Making music Overseas-based Guyanese singer Maiko Watson is inspired by life

Award winning singer/songwriter Maiko Watson brings a fresh take on soul music. The Guyanese artiste’s sweet vibes have earned her numerous awards and this has motivated her to continue to up her game in the music industry.

Watson left Guyana when she was just a few months old. Growing up, as she continually learnt about her heritage she appreciated it even more. At age 13, she first returned to her homeland. Here she had many fond memories of meeting her cousins, since she and her sister did not have much of an extended family in Canada.
“We clicked with our cousins immediately and were playing as if we had known each other our whole lives. It felt that way meeting all of our family in Guyana. It was a very warm and welcoming feeling,” she reminisced in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine.
Watson has been singing for as long as she can remember. She began writing songs over instrumental music at age twelve. She earned her first moment in the spotlight while still in her teens, beating out over four thousand young women to become a member of “Sugar Jones”, a girl group spawned from reality TV show “Popstars”. “Sugar Jones” debut album went platinum and had two top ten singles on the Canadian Charts.
Subsequently, Watson won a radio contest and had the chance to write and produce her first solo album, which she released independently. The artiste said it was something she dreamt about for a long time.
“It came to the point where I realised that there was nothing else I wanted to do. I was in university but I couldn’t focus because music was always in the back of my mind. I was always writing, meeting with different producers, and trying to get my foot in the door. I decided to take a year off school to pursue music fulltime, and that’s when things really started happening for me,” she recalled.
Her debut album, “Sweet Vibration” took home Best Urban Album at the breakout West Awards. Whether performing with a band or minimal instrumentation, her radiant sultry voice shines through- delivering a powerful, earthy, organic sound that sets her apart from the rest.
Influenced by artists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sade, David Bowie and Bjork, Watson fuses elements of disco, du-wop, jazz and rock, creating a sense of nostalgia while remaining well ahead of her time. A dynamic performer who has been on the stage since elementary school, she puts her heart and soul into every show and knows how to rock a crowd.
Her music has continued to spread steadily across the globe, being featured on a number of blogs throughout North America, the UK, France, and has been widely downloaded via torrent. Highlights included being featured on BET’s Soul Session, The Paul Miller Soul Show on BBC and CBC, as well as placing songs on MuchMusic’s Degrassi and the UK-based Soul Unsigned: The 2010 Summer Session compilation.
Watson has visited Guyana about three times, and has had the chance “to jam” with some of the musicians at the Sidewalk Cafe. She mentioned that she sings a lot of jazz music in Canada and “it was nice to have the chance to play those standards in Guyana.”
“Life inspires me- the hardships and the triumphs. Everything. I take the everyday circumstances and try to make something beautiful out of them. What motivates me is making music that makes people feel good. That gives people comfort when dealing with life. My advice to the youths out there is if music is your dream, be prepared to work hard, because this industry is very competitive and challenging. If you have access to the internet, then try to get your music online. YouTube is another great way of getting discovered as an artist. Keep hustling and keep your eyes open to the possibilities. Above all, know who you are and never compromise your integrity for anyone,” she encouraged.
Watson continues to write and perform and is currently working on her second solo album.