Maeta is a new artist who is starting to craft out a path in the world of R&B. The RocNation artist, fresh off her performance of “Through The Night” at the Soul Train Awards touched down in Houston at the House of Blues Tuesday night.
The Indianapolis singer released her debut EP, Do Not Disturb, in 2019 and quickly attracted the powerhouse marketing and management company helmed by Jay Z. Now the singer is a part of a roster of talent that includes Rihanna, Shakira, J. Cole, Benny The Butcher, KenTheMan, Megan Thee Stallion, and, of course, Jay-Z.
While her first album was a series of covers of other artists’ music released on Soundcloud her next EP, Habits, saw her branching out and working with Buddy, BEAM, and KAYTRANDA. The EP was another step on her journey towards her debut album.
When I Hear Your Name, is Maeta tapping into the feel of old R&B and love. In an August interview with BET the singer praised the music being put out by Coco Jones stating, “I think people are embracing love a little bit more now as they should over this whole toxic stuff.”
The result is an album showing the influence R&B, funk, and rock have played in her life. Working with various producers over the past few years, Maeta recorded 100 songs and then began whittling them down to create an album. Now that work is finally getting introduced to the public as Maeta begins touring and performing at awards shows.
So far the response is positive with Maeta back in June announcing a small, nine city tour, with stops in North America and Europe quickly expanding into multiple dates. With production and contributions from Pharrell, KAYTRANDA, The-Dream, SZA, Kehlani and other as well as features from Lucky Day, Ty Dolla $ign, and the Free Nationals, When I Hear Your Name, is Maeta’s offering to R&B.
It’s an offering that fans readily accepted during her show Tuesday night. The Bronze Peacock room of the House of Blues was the perfect setting for the singer who used the intimate space to her advantage. The packed room cheered as her voice reverberated around them, especially at the end of songs like “Control Freak” and “Baby Girl.” There’s something about the peacock room that gives the show a more familial feel so when her microphone gave a little bit of feedback Maeta just laughed it off with the crowd and started asking what was she doing wrong.
She performed songs from the new album but also made sure to do the songs from her earlier EPs to please fans there from the beginning. And while the crowd was excited to see her, Maeta seemed just as excited to see them.
“I’m so happy to finally be doing a show in Houston,” she gushed while laughing again with the crowd. “Here I am in Houston and dressed business casual.”
Wardrobe aside, Maeta’s performance Tuesday night showed what Rocnation, her fans, and collaborators have already seen: she is an artist whose music deserves more attention.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
