Maja Lena reveals her new single ‘The Keeper’, the title track from her forthcoming debut album of the same name, arriving on the 23rd of July via Chiverin Records.
Formerly of alt-folk band Low Chimes, her solo moniker is an affectionate nickname given to her by the Swedish half of her family. Her new material is enhanced through collaborations with talented friends, including backing vocals on ‘The Keeper’ from Rachael Dadd.
This single arrives with a playful video featuring Maja Lena and made together with her husband Luke Oakley-Smith. Whereas her previous videos were filmed on Super 8, she’s used a VHS camcorder from the 90s on this occasion for the more personal nostalgia attached to family movies from her childhood. The video taking form as a self-portrait enhances the themes of self-reflection inherent in the song.
Maja explains:
"The song name ‘The Keeper’ to me resembles the keeper of the self. It is what I decided to call the album as it summed up a lot of the themes for me. The song itself is about our relationship to ourselves and how we view ourselves. Whether we hold trust in ourselves and if the way in which we strive can ultimately lead to us feeling less satisfied in life."
Maja Lena recently announced details of her debut solo album The Keeper, due 23rd July on Chiverin Records, with the track ‘Birch’ and has since shared a stunning live session version, filmed by Aloha Bonser-Shaw.
The Keeper is an album forged in the fires of fear and self doubt, brought on by setting out on her own musically after years of being part of a collaborative effort. Driven by Maja’s unique vocal delivery and depth of emotion, this record teaches of life challenges and lessons, existentialism, escapism, musings of alternate realms and of our relationships with time.
The recording process for the new material took place under the nurturing gaze of producer and former bandmate Rob Pemberton, who brought his extensive artillery of creative talents to the table to help shape the record into its cogent form. They recorded at Rob's home studio in Stroud, relishing the comfort of familiar surroundings from their time together in Low Chimes.
Maja Lena’s music is therefore not a debut in the traditional sense, yet the latest progression in her musical journey. Her songs here take a shape that is more rounded and mature, without losing an openness and curiosity for sonic exploration.
