Maija Sofia is an acclaimed singer songwriter from Galway whose 2019 debut album 'Bath Time' was nominated for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize. 

Her second album will be released in 2023, and she plays Tradition Now in the National Concert Hall on June 11th - a two-day event featuring performances from A Lazarus Soul, Landless, Steve Cooney, Hack Poets Gild, Meabh Ni Bheaglaoich and others.

See nch.ie for more.

1. What’s the music that you listened to growing up, that you still listen to today?
ABBA and Fleetwood Mac! And Kate Bush! 

2. In three words, describe the minute before you walk on stage.
Jittery, manic, nervous.

3. How do you wind down after a gig?
I usually need to take a few moments to myself, but then if there are people I know in the audience I want to go down and hug everyone and have a glass of wine and say hello.

4. What’s the one song (by another artist) you wish you’d written or recorded first?
There are infinite songs that I would have loved to have written! But ultimately I'm happy that Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks and everyone else got there first, because otherwise generations of people would never have gotten to hear those bangers. 

5. What is your pet peeve?
I hate when people are arrogant and condescending, and I hate being told what to do.

6. Name one record, one book and one film that everyone should hear / read / see.
Record - ‘West’ - Lucinda Williams 
Book - ‘Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black’ - Cookie
Mueller
Film - ‘News From Home’ - Chantal Akerman 

7. Pick the director and lead actor(s) for a biopic about your life.
I would absolutely die of embarrassment if this ever happened, please do not do this.

8. You’re ordering take-away, what do you get?
Pizza! 

9. Describe your perfect day off.
A sunny morning with cups of tea in bed, some idling hours people watching in a cafe, some time to read, a swim in the ocean, an evening with my friends.

10. Tell us, in one sentence, why we should come to your next gig (whenever it may be.)
It will be in NCH on 11 June and it will be fun and you will get to hear new songs before the record's out.

BONUS QUESTION: Recommend a podcast and tell us why we should subscribe to it.  
I don't really listen to podcasts, but I have recently been listening to lectures on Classical mythology that I found on the Open Culture free courses website.

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See nch.ie for more details and tickets for Tradition Now.