“When the tour’s over people are gonna be like, ‘Fuck, I wish I went to that!’ The intimacy is going to create exclusivity. Like, afterwards, people are gonna kick themselves for not being there,” says indie pop singer MARIS of her upcoming Give Me A Tour! double-headlining jaunt with Caroline Kingsbury (named for the two’s recent collaboration on MARIS’ “Give Me A Sign”), which kicks off tomorrow night and will have the two burgeoning queer pop icons playing MilkBoy on September 27th. During a recent phone chat, MARIS tells me that the evening will feel like a punk rock show that happens to feature polished pop songs and resemble a hyper-intimate take on one of last year’s biggest tours: “It’s gonna be very collaborative and back and forth. It’s not gonna be a typical co-headlining tour, it’s more like a Sweat tour. Like, I do three songs, Caroline does three songs, we do some songs together…” She also says that this particular live collaboration isn’t something fans can expect to see again: “This is the only time Caroline and I are going to be doing something like this.”
The last time I spoke with MARIS was fall of last year, when the Los Angeles-based artist was on the road supporting NYC indie-soul outfit Melt, which included a stop at our very own Brooklyn Bowl. Undeterred by her opening slot, she put on a headliner-worthy live show inspired by ‘80s aerobics videos and WWE that had her playing the role of an astronaut who crash landed on a planet of party-craving aliens that she appeased with a striptease… (Seriously, read our convo about it…) And, on this first headlining tour of MARIS’, she and Caroline will be offering fans the opportunity to play the role of support: “You guys are our opener! As soon as doors open, that’s when karaoke starts! We just wanted to create a really immersive experience, and I figured that’d break the ice more easily than just watching some other artist.” While all audience members are welcome to sign up to take the stage, first access will be given to those who purchase the VIP package, which MARIS tells me also includes a Meet & Greet, personal photograph with the artists, exclusive fanny pack and sticker pack, signed lanyard, and a Makeup/Glitter Bar Station…
“I have really been obsessed with fan experiences since I’ve been able to meet people and curate things, but a lot of times at shows, I’ll think, ‘I’m not sure this is as immersive as it should be.’ I want this to be like friends getting ready before a show. Like, my girlfriends and I sit around and do our makeup before going out. And we created a gift bag experience, so you can take home the products that you used!”
Although MARIS is yet to release her debut full-length, she has been quite busy since wet met last year. In addition to her collab with Caroline Kingsbury (which began with Caroline DMing her on Instagram and dropped in March), MARIS toured as support for Maude Latour this spring (“Opening for Maude Latour was really incredible and such a fun, beautiful experience, being in so many effervescent queer spaces!”), released follow-up single “Mary + I,” remixed Meg Smith’s “Girls Just Wanna Be Famous” [as “Girls Just Wanna Be Famous(er)”] with our buddy Molly Grace (“I love Meg and I love Molly! Molly is one of my favorite artists and one of my favorite people… also, she always smells amazing, FYI!”), and just last month put out most recent single “IT’S HARD (to be a Man),” a funny AF anthem (“I’ve only played the song twice live, but it’s been kind of fun to hear the giggles at all of the punchlines.”) inspired by her brief stint as a digital sex worker, which features an even funnier music video directed by Grace Stromatt.
“Grace is amazing! I just adore her! My process is always that the songs I’m going to put out instantly evoke a vision, that’s how I know I want to put it out… I had my little Pinterest board, which I always start with… I wanted to do drag, and I wanted to do drag in a way that’s sexually confusing, maybe… a little bit quirky and kinky and sexually confusing [laughs].”
When MARIS and I chatted last year, she told me that she was currently constructing a full-length secretly, based on the demos with the most-played SoundCloud links that she was giving out to fans at her merch tables. At the time, she was hoping to finalize the LP in December, but when I follow-up about the album during our recent chat, she tells me that, while it is very much still in the works, recent collaborations and tour opportunities have taken precedence for the immediate future: “I still want to build my world and build my audience, and the debut album is important. I’m just trying to hustle and grow this thing, but I’m writing every day. It’s a good problem to have, there’s a lot of cool shit going on.”
*Get your tickets here.
