Ria Mae

Halifax-based songwriter Ria Mae knows there is a flipside to every coin. She calls both heads and tails on her EP, Between the Bad. Mae prides herself on telling it like it is. Her narrative-driven songs explore love, loss, forgiveness and redemption. Between the Bad is a five-track EP recorded at Spaces Between Studios, produced by Mae and Don McKay. “I’ve always been really affected by other people’s feelings,” says Mae. “When I was young I could tell when people were feeling a certain w...

Halifax-based songwriter Ria Mae knows there is a flipside to every coin. She calls both heads and tails on her EP, Between the Bad. Mae prides herself on telling it like it is. Her narrative-driven songs explore love, loss, forgiveness and redemption. Between the Bad is a five-track EP recorded at Spaces Between Studios, produced by Mae and Don McKay. “I’ve always been really affected by other people’s feelings,” says Mae. “When I was young I could tell when people were feeling a certain way even without any outward expression. I would often take it on as my own feelings.” Akin to a character sketch, “Amy,” conjures a woman in the midst of finding herself, carving out her inner strength. Themes of patience and perseverance swell on “Waiting,” accompanied by stunning string arrangements. Mae doesn’t have answers but she certainly asks “Questions,” a pop song ode to longing and heartache. The album’s title track “Between the Bad,” is a piano ballad that navigates the space between emotional extremes, while “Could You Forgive Me,” turns an inward eye on the internal queries that haunt us all. “I always let the melody steer the words and see where that goes,” she says. “I don’t write words in a notebook. I don’t write my ideas down anywhere. If it stays in my head strong enough for me to remember it, then I know its right. If not, it wasn’t good enough.” When she’s not sharing the stage with acclaimed performers such as Amelia Curran, The Cliks and Hidden Cameras, Mae lends her talents to the screen. She recently starred as Emily, a renegade homeless musician in Snow, a film written and directed by Rohan Fernando.