Maya Delilah has been developing and honing her sound over the last few years with us here art Capitol & Blue Note to gracefully land exactly where she needs to be: Maya sits in an exciting space of her own in 2024; stylistically between the smooth, skillful salty vibes of Santana, Donald Byrd, Curtis Mayfield, to the versatile, diverse, melodic, genre-fluid dexterity of Tom Misch, Jordan Rakeir, John Mayer, Conor Albert, to the unique one of oneness of brilliant women bringing their beloved genres to a new fresh audience; Laufey, Billie Marten, Lucy Rose – to ultimately artists embracing all parts of their influences to create their own space and voice; Olivia Dean, Beabadoobee, , girl in red. Recording these singles and making the album was a literal journey, from a barn-based studio in Devon, England, to a home studio in Los Angeles, to another in Brooklyn, and back to various rooms across London. All with a cast of friends new and old, including producers Peter Miles, Josh Grant, Doug Schadt, Seth Tackaberry, and Aquilo’s Ben Fletcher and Tom Higham, as well as collaborators including Samm Henshaw, Grace Lightman, members of FIZZ, organist Cory Henry, and drummer Aaron Sterling (Mayer, Taylor Swift, et al.). Sometimes Maya played and sang direct to tape. “This album is a combination of so many parts of me,” says Maya. “I get so influenced by different genres, people, places, and experiences that it’s always felt hard for me to fit my music into a consistent sound or mood. It took me a long time (hence The Long Way Round) to realize that it’s a beautiful thing to have a body of work that explores so many different influences.”