Meet MaZz: London’s Hidden R&B Gem Who Deserved the Spotlight Sooner

A candid chat with U.K. singer-songwriter MaZz discussing recording her top hits on her iPhone’s voice recording app and the friends who helped her find her sound and confidence in the music industry.

Melodies and lyrical storytelling crafted in homemade studios and the bedroom of her Southeast London flat continuously capture the soul of R&B beyond the mainstream. With over 3 million streams on her single “with u.” and over 40,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, it’s a wonder why more people aren’t discussing the indie London-based R&B artist MaZz. The 23-year-old independent artist MaZz (aka Marianne Ngassa) – who spends her days working as a barista and is a 2022 graduate from Westminster University – has begun to gain some traction on popular music platforms, with her soothing, poetic voice drawing in a small group of dedicated fans. MaZz, who grew up 60 miles south of London in Canterbury, writes all her own music and describes her own sound as “hard to describe” and experimental, with hints of everything from R&B and jazz to neo-soul, indie, and sometimes dance. She’s been inspired by artists like American singer-songwriter and R&B icon Erykah Badu. MaZz chatted about how her music career kicked off with a click of a pen, the voice recording app on her phone and the small group of friends who’ve helped push her to cultivate her natural talent.

(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.)

Have you always known you were meant to pursue music?

It’s hard to think about. It’s quite funny because I think I always knew when I was younger that I wanted to make music, but I didn’t realize that properly until I was about 18. I did musical theater in lower school but didn’t start making music until 2018. I just started making music with my friend, because my friend was. And then I joined a musical collective called ‘esc’ [also known as escape plan or “@esc.pln” on Instagram]. Some of them produce and some rap or sing, and they really helped me decide that I wanted to be a musician.

How did the group help you discover that this is what you wanted to do?

We help inspire each other. We’ll feature on each other’s songs, and my best friend Phil produced a lot of my songs. On a day of working together, we’ll go to one of our houses and set up a makeshift studio, and usually, we’ll have a couple of songs out of each day. It’s kind of like a writing camp. They really helped me discover my sound and myself to where I could have confidence. I did my first few shows with them and recorded a lot of music with them.

What was the most exciting moment in your career so far when you thought, “This is for real”?

Definitely, with my song “with u.” reaching 3 million streams [on Spotify]. I still haven’t processed that. Also, “angel numbers,” in particular, has gotten a lot of love from people in different countries, like America and France. That, to me, is quite mind-blowing. I think to myself: “People in different countries are actually listening to my music.”

I saw all the love for “with u.” on Spotify. What inspired that song?

[The song] “with u.” was written in 2018, so at the beginning of my career, and people often ask me what and who it’s about. I wrote it with the producer and rapper [who] features on it, Phil. I think we were just reminiscing one summer. It was very much a reminiscent kind of song, just about a love-filled summer and the people we were both with at the time.

So, other than that one, do you have a favorite song of yours? Either one you’re working on or that’s released.

My favorite is probably one I’m working on, which I’ll keep hush. The one I’ve released that’s my favorite is probably Angel Numbers, which came out last year, because [for] that song, I really didn’t think too much about it. I literally wrote it in my room, recorded it on my voice note app on my phone and released it. I didn’t put much thought into the actual release and then a lot of people really liked the song, including myself. I think that’s why I really love it because no overthinking went into it.

So, you write all your own music. Where do you draw inspiration in your life to write the music you put out?

I write about my experiences or what I’m going through. Sometimes, I write about nostalgic circumstances as well. It’s not always what I’m feeling currently, but [also] a feeling that I’m only able to articulate now because sometimes it’s hard to write based on something you’re going through, and it’s easier to write in hindsight. I’ve also written about living in London, that kind of loneliness and busy lifestyle.

Do you perform a lot, and is there a favorite live show that comes to mind?

I do. I’ve done more than 30, I’d say.  I did a show in June of last year, and it was the first time I performed a full set with a band. I love the band I performed with and that was a real core memory. My dad was there, and it was the first time he’d seen me perform live in like 10 years, so it was amazing. And performing with a band is crazy because it makes my music feel so much more full.

So, what do you love so much about music?

“Easy” is not the right word because it’s not easy. But it feels easy when it comes to sitting down and writing a song. That feels easy. There are a lot of particulars of music that are hard, but actually putting pen to paper and writing and singing just feels so natural to me. That’s how I communicate and express myself.

Where do you hope to see yourself in five to 10 years?

That’s a good question because it’s a new moon today, so it’s a good manifestation day. In five years, I’d love to be a full-time musician, touring different places, have my own studio and have a consistent fan base. I’d love to be in a position in my career where I can feel comfortable releasing the music I want to and exploring myself as a musician.