Mae Krell – phantom limb

By starrymag | March 1, 2022

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

 

Q) How would you best describe your sound?

 

A) Sad girl indie folk!

 

Q) Who are your Top 3 musical influences?

 

A) Gregory Alan Isakov, Phoebe Bridgers and, as of recently, Ritt Momney— I’ve been obsessed with his recent album.

 

Q) Tell us a little bit about your latest single “phantom limb.”

 

A) “phantom limb” is a story about starting to move on from negative things/habits/people and then having the realization that they, in one way or another, will always be there. It’s my personal version of a piano ballad, so soft, sad girl style.

 

Q) What inspired you to write the song?

 

A) In my recovery and the ongoing process that it is, I’ve found that no matter how much better I get, how much I mend relationships or how long I’m sober for, my past and the difficult parts of it all just stick around. I think in a way the “phantom limb” is a very universal experience, it just stems from different places for different people.

 

Q) “phantom limb” was produced and engineered by Jakob Leventhal. How much did you get to work with him on the producing end and in what ways did his advice and contribution influence the final product?

 

A) Jakob is the most incredible person and musician. I feel so grateful to have gotten to work with him on this record and to continue to do so. Other than the initial songwriting, we work on all of it together. I send him voice memos when I’m writing and then we go from there! He’s very involved in the process, but he also gives me the freedom and the voice to be very involved, which is new to me. It’s a very special relationship and has given me a lot of confidence as an artist and a person.

 

Q) With the release of “phantom limb,” is there a full-length album in the works?

 

A) Not a full-length album as of right now, but an EP monster syndrome was released on February 15th!

 

Q) What do you hope fans take away from “phantom limb?”

 

A) Just because negative things stick around doesn’t mean that they have to pull you down and hold you back. “phantom limb” is meant to be a relatable story about a hard experience, but also to represent making the choice to carry difficult things rather than let them drag you down.

 

Q)) During the songwriting process, what are some of your go-to’s to help get the creative juices flowing? 

 

A) I’m always writing little notes or ideas in my phone and in my notebook. When I decide to sit down and write, I have so many options and ideas to go off of! It makes a huge difference and then there are the times where a whole song just comes out all at once. “phantom limb” was one of those – I wrote all the lyrics in like ten minutes.

 

Q) You recently got back from a North America tour with Ethan Jewell. What was it like getting to tour with him and what were the shows like?

 

A) Ethan is a really wonderful person, an absolutely unreal performer and a ridiculously talented musician. The shows and, honestly the whole tour, just felt like an absolute dream. What Ethan does is so, so special. I’d encourage anyone who has the chance to go see him play to go for it. I’m honored to have gotten to know him and watch him play every night for a couple weeks.

 

Q) What is one of your favorite songs to perform live and why?

 

A) I really love playing “home” because of the amount of people who seem to relate to its story. I also play it last, so it’s a nice way to wrap everything up!

 

Q) When you were in high school you formed your own music publication and even had the chance to photograph musicians for the likes of Rolling Stone! How did having the background knowledge of the music industry from a journalistic point of view help you as you started to write and perform music?

 

A) When I started Tongue Tied (w/ Chloe Hendrix), there weren’t a ton of teen run publications. Rookie and Crybaby were pretty much the only ones, so it was a really interesting space to come into. Both of us had found that so many people (but not everyone!!) were so rude and unkind to us as young people, so we decided to do something about it. I really didn’t have any background in anything music related, or at all when I started photographing at the age of fifteen. I wanted to be able to see live music and I couldn’t afford it, but I could afford a cheap camera from Ebay. Once I got the camera, I snuck it into small venues where the shows were super cheap (often in tampon boxes) and built a portfolio. Everything went pretty quick from there. I started shooting for my first publication, JAM magazine, then for a ton of others, started Tongue Tied and next thing I know I’m in my therapist’s waiting room getting an email from an editor at Rolling Stone about what ended up being my first assignment for them! I was seventeen years old, totally thought it was a prank.

 

Q) If given the opportunity, who would you love to collaborate with on a project in the future?

 

A) I would love to write/release with Jordy Searcy! I have been a huge fan of his writing for a long time. I also think it would be super cool to write with Ethan Jewell too and find a way to mix our styles together for a song.

 

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters of your music?

 

A) Above everything else, thank you! You’ve absolutely changed my life and the only reason I get to play shows is because of you. And then, on a more serious note, one day you’ll sit back and have a moment where you realize that it was all worth it and that your experience is going to help someone else. I know my music is sad, but it’s also a bit hopeful. Everything is going to be okay; I promise.