Chris DeLine

Following the release of The Interrogation this past March, Mayda is returning with a digital-only EP showcasing a different side of the local pop songstress. The acoustic songs on Eyes On the Water extend back to when Mayda was five and first picked up a guitar; music that comes as a stark contrast to the blazing pop songs that landed her spots on The Rachael Ray Show and Good Morning America.

Reflecting on her first experiences with the guitar, Mayda explains in the following video how a trip to a cabin with her family when she was in the sixth grade would go on to change her forever. Locking herself in her room, the singer recalls how she forced herself to learn Beatles songs on a “beat up classical guitar.” While later taking a crack at formal lessons, Mayda instead took the route of learning to play from mimicking songs she heard on the radio.

The release party for Eyes on the Water will be held at Kings Wine Bar in South Minneapolis next week (Nov. 19 at 9:00 P.M.).

[This post was originally published by City Pages.]