A Chat with MAB (08.12.25)
MAB’s latest single ‘The Star Lounge’ is a cosmic journey of ethereal sounds. From a spontaneous moment atop Cadillac Mountain to a fully realized collaboration with producer Caden Jester, the track blends psychedelic hip-hop, dance-pop, and otherworldly storytelling into an immersive experience. In this interview, MAB opens up about the mystical origins of the song, their genre-defying creative process, and the visual and sonic universe that continues to unfold with their project INTERDIMENSIONAL.
OSR: What was the initial spark or idea behind ‘The Star Lounge’, and how did it evolve during production?
MAB: In May of 2024, two of my close childhood friends and I ate magical mushrooms and began our hike up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. About halfway up the mountain, out of nowhere “Welcome to the mm (sniff sniff) yeahhh” flew into my head with the melody and rhythm intact. Laughing, I sat down on a rock and began recording the origins of the chorus in my voice notes. As production evolved, it took the shape of a story about an exotic dancer in a mystique cosmic lounge.
OSR: Your music blends psychedelic hip-hop, dance-pop, and pop elements. How do you decide which genres or sounds to merge for a new track?
MAB: I don’t consider genres. I just create what comes to me and feels right to me. For sound selection, I typically lean into ethereal sounds that have the power to transport listeners into another world.
OSR: The song creates a vivid, otherworldly narrative. How do you approach storytelling in your music? Do the lyrics come first, or the instrumentation?
MAB: There is no set formula for my creative process. Sometimes it starts with a hook, other times with a riff. Though it usually starts with me messing around at the keyboard. I only move forward with pieces where I’ve captured a message from elsewhere or a higher power. When something truly flows through, I know within that it is something special.
OSR: You worked with producer Caden Jester on this single. How did your collaboration shape the final sound of the track?
MAB: I’ve been working with Caden for a couple of years now. I’ll send him a sample of a track. Sometimes it‘s just a hook, other times it‘s more developed. Then we go back and forth until we feel the track is the best it can be. He helps bring my visions to life and I couldn’t do it without him.
OSR: Your recent viral content has a surreal, dreamlike quality. How do visuals and social media influence your music creation?
MAB: I usually create ethereal, uplifting, and transportational music because I love this type of music. But it is really the other way around. My music usually inspires the type of visuals and content I create. I build the visual world around the vibe, feeling, and story of the music. Everything starts with the music for me.
OSR: ‘The Star Lounge’ is 2 minutes and 33 seconds long. How do you approach making a concise yet impactful song?
MAB: I don’t have a specific approach for this, but I think the key ingredient lies in building a track around a catchy and efficient hook.
OSR: Can you walk us through a typical day in the studio when crafting a track like this?
MAB: After this track was born in the mountains, I spent some time refining the lyrics of the hook. When I returned home, I came up with a riff and a bass line for it. I recorded the first draft of the vocals and then sat on it for a few months. At the time, I was in the developmental stage of my project INTERDIMENSIONAL. About six months later, I sent it to Caden with my vision. He sent it back with a nearly perfect beat in place. I wrote and recorded the verses. He mixed and mastered it. We finished it in January of 2025.
OSR: How do you hope listeners feel or react when they experience ‘The Star Lounge’ for the first time?
MAB: I hope listeners have fun, feel elevated, and feel transported to a place in their imagination that they have never been. And of course, I hope they feel ready to dance.
OSR: MAB has been building a unique sonic identity. How do you balance honoring your past work while pushing into new territory?
MAB: I do my best to keep evolving as a human and as an artist, to grow and to implement new dimensions of my artistry. I continue making music that I love with the hope that others will love it too.
OSR: ‘The Star Lounge’ seems like just the beginning of a new chapter. What can fans expect next from MAB in the coming months?
MAB: ‘The Star Lounge’ is one of 18 tracks on a project called INTERDIMENSIONAL that I will be releasing in 2026. The project was born in a tipi in the Sacred Valley of Peru during an ayahuasca ceremony. Since then, my goal has been to become more boundless as a creator and continue adding new dimensions to my artistry.
Many thanks to MAB for speaking with us. Find out more about MAB on their Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify.
