‘Vulnerable & Experimental’: Maina Doe To Showcase New Direction With Liminal Set

Nu-soul sensation Maina Doe will perform tomorrow night as part of Sydney Opera House’s brand new music film series, Liminal.

Ahead of the exciting offering, we caught up with Doe to discuss the upcoming performance and more.

How were you approached to be a part of this project? What was your initial reaction?

"I found out through my manager that I had been asked to be part of this project and my initial reaction was disbelief. I think it was hard to fathom at the time that my first gig back from lockdown was at the Opera House."

What can you tell us about what you’re planning to bring to the performance space?

"I want to fill the space with melody and movement and light - I envision this show to be a new interpretation of my set, fit for the new chapter I feel I have just entered and touched a more vulnerable, experimental side of me. All brought to life with some of Sydney's best musicians, who I'll be playing with for the first time - musicians I deeply respect and admire."

How has being involved in something like Liminal affected your perspective on creating music/art?

"This would be my first time performing and leading original music within a film format and I definitely felt more empowered to change up my sets into more interpretive structures instead of running the set in the same way as I would every show and I learned a lot about the art of creating intimacy in a space where the audience isn't actually present during the performance."

What was your thought process for bringing your music to life visually?

"I was quite nervous actually. There's already something about being on camera versus being witnessed in real life that makes me want to deliver with more precision and then add the fact that I hadn't seen anyone outside of the household in months... oh, boy."

How was performing for the screen different to performing live?

"Digital performances always shift my focus from an energy exchange with audiences towards a more direct effort into creating a piece of work that can be revisited and felt. I needed to do what I could to make it feel as raw as I actually felt in the moment instead of riding the many waves of excitement and interactions that I usually get fed by the audience."

What lessons and ideas did you take from this that you might use for your own
 projects hereon?

"I just loved how me and my band members were able to create different versions of the music I usually play and I definitely feel more compelled to explore so many different ways to execute the music and let it take many forms depending on what we're trying to offer people."

If this project were to continue, who would you like to see take part next and why?

"I would love to see Play CD (Melbourne based) take on this project because I really believe in the hard work she puts in to create beautiful music and I see her as a great example of originality and authenticity in the R&B space."

What does ‘liminal’ mean to you?

"When I think of ‘liminal’, I think of unfilled space, some sort of void. I think of uncertainty and transformation."

What are you working on for 2022?

"2022 is an exciting one for me because I plan on releasing lots of music from February onwards with an amazing team, doing lots of incredible shows and levelling up even more in the creative pursuit of making sounds and telling stories that are undeniably unique to me."

Maina Doe plays as part of Sydney Opera House's new music series, Liminal - tomorrow at 8pm. Read more about the project here.