Ni Maxine Talks Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2025 And More
Words by Glenn Sargeant
Photo Credit: Supplied By Baxter PR
Awarding-winning British neo-soul vocalist Ni Maxine will be performing at Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2025 on Saturday 3rd May 2025. She chatted to us about the performance and more:
When did you begin songwriting?
I always find this really tricky to answer, because I can’t remember. My sisters and I used to write songs when we were kids, but it wasn’t really something I started taking a bit more seriously until much later and I still have a way to go. When I was living in London (around 2018), I was working in a really stressful job and I’d spend time with my partner and a friend of ours who made beats. It was a really good way to process some of the trauma I had been suppressing. It became a form of therapy in that time, when I really needed it. Fast forward to 2019, I move to Liverpool, then lockdown happens and the need for therapy becomes all the more apparent and necessary, so songwriting swoops in and saves me!
What is your earliest musical memory?
I think it was a Christmas nursery trip to the airport to ‘meet Santa’… On the coach on the way there/ on the way back, Brand New Heavies ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ came on, on the radio and became embedded in my brain. I didn’t know what it was until much later, but I still love this song, SO much!
You will be performing at Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2025 on Saturday 3rd May 2025 in the Jazz Arena. Have you ever attended the festival before either as an audience member or as a performer? How are you feeling about the show?
I’m super excited to return to Cheltenham a year on from my performance on the ‘Free Stage’. It was such a packed out tent after being listed as ‘Programmer’s Pick’ and getting a mention on Jamie Cullum’s ‘Jazz Show’. People were coming up to me afterwards saying they were coming because Jamie had told them to, it was all very surreal. It was so amazing to see some of my favourites who were also playing, Dee Dee
Bridgewater among them!
You released your debut single ‘Strange Love’. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?
It feels like that came out a million years ago, and so much has changed since then. I was watching Michaela Coel’s series, ‘I May Destroy You’ and I saw so much of myself in the experiences that her character had in the show (projection 101). But, it really moved me, and forced me to confront so many things about my life. From this confrontation, ‘Strange Love’ was born.
It’s about how we a dropped into a stormy sea of love with no compass for navigation, and almost drown before we realise that we need to focus on securing the life-jacket of ‘self-love’. Indulge me with this metaphor, I’m absolutely exhausted writing this on a very busy and late train… BUT on a more serious note, love can be so complex, it can be so entangled with self-worth, validation, lust, pain. I wanted to process lots of experiences and create something which made people feel seen, as well.
In addition, you will release your debut EP ‘Mother’s Arms’. How did you want to approach the making of the EP?
Yes, it’s almost ready for your ears! It is the first time I’ve ever put together a project. I knew what I wanted to say, I wanted to start to tell my story, and let people know what I’m all about, but needed to find the right environment to create in and my sound. I have self-studied a lot of jazz records from Betty Carter’s ‘Inside Betty Carter’ to Roberta Flack’s ‘First Take’ and it was important to me that my project reflected the times thematically and used the technology of the times, creating a new kind of ‘jazz’ that’s really accessible to people and feels current, but also timeless. That’s what we were going for.
Where did you record the EP and who produced it?
Most of the EP was recorded at home, in Liverpool, between my dining room and my bedroom, believe it or not, and my producer TEE’s studio in London, in Hackney which felt like a home from home for a time.
My partner Kieran, TEE and I shared some really emotional moments through this process. There has been a lot of soul-searching and re-writing and ranting, but I’m so pleased with how it has turned out. I get really emotional when I listen to the songs.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the EP recording sessions?
Goodness me, it’s all a bit of a whirlwind, to be honest, it happened over a period of about a year (we had so much to juggle) but NOTHING beats the moment where you’re struggling to finish a song and everything suddenly falls into place. Remind me to journal through the making of the album.
Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?
It was all very much a ‘work with what you’ve got’ situation in terms of instrumentation. We borrowed
some mics from a friend in Liverpool to record my upright piano at home, and our congas, and what I like
to call ‘kitchen percussion’ when you gather utensils and objects from the kitchen (and around the house)
which make gorgeous percussive sounds.
Was it a difficult EP to write?
Yes, it was difficult to write, mainly because it’s the first time I’ve really ever done something like this.
These songs have been evolving with me over the past few years and we’ve worked with a few different producers and tried a few different approaches before landing here. It really has been a trial and error process, finding the words to say what I want to say, finding my sound, finding my people, finding my formula, but I think we have landed. I am so grateful to every single person who has been on this journey.
Which of your new EP tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
Oooo, great question! My happiest track has got to be ‘Freedom’ – I guess the clue is in the name. It’s like, you’ve been on this journey with me and felt the weight of my trauma and then we find our freedom together, and everything opens up.
What comes next, I wonder? Angriest? ‘Not For Me’, definitely. You really feel the rage in this one, but I’ll have to let you hear it before you can let me know.
Most reflective?
That’s tricky. ‘Time’ is pretty reflective and leads to ACTION but ‘Mother’s Arms’ the title track is probably the most reflective one. It’s very nostalgic and delves into the relationship that (I’m sure) lots of mother/ daughter duos experience. My favourite lyrics are ‘You showed me how you grew so I could plant me next to you and wrap my arms around your past’… I think that says it all really. I always tear up when I think
about this song. I’m really glad that I have a great relationship with my mum!
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
I want people to start thinking about how they spend their time and to feel empowered to walk away from situations/ environments which are harming them, to be inspired to find freedom and make changes in their world.
Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
I used this gorgeous chrome SE mic the other day in Leeds, when I was on tour with Lynda Dawn, and fell in love with the look and sound of it, so hopefully I’ll be able to bring one of them on the road with me soon…
Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
I was born in London, raised in Bristol and I’m a Liverpool girl now, so I’m not sure which one to call my hometown, but since Liverpool is the place I feel most at home, I’ll go with that!
Liverpool in 5 words…
Bold, Friendly, Steady, Luxurious, Evolving
How do you look after your voice?
I must get better at doing this, but I drink lots of Manuka honey with fresh lemon and ginger, I drink apple juice and I don’t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. I rarely go out, and if I do, I try to be very picky about the types of environment I end up in. I don’t want to be somewhere so loud that I lose my voice shouting over the music.
I’m getting better at warming up my voice before I sing but do generally need someone to hold me to account for this, at the moment. Work in progress!
You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?
‘Manny And The Baby’ by VARAIDZO because it’s about Liverpool, jazz and the Black British experience
and one of my best friends wrote it. It’s a beautiful read, and I’m not just saying that!
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
I raised on a musical diet of R&B gospel, reggae, rare grooves, soul and jazz. From Angie Stone to Althea & Donna to Erykah Badu to Earth, Wind & Fire to The Brand New Heavies, music with soul was always a staple in the house growing up. I later discovered Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Betty Carter and Billie Holiday, great ‘jazz’ vocalists who often shared a message in their music and inspire me to this day. More
contemporary artists that inspire me are Corinne Bailey Rae, KOKOROKO and BINA. You should definitely go and listen to all of them!
Do you have any further live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025?
Yes, I’ll list them below, but all of my upcoming live dates and tickets are available on my website here:
www.nimaxine.com/live
Cheltenham Jazz Festival – Saturday 3rd May 2025 (Full Band)
London – Headline – The Elgar Room at The Royal Albert Hall – Thursday 8th May 2025 (Full Band)
Liverpool – Headline – Upstairs at LEAF – Sunday 11th May 2025 (Full Band)
Norwich Jazz Festival (Ebi Soda Support) – Saturday 17th May 2025 (Acoustic)
Leeds Jazz Festival – Friday 23rd May 2025 (Full Band)
Who is in your touring band?
My touring band varies depending on who is available for what gig – I tend to work with session musicians but it’s nice to have musicians I know I can go back to each time.
What makes Ni Maxine happy and what makes you unhappy?
Waking up early with the sun makes me happy. Good quality food in a lovely setting makes me happy.
Seeing people suffer makes me unhappy as well as being in spaces that are too loud, bright and dirty!
Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Baxter PR
Ni Maxine will perform at Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2025 on Saturday 3rd May 2025 at The Jazz Arena.
Tickets are available here: https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/events/showcase-maya-delilah-ni-maxine
For more information on Ni Maxine visit her official website here: https://www.nimaxine.com/
