When I’m feeling down or sad, Ed Maverick's songs brings me comfort and inspiration; they offer insight into human relationships to which many can relate. Hailing from the small town of Chihuahua in northern Mexico, it took him less than a year to become Spotify's most shared artist.
His 2018 debut album, Mix Pa Llorar en Tu Cuarto (Mix to Cry in Your Room), was so successful it led to his first world tour. In his latest album, Eduardo, he discusses the effect of overnight fame and everything that follows, including his personal complexes, overthinking, complicated relationships, and his father. He is an artist not afraid to expose himself.
“I don't make music with the intention of getting people to identify with it. This album represents me and my thoughts in the moment. I guess a lot of us just make music the way we imagine, like a painting, a landscape, a reference to something you want to see but can't see right now. I go into the studio and do whatever I feel. I don't really consider the consequences."
The first part of Eduardo focuses on introspection, the second part on how one feels about the world and how the world reacts to our existence.
“It's a conundrum for me, how I perceive the world and how the world perceives me. Sometimes we feel that we are important in this world but then realise that we are not,” Ed says, clearly in a reflective mood. “I've been struggling with all of these existential issues for a long time. About fame and what it implies. At the end of the day, I've realised that I need to focus on what I want to do. It’s music; anyone can hear and enjoy it, and that's all that matters."
Eduardo was released in March 2021, but Ed began writing songs in 2019. "The pandemic hadn't yet begun, and I finished it around February or March 2020, just a month before the first lockdown."
The album has the qualities of a story. Or, as Ed puts it “the culmination of four miserable years.” Gracias, in particular, he says, does not bring back pleasant memories of his father.
"When I was 12, I stopped talking to my father, and we drifted apart. He still calls me now and then, but I've always struggled to respond to his calls. I don't want to pick it up most of the time," Ed confesses with unusual candour. "But there was a time when I was so overwhelmed with my lifestyle that when he called, I answered. Imagine how bad I was that I responded to my father. And when I told him how I felt, he said, my son, you chose this career, this life.You no longer have control over your image. You are not you; you are persona for society. It made me feel uncomfortable and sad."
The level of uninvited honestly takes me aback as Ed explains his inspirations for his new album; fame, relationships, and mental health issues he’s had to deal with since becoming a professional musician at the tender age of 14.
"I think I knew this was the job I wanted," he jokes. “But I've always been afraid of reaching the summit and realising, 'Wow, what if this isn't what I want to do with my life?'" Even when things were going well, I had this feeling."
When Ed was 14 years old, he auditioned for his high school art show and began playing in a school band thanks to his drumming skills. Throughout his middle and high school years, he was primarily involved in norteño groups.
"Being a musician is considered to be an unworthy occupation in our society, so saw it as a hobby. In addition, my family had a musician already in Jose Luis Rodriguez, my cousin, who was always the one who got instruments and was asked to sing. So, I tried to be the one who draws or dances. I was the kid who listened to Gorillaz and other English music."
Not yet thinking of a professional career as a musician, even though he was playing in bars as a teenager, Ed also began working at a local radio station after discovering independent music such as Little Jesus, Señor Kino, and Juan Cirerol, whom he considers a figure of reference from the early days of alternative Spanish music.
But he soon realised, he wasn't cut out for being an employee after an 'incident' at the radio station. He was being coached on the radio, he explains, and one day, he suggested this new Mexican genre for the radio.
“My boss at the radio became upset and yelled at me. He was rude, and I had no interest in returning. So I started my solo project and everything started to happen for me after that, the owner of the radio station called me to apologise. I said thanks, but bye!”
It didn't take long after that incident for success to coming knocking. He was in several bands by the age of 17 and was already playing more alternative music in posh bars, but he wasn't often hired.
“That’s when I thought to myself, why don't I start writing my own songs? I started making something for myself, and it was really cool to meet other artists who were working on the same thing.”
Ed was in his senior year of high school when he decided to organise his own tour.
"I left high school to tour with my mom and my school's full support," Ed admits. "I dropped out because I wanted to do things right. It didn't take long for my YouTube channel to go viral, and I went on tour after releasing my first album with Universal Music."
"I'm still having trouble because of how quickly things moved. I still find it strange that people recognise me on the street. I find it strange how people idealise the life of someone they don’t know. If you want to take a picture with me or of me, at least start a conversation before asking, so that we both appreciate the moment more."
Ed Maverick will be performing at The Jazz Cafe on Thursday, July 21. Tickets here
