Melbourne Māori pop powerhouse Mareya is back with a brand new single. So far in her career, the rising star has shared stages with The Jungle Giants and The Veronicas, built impressive streaming credentials and seen some virality on social media.
In her latest single, ‘ADHD & Me’, she brings fun-filled songwriting to a track that still gets the right amount of candid nuance it deserves. She details her experiences pre- and post-diagnosis, sharing in particular the relief when everything falls into place.
“‘ADHD & Me’ is a song that encapsulates the ADHD experience while also touching on the sense of freedom I had when I finally knew what was going on with me. Knowing the reasons why I did the things I did allowed me to lift a lot of self-blame off me for being the way I am. I finally had an explanation and it was like a lightbulb moment for me.”
Within the glorious pop energy, there’s an expressive catharsis. Roaring guitars retain a powerful firework of vibrance whilst arpeggiating synths and reverberating drums support.
At the centre is Mareya herself, her songwriting and performance is a mix of glamorous, colourful and charming. It’s a feel-good anthem made out of something difficult.
She shares, “I wanted fellow ADHDer’s to at least have something upbeat and feel good to bop to transmute its heaviness. I also feel that the choice I made here expresses the hyperactivity that comes with the type of ADHD I and many others have. I chose to have a slow and softer bridge section to honour the pain, sadness and frustration that comes with living with ADHD”
Listen to ‘ADHD & Me’ here…
