Ethan Hawke Proudly Cheers on Daughter Maya as She Releases Two 'Gorgeous' Debut Singles
Fans of Stranger Things got the chance to hear Maya Hawke hilariously belt “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in a fan-favorite scene opposite Joe Keery, and now the actress is releasing music of her own that’s decidedly less Muppet-inspired.
Hawke, 21, released a pair of folky singles on Friday titled “To Love a Boy” and “Stay Open,” both of which will be included on her as-yet-untitled debut album.
The songs, which both clock in at just over two minutes, incorporate minimal production, instead featuring gentle guitar melodies that showcase Hawke’s voice.
The actress told Vogue that she wrote “To Love a Boy,” about wanting to feel the same way about a man as she does about the ocean, when she was hoping to fall in love, and that “Stay Open” came a year and a half later, when she’d finally fallen in love.
A post shared by Maya Ray (@maya_hawke) on Aug 9, 2019 at 9:44am PDT
“That song was much more based in reality, the practical experience of opening your heart to another person, and really allowing them and accepting them into your life,” she told the outlet.
Hawke wrote the songs’ lyrics, while the music was written by Jesse Harris, who has previously worked with stars like Norah Jones.
RELATED: Maya Hawke Says She Celebrated Her 21st Birthday with Mom Uma Thurman and a ‘Homey’ Dinner
Dad Ethan Hawke, 48, celebrated the releases on Instagram, sharing a photo of the album art and writing, “These two gorgeous new songs released yesterday by @maya_hawke. Check them out on Spotify and iTunes. Album to follow.”
The music comes at the end of a breakout summer for Hawke, who skyrocketed to fame in July as Robin on season three of Stranger Things. She also had a brief but memorable role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, following in the footsteps of mom Uma Thurman, who has long served as the director’s muse.
RELATED: Maya Hawke on the ‘Biggest Advantage’ of Having Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke as Parents
Hawke told Vogue that while she’s loved music her entire life, and would frequently sing alongside her dad to songs by Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, she was always lasered in on the poetry aspect of it.
“I never had any ambition or real pride in my musical ability. I never had a knack for music. It was never easy for me. I never had the best voice, but I’ve always had a real, great passion for poetry,” she said. “It seems to me, in this day and age, that the best way to communicate and translate poetry is through music.”
She also noted that acting remains her “first love and focus,” and that while she hopes to incorporate music into her acting jobs, she will not be pursuing a pop music career.
