to watch wrestling and listen to music, so we started a band called Fight Like Apes and went on the road!
OSR: What does music mean to you?
MayKay: It’s hard to say in a few words without sounding like a dose. But it is everything in my life, it’s the way I communicate with the world and the way I feel the world communicates with me. So much of what’s happening today doesn’t make sense to me and hurts me deeply, but I can find hope and answers in music.
OSR: You just released your track ‘Dating’. What can you tell us about the single? Is there a particular backstory or theme?
MayKay: I wish there was just one! But yeah, like most people my age, I have many stories of painfully uncomfortable dates. But for the most part, it’s not because the other person wanted it to be uncomfortable or wasn’t trying their best, so I guess with ‘Dating’ I’m just trying to simplify things for people.
OSR: ‘Dating’ is the lead track to your self-titled debut album. How does it fit in with the rest of the tracks? Is there a particular theme you are looking to express with this
album?
MayKay: I realised after talking to a friend of mine, Una Mullally, that the whole album is a retrospective on all the different kinds of relationships I’ve experienced in my life and the loss and gain experienced throughout romantic love, heartache, familial love, grief.
OSR: I’m not a musician and don’t know much about music production, but did you find producing an album more stressful than a single? How does it differ, if at all, and
what challenges did you face during the production of both ‘Dating’ and MayKay?
MayKay: At no point during making this album did I set out to write “a single” as such. I’m not that good! If I try to write a banger, it’s always shit, so I just wrote this album as a whole piece, and after the fact, we looked at what worked as singles. I’d love to be prolific enough to sit down and write singles. I’d say my label would love that too!
OSR: In your biography, it mentions that you were part of the bands Fight Light Apes and Le Galaxie. What are your thoughts on being in a band versus working on a solo
project? Are there any particular pros or cons of each?
MayKay: Ooooof, I miss being in a band. Leading up to a release date and being able to share the fear and excitement with a group is amazing. You can also share the weight of the criticisms and compliments too! It’s been a huge challenge for me personally absorbing all of that myself this time, but luckily, I have an amazing writing partner called Ian McFarlane, and as best we can we try to just focus on our own feelings of accomplishment with it all, which really helps. Ian is one of the finest composers, musicians and friends you could imagine.
OSR: If you had to create a three-person supergroup of any living musicians, who would they be, what would the band name be, and why those individuals?
MayKay: Elyanna, Ahmed Eid and Saint Levant. Palestinian music supergroup! The absolute dream.
OSR: If you had to introduce a new listener to your music, which song would you
recommend and why?
MayKay: I think ‘Busted’ would be the go-to. I feel most like myself on that.
OSR: Do you have any advice for emerging artists?
MayKay: Ooooh, pick a couple of people in your life that you really trust and make sure you keep them close. No matter what happens.
OSR: What can we expect from MayKay in the future?
MayKay: Some touring! We desperately want to get playing live; that’s the whole modus operandi for all of this. So I hope to see you all soon in person!
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
MayKay: Free Palestine Habibis.
Many thanks to MayKay for speaking with us. Find out more about MayKay on her Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was sent to us by Jawdropper Music.
