Maya Hawke Releases Debut Singles "Stay Open" and "To Love a Boy"
There were a lot of things to love about Stranger Things 3 (Steve Harrington’s hair and Max and Eleven’s girl-power friendship come to mind instantaneously), but arguably one of the greatest forces to emerge from the popular Netflix series’ third installment is none other than Maya Hawke. As Robin, Steve’s co-worker-turned-sleuthing-sidekick, Maya delivered the perfect mix of sassy cool girl attitude coupled with a profoundly moving character arc. Now, there's even more reason to stan the 21-year-old actor: she’s also a singer, and her first two songs are available to stream right now.
Maya released her first two singles, titled “Stay Open” and “To Love a Boy” on Friday, August 16. Both songs have a gentle, folksy feel to them, with minimal instrumental background, allowing Maya’s rich vocals to shine through. As noted by Uproxx, Maya’s singles were co-written and produced by Jesse Harris, who has previously collaborated with Nora Jones, Lana Del Rey, and Conor Oberst.
The Stranger Things star initially teased her musical debut on Instagram, while also announcing that she’ll be performing at the Sultan Room in Williamsburg on August 21.
In an interview with Refinery29, Maya revealed that she’s working on an entire album “full of love songs,” but she chose to release “Stay Open” and “To Love a Boy” now for a special reason. “These two are really interesting to bring together as an A-side B-side because one is really about the desire to fall in love,” she explained. “The other one is sort of more grounded in the reality of being in love.”
Maya went on to explain that music is an emotional outlet for her — one that she could produce on her own terms. “The nice thing with music in the last three years alongside the acting work I've done is that I didn't have to wait for anyone’s permission,” she told Refinery29. “I could work on a song in a trailer while I was waiting to go on. The months I just spent just waiting to get a part, I’ve been able to work on this. It has given my life some structure and purpose so that I'm not just waiting around and losing my mind and crying.”
Listen to Maya’s first two songs below!
Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Steve and Robin Almost Had a Totally Different Ending on Stranger Things
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
