In a solo endeavor at the age of 17, Maria Usbeck moved away from her native Ecuador to pursue a career in music. It took three years to land in Brooklyn as she lived in Buenos Aires, Santiago, Barcelona, Lisbon, Easter Island, Costa Rica, Florida, and L.A. prior. Each of these places was integral in developing her not only as a musician, but also as a person.
Over the course of those nomadic years, she embraced each culture’s musical influence to write and record songs throughout. After plenty of time and multiple bouts of intense homesickness, Usbeck has her first album scheduled to release on May 27 this year.
The album, Amparo, is titled after her mother’s middle name and roughly translates to, “to guide, protect and embrace.” She incorporates several languages, which were picked up during her journey as well as marimba, xylophone, quena flute, piano, and harp.
If “Moai Y Yo,” is any indication for what’s in store with her debut album, we are looking at an absolute gem. This track is stunningly beautiful. Usbeck utilizes every instrument listed above while letting her gentle voice carry the weight of it all. It creates a feeling of wanderlust and comfort that I do not want to let go. I cannot wait to hear more from Maria Usbeck, she very well could become one of the music discoveries of 2016.
SIMILAR SONGS
