What Stranger Things Star Maya Hawke Is Listening to Right Now
Before making her acting debut a couple of years ago in a BBC adaptation of Little Women, Maya Hawke had already clocked countless hours on film sets. The daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, Maya would often tag along with her parents at work, soaking in plenty of behind-the-scenes action. It was on those same sets that she cultivated her love for another art form: music. “Waiting around in the trailer, I grew up singing old folk and country songs with my dad, like Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt, and Willie Nelson,” the 21-year-old tells me over the phone.
Familial ties aside, Hawke is quickly proving to be an entertainer in her own right. She’s best known for her breakout role in the latest season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, in which her brainy character Robin gets swept into the evil happenings of Hawkins, Indiana, becoming an audience favorite in the process. And now that she’s back on set regularly, with time to kill between takes, she’s getting back into music, too.
“When you’re acting professionally, you’re relying on a lot of other people all the time, and that can make you feel really powerless,” Hawke says. “So I started wanting to work on music again. There’s a feeling, an intention, and a clarity that I have when I’m writing poetry or lyrics that I could never have when I’m trying to tell someone how I feel.” Though a full-fledged singing career was never in her original plan (“I’m not talented enough to do that!”), Hawke’s been dabbling in songwriting since she was a tween. To help bring her recent lyrics to life, she called in Grammy Award-winning family friend Jesse Harris, who’s written songs with singers including Norah Jones and Lana Del Rey.
Last week, Hawke released her debut single, “To Love a Boy” b/w “Stay Open,” and she’s currently working on a full-length. Her songs hint at the lovelorn folk she was raised on, driven by gentle acoustic guitars and jazzy embellishments. However, as she talked to us about what she’s currently listening to, it became clear that her personal taste goes beyond traditional singer-songwriter fare.
D12: “My Band” [ft. Cameo]
Maya Hawke: I love Eminem. His music is so angry and thrilling. I think “The Real Slim Shady” is the epic of our time, about the feeling of being like everybody else, but still being an individual—that song always meant a lot to me. With “My Band” [by Eminem’s rap crew D12], it’s kind of the opposite, about the desire to be recognized through your community. Like: “The thing that makes me special is the people I surround myself with. You say you love me, but you don’t even know the name of my band! My band is the most important thing about me!” I love being a part of ensemble performances and collaborating on songs, and I love my family, so there’s something about that song and wanting recognition for your team that I just love. Recently, I’ve been listening to it a lot in the car with my boyfriend.
Jack Kittel: “Psycho”
“Psycho” was originally by Leon Payne, who’s an amazing songwriter, and it’s been covered by Elvis Costello and Jack Kittel. This version was actually shown to me by Jason Schwartzman on the set of this movie I did this summer called Mainstream. It’s just a weird song. I love old country music, and how intense and smart and deep and demented and sad the lyrics can be. I love it when those things feel really truthful and poetic, but also manage to be funny. There’s something about when you can find humor in depth that’s just my favorite thing in the world.
Dido: “White Flag”
This is a really sentimental song for me. My dad put it on a playlist for me when I was a little girl, and we’d play it in the car when we drove around. Then I heard it again a year ago, and it’s a beautiful love song. There’s something really brave about it. I can relate to that feeling of being so in love with somebody that no matter what happens, you’re always going to love them. There’s nothing you can do. You’re going to go down with that ship.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
