We had the pleasure of interviewing maryjo over Zoom video! A 21-year-old singer/songwriter hailing from Cleveland, maryjo has the kind of unforgettable voice made for heart-melting piano ballads. But while her songs show a phenomenal vocal commandâoften drifting from full-throated belting to a gorgeously fragile delivery inflected with cracksâit took years for the Knoxville-born artist to overcome her fear of singing in front of others. âMy familyâs very musical and singing came to me really naturally, but for some reason I became super-private about it after we moved to Cleveland when I was eight,â says maryjo, who also started writing songs as a little girl and took up piano in fourth grade. As she got older, she worked through her shyness by sharing videos on social media, steadily amassing a devoted following that now includes over 1.3 million followers on TikTok. After bringing her powerhouse vocals to the stage on season 19 of âAmerican Idol,â maryjo landed a deal with Atlantic Records and set to work on her debut single, âLove Foolsâ: a stripped-back but spellbinding ballad featuring the soul-stirring piano work of two-time Academy of Country Music Award-winner Gordon Mote. With more new music on the way, maryjo arrived at the breathtaking emotion of âLove Foolsâ by staying true to her instincts. âWhen I first went into sessions, the sound we were coming up with was very much like cookie-cutter pop,â she recalls, naming Elvis Presley and Julia Michaels among her main inspirations. âFinally I had to stop and say, âThis isnât what Iâm supposed to be doing.â I took a step back and asked myself why I was trying for something that didnât feel right, and because of that we honed in on a sound that feels like me: something I can put so much emotion into when Iâm singing, so that I can give the audience something real to connect to.â We want to hear from you! Please email [email protected] www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #maryjo #lovefools #NewMusic #Zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB https://www.bringinitbackwards.com/follow Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! https://www.facebook.com/groups/bringinbackpod



















