Maya Hawke has opened up about the emotional toll of releasing new music, admitting that she fears the process and often feels exposed when her work finally reaches the public.
Speak with PEOPLE, the 27-year-old singer, who dropped the album Maitreya Corso She didn’t hold back earlier this month when she described how uncomfortable she feels every time she releases a new project.
She said: “It’s always weird. If I’m honest, I hate releasing music.”
Maya continued, “There’s this reference to the self, where it feels so great to write all these personal songs and record them and make them with your friends, but then you have to promote it, and it feels like you’re promoting your diary.”
It takes quite a toll on her as she makes her personal life public, adding, “There’s something that feels really dirty to me, and it’s painful and difficult. No compliment will ever make me feel good, and every insult will hurt.”
The singer went even further and revealed that she doesn’t view album releases as a party at all. “I like to think of it as a funeral for the record rather than a release of it. Because it was yours, it was a living thing that was movable and changeable, and now it’s this frozen dead thing in the world that people can talk about.”
Despite the discomfort, she emphasized that she is still grateful for the listeners who feel connected to her work.
“I’m really happy for people to hear it. I’m super flattered. And I’m so happy to let it go, but I’m terrified while I’m doing it,” Maya Hawke said, thanking her fans despite not enjoying making and releasing music.
