Get Intimate With mau from nowhere On His Latest Single, Fireflies

In this sombre yet hopeful track, mau from nowhere tells the tale of a young man finding his way in a time of extreme fluctuation.The production starts off with a simple piano and drum combo asmau emulates the feeling of staring at oneself and speaking into a mirror. The piano falls in like droplets of water rippling in a pool. This song creates a deep sense of reflection not only in its lyricism, but in its musical production.

This track is deeply personal. In speaking on his writing process, mau states that he does not contemplate his audience. He instead uses his music as a way to vocalise the conversations he has with himself. In this piece, he speaks of the feelings he felt when he began balancing creating music and working a separate full time job; the growing pains that “pull his knee from its socket”, the “softly spoken lies”  that had him believing that life might be easier than it turned out to be. Despite its personal message, the strong visuals pull us in and keep us locked into the story. The song ends in a conversation with his Cucu (grandmother in the Kikuyu language) in which he tells her of how his music is his way of telling his own stories. This is felt so strongly in this song. He details his visions and plans for his future with hope and optimism while still being vulnerable in contrasting the worry felt around his goals. This story is a telling of the chaos that filled his life and the process of trusting that he will end up where he needs to be.

“Fireflies” was self-produced by mau and mixed and mastered by his long time collaborator Lukorito. It is the lead single off mau’s upcoming album. And what an introduction it is! 

Listen to “Fireflies” here.