Meet maryjo, the Rising Pop Star Behind Her Newest Single ‘Nothing to Lose’

Speaking from her home in Los Angeles, maryjo appeared relaxed on the call, dressed in an oversized hoodie, with natural makeup and flowing beach waves matching the laid-back vibes of her daily routine. “I usually wake up, go for a walk, then head to the beach. I love sitting there, writing, and then coming home with my dog,” she shared with a smile.

Refleksi ing awal karir musik, maryjo nglarengake: " Keluarga aku wis kabeh iku ing musik lan nyanyi, nanging aku wis banget pribadi babagan iki." Iki mung karo anonimitas TikTok sing dheweke njaluk kepercayaan kanggo ngarti suara karo donya. "Aku ngandika, 'Oh, aku bisa nyanyi lan ora ana kudu ngerti,' supaya aku bisa, lan TikTok miwiti. Ngandhaké, aku ngandika mama, lan iku apa sing ngandhakake kanggo ngejar karo karir. American Idol ing 2021.

“I can sing and nobody has to know”

Maryjo, kaya akeh artis muda, dibesarkan kanggo ndeleng ikon pop. Ketika diwenehi babagan inspirasi musik, dheweke kanthi cepet ngetik Kelly Clarkson minangka pengaruh utama. "Aku ndeleng dheweke kabeh wektu," ngandika. Pungkas pengagumian iki, perjalanan menyang pameran musik talenta ora dadi bagian saka rencana gedhe. American Idol audition. "Aku ora mau, nanging saiki sing aku nggawé babagan iki, iku kaya cool minangka Kelly nggunakake hal padha.

Pengalaman ing American Idol, however, turned out to be transformative. “Even though it wasn’t my best vocally, it taught me so much. I’m not nervous about singing in front of people anymore. Once you do a show like that and you're under so much pressure, everything else seems easier,” she explained.

Her newfound confidence has carried into her music, especially in live performances. “Now I just appreciate going out and doing concerts instead of being terrified.” With no hesitation, maryjo recalled her most memorable performance: “Boston, when I opened for Knox. It just clicked, and I knew how I wanted to perform for the rest of the tour after that. The people were amazing. I love Boston now—they’re just awesome.”

With each new release, maryjo continues to grow as an artist. Following successful tracks like Cleveland, Should It Be Us (diwenehi Michael Gerow), lan Traffic, iku sing paling anyar, Nothing to Lose.

Lagu iki ngandika cerita saka hubungan beracun lan kesadaran sing ngluwihi iku keputusan sing paling apik. Dheweke nggabungake kedalaman emosional karo lirik tajam, witty, njupuk pembebasan sing datang saka ngundhuh wong sing ora apik kanggo sampeyan. PopFiltr, the relationship behind the song wasn’t quite as dramatic as it appears. “At the time, I was seeing someone just for fun, and I realized, ‘Wow, this isn’t a great person.’ I dramatized the song a bit—he’s not actually that bad, we’re friends now. We’ve talked about it, and he knows it was about him, but he’s not offended, we’re cool,” she laughed. “I made the story 10 times crazier for the song.”

"Ing wektu iki, aku nglakoni wong mung kanggo fun, lan aku ngerti, 'Wow, iki ora wong gedhe."

Kemampuan kanggo ngubah pengalaman nyata kanggo dampak emosional iku kunci kanggo proses kreatif maryjo. ing Nothing to Lose, she focuses on specific details—like the scent of her ex’s “cologne floating in the air” or the sight of his “silver Honda Civic”—that ground the story in reality but also give it universal appeal: “There’s gotta be a million others with the same kind of hair / I swear.” When asked how she balances keeping her writing personal while making it relatable for fans, she explained: “I think about what I relate to and then break it down to something more universal. For example, if I notice something specific like curly brown hair, I think, ‘Okay, people pay attention to the hair.’ That way, the song connects with anyone listening.”

Her songwriting journey, however, wasn’t something she originally envisioned. “When I first signed with Atlantic, I thought singers sang, writers wrote, and producers produced. I didn’t know I was allowed to write,” she confessed. It wasn’t until a producer encouraged her to continue contributing lyrics during a session that she began to see herself as a songwriter. “It’s been a slow process, but now I feel confident in my writing,” she reflected.

Sementara lagu sadurunge sering fokus ing hubungan beracun, maryjo ndadekake kang Nothing to Lose marke pergeseran ing penulisan songwriting. "Saiki aku pisanan pisanan, aku 21 lan dikelilingi dening teman-temanku ing universitas. Kita kabeh duwe teman-teman 'budak' iki," ngandika, nyatakake inspirasi ing sawetara musik sadurunge.

Maryjo's upcoming music is likely to reflect this mindset, with a shift toward happiness and self-empowerment. “Now, my music will probably be a lot happier,” she said, laughing, adding that she’s excited to explore a broader sound. “Honestly, kind of like Sabrina Carpenter-pop modern, nanging karo vibe Dolly Parton. Aku minat kanggo mbukak ing arah kasebut."

As for what’s on the horizon, maryjo has plenty of plans. “I’m working on a bunch of singles, and hopefully, it’ll wrap up as an EP,” she revealed. “I’m also planning more tours in the spring.”

Sementara para penggemar bisa ngarep kanggo EP ing pungkasan taun, maryjo mbukak optimis cautiously. "Aku suka nyatakake iku, nanging bakal ndhuwur taun depan," ngandika, senyum.

Sekarang, Nothing to Lose iku himen momen, nglakoni pindah maryjo saka hubungan buruk kanggo njupuk versi luwih mandiri lan yakin dhewe. lan nalika dheweke terus berkembang minangka penulis lan artis, para penggemar bisa nunggu kanggo ndeleng luwih saka artis sing miwiti tanpa apa-apa kanggo nglawan - lan saiki wis kabeh kanggo menang.

Stay tuned kanggo 20 Questions with maryjo kanggo konten sing luwih eksklusif, lan ndeleng resmi artis website kanggo update lan informasi paling anyar.

‍

maryjo, 'Nothing To Lose' (lyric video):