Somewhere between George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” and The Faces’ “Ooh La La” is Braden Lam’s latest single, “Maya.” Pulling the track from his most recent album, Driftwood People, “Maya” is an ode to life as a wallflower. Or a lament. It’s complicated. Also, it has nothing to do with Jakob Dylan. Where’d that guy go, anyway?
Braden Lam describes “Maya” as an anthem to our early 20s, where college culture collides with good intentions. “Maya is the story of an outgoing introvert at a party, the wallflower who just wants to make a friend.”
Instead, Lam says that the wallflower of the song is actually a reference to his own (former) tendencies to shy away from the spotlight. It’s something he’s had to get over since college. Lam admits that “Maya” is based on his own life experiences, but combined with the a fictional portrayal of his childhood best friend of the same name—which is almost flattering, give or take a certain level of deflection.
“As a slightly introverted person, I am sometimes the wallflower at a party who just wants to make a friend,” explains Lam. “Despite my good intentions, being friendly has sometimes been taken as flirting. So ‘Maya’ was written as a confession of my inner voice in these situations during my first year of University.”
“I think I’m the perfect mix of an introvert and extrovert: introverted enough to write songs, extroverted enough to perform them.”
Two parts classic rock, one part personal struggle, five parts spilling your punch on your date’s shoes at the prom. Braden Lam at least knows how to cater to the awkward teen in all of us with his ongoing streak of hits.
Tour Dates:
11.30.18 – Halifax, NS @ The Grawood
12.20.18 – Montreal, QC @ Bar L’Entre Nous
12.22.18 – Toronto, ON @ Burdock w/ Brooklyn Doran
12.30.18 – Uxbridge, ON @ The Second Wedge w/ Julien Kelland
01.10,19 – Halifax, NS @ The Carleton w/ Cyrus R.O. & Cal Johnson