Mariia - “Real Anymore”

Review by Aaron Coultier & Staff

The W.A M. Awards celebrate the year’s most outstanding independent artists from around the world in multiple genres and categories. "Best Song" and "Best Album" nominations were based on Artistry, Musicianship, Originality, Professionalism, Diversity, and Excellence. W.A.M. stands for "We Are the Music Makers.' Mariia's song "Real Anymore'" was the 2020 W.A.M. Award Winner for Best Song in the Pop music category.

Piano keys begin to play out a somber minor tonality as the crystalline vocals of Russian born singer/songwriter Mariia Tsvetkova softly recount the story of a woman struggling to meet seemingly impossible standards in todays world. Undoubtedly drawing inspiration from her observations as a current resident of Los Angeles. The overall message probably best conveyed in the chorus lyrics

“Cause it’s 1 for the magazines

2 for the skinny tea

3 for the days she didn’t eat

4 for the photoshop

5 for the tears that won’t stop

She don’t know what’s real anymore”

I for one particularly enjoy Mariia’s choice of vocal phrasing on the “3 for the day’s she didn’t eat.” line. In my opinion, it’s a very subtle yet strong hook that helped me to catch the message that much quicker.

The song jumps back and forth between controlled, subtle verses and soaring choruses complete with lush vocal harmonies, strong impactful kick drums and a tasteful application of synth. The production overall is clean and not over crowded. Provided the perfect amount of space for Mariia’s amazing performance to shine.

Making a lasting impression, “Real Anymore” is a poignant pop ballad that’s sure to strike a nerve with audiences both male and female alike.

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About Mariia

MARIIA is a singer and songriter, born in small city nearby Moscow. Gravitated towards the songs of Adele, Alisha Keys, Andra Day, Ed Sheeran and Etta James she started her career singing in local bars and restaurants with her band. At the age of 16 she started writing her own music. Her sophisticated pop sound is rooted in a wide range of inspirations soaked up from the time spend traveling around the world. In 2015 she took part in Russian The Voice, in 2018 recorded Salsa Album in Switzerland and released her debut EP in Moscow in 2019. She has extensive experience performing since she spent more than 3 years of performing at concerts, music festivals and on music jury panels around the world.

In May 2019 she was selected to join the Songwriter Camp in Palm Springs, LA, mentored by Pam Sheyne and Richard Harris. At the camp she met Nitanee Paris, the Director of A&R at ArtistMax, a Los Angeles based artist development and education enterprise founded by Grammy-winning producer Ken Caillat (Fleetwood Mac; Colbie Caillat). Nitanee introduced her to Ken Caillat and Mariia ended up staying in LA and signing her artist development deal with ArtistMax. During her being in LA she was working with great songwriters and producers, such as Nitanee Paris, Ken Caillat, Pam Sheyne, Richard Harris, Martin Sutton, Sebastian Hughes, Mark Dorflinger and Chen Neeman.

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