Music > Interviews

Maple Ward

22/04/24

Since June of last year, Norwich Puppet Theatre has been home to an incredible gig series which celebrates the talent from our local music scene- ‘ReWork’- with local musicians, duos and bands being able to put their own spin on hits from musical icons such as Bowie, Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles. 

This Friday, Althea Rose, Damp Matches, Jack and the Giants and Maple Ward will be taking to the stage of the Puppet Theatre, as they rework the hits from Paul Simon! 

A few weeks ago, I caught up with Maple to discover how her journey as a musician begun, how she was feeling ahead of the gig this Friday, as well as her plans for the rest of the year! 

When did your journey as a musician begin?

   
I’ve enjoyed singing from an early age - in primary school I loved being in the choir. But as I got older, singing took a backseat and I have only started to pursue music in the last few years. It was around the lockdown period that my boyfriend let me have the acoustic guitar he never used. I taught myself to play through YouTube videos, and after that, I started songwriting. Songwriting became a hugely cathartic process for me, it helped me to process and connect with my emotions. Sometimes I’d write a song and it wasn’t until afterwards that I’d realise how I was really feeling about something. It really helps me to make sense of the mess in my mind.   
 
How would you describe your music? 

  
As I mentioned earlier, my songs come from a vulnerable place; the lyrics are usually quite raw and I try to keep them feeling honest. I still feel like I’m on a journey of finding my sound. But as my voice is my main instrument, I like this to be at the forefront of my songs, with my guitar as more of an accompaniment to it. I take vocal inspiration from folk legends such as Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny. But a lot of the music I consume comes from a more indie/contemporary folk frame (Adrianne Lenker is my hero), which I think can be heard in my music.  
  
Where do you look for inspiration for your music?  

 
My inspiration for my music tends to come from everyday experiences, really. My songs explore themes such as love and friendship, but ultimately stem from me trying to understand my inner and outer worlds. If I’m feeling stuck, usually a good walk in nature helps me to feel grounded and can help spark some ideas. Also, going to watch other artist’s gigs often leaves me feeling super inspired!   
  
Describe your creative process? 
  
There’s not one set way that I go about writing songs. I’ve heard advice about writing regularly to exercise the songwriting muscle. To be honest, I’m not great at having a disciplined writing practice and I tend to write when I get a spark of inspiration or an instinctive need for an emotional outlet. Something I have noticed though, is that I can feel creative when I’ve got other things that need to be done. For example, I’ve got lots of uni work to do with pressing deadlines coming up - which has led me to be super productive in spouting out some new songs this week. So I guess my process is sometimes a little procrastination induced, but it's a creative procrastination, so probably fine! 

  
Also, I tend to struggle with my mental health quite a lot, and early on I tried writing when I was really going through it - but realised soon enough that doesn’t work for me. I probably was romanticising the idea of a ‘struggling artist’ but actually I can’t get creative or sustain my musical endeavour if I don’t keep on top of the little things that keep me well. So this is really important for my creative process. I’ve not mastered it - but I am at the very least noticing my inner critic for what it is when it arises - and not recognising it as the voice of truth.   
 
What inspired you to get involved with ReWork?

   
I have been to a few ReWork shows and just absolutely loved them, the nights have been really inspiring. The standard is really high! Which is why when I saw an ‘apply to play’ post on ReWork’s Instagram, to be totally honest, as much as I wanted to, a lack of self-belief stopped me from applying. When I received a message from them inviting me to perform though, I was just so stoked, excited, scared, all the emotions! I’m really looking forward to it though, it’s going to be a great one.  
  
Are you a fan of Paul Simon?   

Absolutely. Being such a fan of Paul Simon’s work was another reason why I was so pleased to be involved with ReWork. Growing up, I didn’t do a huge amount of active listening to music and my parents didn’t really influence my tastes. So I tended to listen to a lot of pop music or whatever was on the radio station in the car. It wasn’t until I began songwriting that my partner suggested that, if I'm going to do this, there’s some people I should listen to. It was like I finally got the music education I needed, haha. This started the shift in my music taste away from pop music and into folk. Amongst the greats on the list like Dylan and Cash, was Paul Simon, and I just loved his songs. I’ve never looked back since discovering him - it’s crazy to me now that I’d never listened to his music until the past few years, because now I can’t imagine not knowing it.  
  
How do you plan on reworking the music of Paul Simon?  
  
It’s been a challenge! Particularly as one of the songs I’m playing is a Simon and Garfunkel song - which has a folky sound with acoustic guitar and vocals. So genre wise, this is in a similar lane to me already and I’ve found it difficult to make it feel like a ReWork, rather than a cover. In the end, I reframed my way of thinking around it, and tried to ReWork the songs so that they felt ’Maple Ward’ and sat nicely alongside the original songs I’ll be playing.  

 
The other song is a Paul Simon classic, which I've reworked by totally stripping it back - I'll be singing it a cappella! I initially attempted to play it on guitar - but the chords were quite jazzy and I struggled to get it to sound right. I was chatting to a few different people and they all suggested I sing it a cappella instead. My instant reaction was that I didn't know if I would pull it off, but I'm going to be brave and give it a go! I'd also just so happened to have been recently rewatching Joni Mitchell's live performance of her a cappella song 'The Fiddle and the Drum' on YouTube, which I just find so powerful - so maybe the seed was planted there! I felt inspired by the emotion that can be portrayed when the instrumentation is stripped away.   
  
Do you have any pre and post show rituals?

My pre show ritual is usually just a vocal warm up! I don’t have any particular post show rituals, but I do love to have chats with people that come up to talk to me afterwards.   
  
What is your favourite element of the music scene/ community of Norwich? 

 I had never really performed live before I moved to Norwich in 2021. I started going to open mic nights around the city, and I absolutely loved that there is such a supportive and welcoming community here. It felt like a really safe space to hone my craft and test out material. I then found that through word of mouth, I managed to start getting my name around and this led to gig opportunities - which is so cool! Considering I am still early in my journey as a musician, I am thankful for the platform Norwich’s music scene has given me. I’ve also been introduced to some incredibly talented people and found some of my new favourite artists here.  
  
What power does music hold? 

I think that music holds the power to connect us. We use music to create, protest, grieve, worship and show love - to name a few! It's an intrinsic part of being alive, of being human.    
  
Have you got any plans for 2024?   

Last Summer, I went pretty hard with taking on gigs and trying to get my performance experience up. I have got some cool gigs lined up, but my goal for 2024 has shifted, and this year I plan on focusing on getting some recordings of my songs down. I’ve found recording to be quite a testing process, but I’m slowly learning what works for me. I tend to feel the pressure in traditional studio settings, so I’ve been recording in different environments (including creating a home setup) and working with new people to try and find out what lends to me feeling the most relaxed during the process. Hopefully this will lead to some new releases soon!    

And, if you want to keep up to date with the work (and amazing music!) of Maple, then you can head to her Instagram (@maplewardmusic)!