Mayé Live in Santa Ana

I’ve been following Mayé for a couple years now and she’s easily become one of my favorite artists (I even got to see her at the El Rey Theater last year). Getting to photograph her this time around is such a privilege, there’s no better feeling than that as a casual music enjoyer. Mayé’s dreamy vocals, soft-toned music, and the delicate stage lighting will send you to an ethereal space that’ll leave you emotionally vulnerable (That was me, it had me yearning). I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to not only attend, but to chat with Mayé about her show in Santa Ana and gain a little insight on what drives her music.

Mayé is a Venezuelan, Miami raised indie-pop singer songwriter who’s music has gotten her on tours all over the United States, a performance on Tiny Desk, and landed her a spot on Obama’s 2020 summer playlist. Her 2026 tour, “Entre Dos Mundos” with co-headliner Ambar Lucid, gives us some first time song performances from her newest album, Música Para Abrir El Cielo: Act 2.

The one thing I can’t help but do during these shows is dance and vibe out, it’s always a huge plus when the artist encourages it. These types of moments are my favorite things to capture. With that said, the one thing I appreciated about Mayé’s performance was how she shaped her set. It started out with “Y o Me Consiento”, a song that gets you swaying from beat to beat. Building off of that same energy, she tore off the mic and started dancing, silently prompting her audience to do the same. By the midpoint of “Versos de Placer”, the time of this photo, there wasn’t a still person in the pit.

The great thing about tours is that the artist is usually promoting some recently released music that hasn’t been performed yet, a treat for the audience to experience something no one else has. Chatting with Mayé, she mentioned, “I have a couple of new songs that just came out. One is called La Máquina and the other one’s called Favorite Place. Those have been super fun to play because they’re brand new to the band and brand new to me, so it’s like a nice little challenge”. While sitting back and enjoying her performance of “La Máquina”, I noticed she turned to look back at the band. I took that opportunity to take a quick snapshot, and, now knowing that this is one of her favorite songs on tour, it’s that much more meaningful.

For those that have read my articles before, they know I love artist-to-crowd interactions. Amongst my favorite moments from Mayé’s set, her song “Una Medalla” had me fight the urge to put my camera down and join the rest of the crowd. I feel like it’s an unspoken rule that, when you’re at an event or concert, if someone on stage claps, everyone else has to clap too, right? It get’s you hyped up when you get to match the same energy and rhythm as the artist and, for a couple moments, feel like you’re performing with them. During this time, I was actually closer to stage right and was making my way to the back. As soon as I saw her clapping, I knew the crowd was going to do the same, so I rushed to get this photo.

Seeing this photo gives me major post-concert depression. It felt unreal getting to see one of my favorite artists perform so up-close and personal, and it’s crazy that I didn’t have to fight anyone for it. With the privilege I’d been given, I had a responsibility to photograph the artist, audience, and the deep connection between them. To me, Mayé’s finale “Tú” felt like a love letter to all her fans and to the journey she’s taken to get to where she is now. Because of this sentiment, I wanted to make sure to capture the final moments of the song with the audience, the people who brought life to a single artist’s dream.

One of the major goals when I photograph a show is to ensure that the moments I capture express the way I feel when I’m there. Absorbing the feelings that the artist and their music imparts to their viewers is something that’s really important to me; it’s the effort and passion that’s delicately placed into every bit of their performance that inspires me to do the same with my chosen medium. When I asked Mayé what she wants her music to convey, she stated “I just hope that my music can help inspire people to be the best versions of themselves and just show up every day doing their best. I hope it serves as some sort of medicine”. So, if you aren’t already, take that prescription at least twice a day like I am. 

Some words from the artist:

To any artists who are just starting out or any current musicians who are struggling to keep themselves motivated, do you have any advice or words of wisdom to pass on?

“I would say to just be as gentle as possible. I feel like as artists, we always go through different phases, some less creative moments and some more ... so I think it’s just important to be gentle in every phase of being an artist.”

As a bonus question, last year I did have the privilege to watch you perform in L.A. at the El Rey Theater... But I wanted to ask how it felt to perform with your dad.

“It was amazing to perform with my dad. I really miss him this time around in the tour. I kind of really grew very attached to him on the road. It was so nice to be able to see him every night and I knew it was gonna form some sort of void now. Even though he calls me every day and it’s been súper pendiente ...but it was very special. It’s something that I’m never gonna forget for sure."

Fun facts from the artist:

• Mayé’s current pre-show ritual: “...it’s been helping me a lot to just put on my glitter, because it kind of just puts me in the mood to get on stage”
• When asked about some show mishaps: “... in one of the songs that i played the last set, our synth bass stopped working. It kind of made up for a cool moment where it was just vocals only and it felt powerful without it. It was a happy mistake and it ended up working out really cool in the set.
• When asked about her guilty pleasure songs or anything on constant repeat: “I’ve been listening to the new CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso album ... it’s just a banger album ... And then a big tour song that we’ve been jamming to is EoO by Bad Bunny which has been really fun”

Written and photographed by Richardesque