Joseph & Maia

Alternative/Singer-songwriter duo, Joseph & Maia, originally from New Zealand, have found themselves more focused than ever after 2 years of life-altering sacrifice, hard work, and relentless touring throughout Europe. After months of creative frustration, the pair split with record label Sony Music back in 2015 and threw their lives into creating music they believed in.

‘Sorrentoʼ, the duo’s debut independent album, was recorded in Neil Finns Roundhead Studios (Auckland, NZ), and was released in May 2015. Soon after, J&M quit their day jobs, sold everything they owned and bought one-way tickets to Europe. With no plan in place and no reliable income, Joseph & Maia have spent the last 2 years dragging everything they own on and off buses and trains, pulling suitcases and amplifiers across European cobble stoned cities, to play anywhere that anyone will listen. Busking on the streets most days, as well as playing in strangers living rooms, gardens, pubs, boats, castles - the pair have played over 400 shows, across 18 different countries.

“There were plenty of days that we thought we’d have to go home, days where buses wouldn’t allow us on board with a guitar so we’d have to buy last minute, first class train tickets to our next show, entirely emptying our wallets. Or days where busking was tough, and we’d grind away all day to make enough to pay for our next lot of travel, to find we’d been pick-pocketed and lost our days earnings on our way back to our hostel. In the moment, these events are heart-wrenching, but looking back, it’s pretty easy to put it all in to perspective - we’ve come across a lot more good than bad.”
Joseph & Maia have relied on the generosity and hospitality of the people who love and believe in their music (usually complete strangers) over the last 2 years, building their reputation from the ground up, as talented songwriters and one of the hardest working touring acts in Europe.

The duo pride themselves on their stripped back, emotional live performance, captivating their audience with their honest stories and raw delivery. “Weʼre not interested in writing songs that we think people want to hear... We hope that people will connect with the stories that we tell, and the emotion we portray, but we never want that to be forced.”

Joseph & Maia’s new album ’FEAR’ is set for independent release on September 22nd 2017. The new collection of songs have been produced by Dave Baxter (Avalanche City), on a farm near the duo’s hometown, Mount Maunganui, and was entirely crowdfunded by their fans.

New songs have already appeared online, shedding light on what to expect from the new record. Tracks like ‘Whispering’ capture a recurring theme of darkness and vulnerability from the duo, while the up-tempo ‘Pouring Light’ gives a more optimistic insight into their nomadic lifestyle. The album is set to be filled with stories of hope and heartbreak, snapshots of life on the road, and of throwing yourself in head first no matter the consequences.