mxlane
Mxlane, our very own singer/songwriter who delivers dreamy synths and vocals in her music, is making her solo debut at 813 Mgmt.’s airlock: launch event next month. With the April 3 event quickly approaching, we sat down with the artist to understand her inspirations and future goals a little better.
What motivated you to go all in with your music?
I’ve always been super passionate about music. I’ve been a singer for as long as I can remember and took piano lessons from ages five to 18. Music was always something that I wanted to take more seriously … but when I went to college to study accountancy, I lost the time and resources I had in high school to make music regularly. In 2021, I had just started a new position at the company I work for and had extra time on my hands — especially as the world started to open back up after COVID. A friend from college reached out to see if I wanted to play keys for his band, and I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to start taking music seriously again. The band, Who Saved Who, gave me insight into the local music scene that I had never seen before. I got experience playing at venues where I had gone throughout college to see some of my favorite artists perform, and I started to realize that my music career had the potential to take off just as those artists had … I just needed to put all of my creative and professional energy into making music. I saw artists I really admire, like Phoebe Bridgers, Jukebox The Ghost, Still Woozy — some of my favorite artists — perform at venues I was now getting to play at and that was the motivation I needed to start making music for myself. I left the band at the end of 2021 to focus on starting 813 Mgmt., with my partner Brian, writing and recording my solo music and building a recording studio to make music in and I haven’t stopped grinding since.
What has been your inspiration while songwriting?
I’ve had a lot of inspiration throughout the songwriting process. From a lyrical perspective, I’ve been trying to pull experience from my most recent life changing events. The first single I wrote digs into the theme of jumping in head first into a new experience and dealing with the pressure that comes with that. When I started writing the single back in November, Brian and I were in the first steps of turning 813 Mgmt. (a management consulting firm for creative artists and entrepreneurs) into an LLC which came with a lot of challenges. That was always top of mind when I was writing so I figured out a way to turn that stress and the experiences that came with it into a song. Writing the single honestly turned into a really healthy way for me to cope with the anxiety I had while going through a new experience and I was able to turn that into something creative and productive. When it comes to the production of the songs I’ve been writing, I’ve been pulling a lot of inspiration from some of the biggest pop artists of our time. I have been listening to songs like Lady Gaga’s “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich”, Madona’s “Secret”, Christina Aguilera’s “What a Girl Wants”, Hillary Duff’s “So Yesterday” and Ke$ha’s “Backstabber” on repeat lately. I’m trying to channel the inner girl boss energy that these artists have and put it into the music that I make.
Do you have an idea of when you will release your EP?
The goal is that my EP will be released by the end of 2022. This is my first time ever releasing music, so I want to make sure I’m putting together a project that has been thoroughly thought out, and clearly expresses who I am as an artist to the audience. There is so much work that goes into releasing music that listeners don’t always think about. From the album cover art, your Spotify artist profile page, music videos, roll out plans … all of it is vital to a successful release, so I’m focusing on getting every piece of it cohesive so the project makes sense as a whole. Like I said before, I want the audience to get a clear idea of who Mxlane truly is. 813 Mgmt., who is managing the release, is focused on getting all these moving parts completed before we set that hard goal of a release date.
Can you give us any insight into what to expect with your EP?
Currently, I am halfway done with writing the EP. What I have so far is upbeat, feel good tunes that will definitely get you dancing. As an indie pop artist, I wanted to create something that sounds different than anything else listeners have heard before, while still resonating with people who like pop music. The producer I’m working with, James Harker, is the lead singer for Columbus-based band Spirit of the Bear, who I’ve always been a big fan of. I first saw Spirit of the Bear opening for a Cleveland band back in 2017, so it's wild that I get to work with James on this EP. I’m so excited that my songs get James’ producer touch because he has already been able to transform these songs into really unique pieces that I think a lot of people are going to enjoy and, hopefully, resonate with in some way.
How do you balance working full-time with launching a music career?
Working full-time while launching a music career and also launching a new company is definitely not easy, but I am fortunate to have a full-time job that is 100% virtual. Working virtually allows me to set up my office in the room next to the music studio I’ve been creating, so I’m constantly surrounded by that creative mindset, which is super helpful for someone who is trying to write songs everyday. The company I work for prioritizes its employees having a work-life balance, which I have been able to perfect over the last few years. I'm super grateful to have a team that is supportive of my goals outside of the work that I do 9-5. Even though I do have a good work-life balance, I am definitely still grinding all the time — whether it be with new 813 Mgmt. initiatives or my personal music career. Overall, I’m excited to share my music with my coworkers … especially since they sit in markets overseas and all across the states!
What are you most excited about for the future of your career?
I’m honestly just excited to get to that point where I finally have a complete project released across all streaming platforms. I'm so excited about the songs that I’ve already completed and I can’t wait to share them with the world. I am so eager to click the share button because I think these songs are really cool and nothing like I’ve ever made before, so I’m really just excited to get my project out into the world and start this journey! If I've learned one thing recently it’s that plans change unexpectedly, yet everything always falls into place. Personally I’ve been growing through a lot of change lately, so mostly I’m excited to see how everything falls into place and what kinds of twists and turns happen until then.
