In 2016, after an eight-month period of silence to recover from vocal nodules, award-winning songwriter Heather Mae made a vow: if she was ever able to sing again, she would spend the rest of her career only creating music that made the world a better place. That same year, she independently released her debut EP I AM ENOUGH; the album reached #58 on iTunes Pop Album charts. It was her announcement to the world.
Unfazed by what a typical pop artist today is “supposed” to look like and how the typical pop artist is “supposed” to sound, Mae, whose evocative vocals and rhythmic piano style call to mind artists like Stevie Nicks and Sara Bareilles, creates intoxicating music that tackles complex topics surrounding mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, self-love, racial injustice, social inequality, and women’s rights. Inspired by her own personal experiences and identities – a queer, plus size woman living with Bipolar Disorder – and those of her multifaceted fans with whom she has forged connections throughout her many years of touring across the United States. Mae crafts bold lyrics and unforgettable music about life’s moments–from the quietly chaotic to the explosive.
Her newest project, GLIMMER (out 9/20), is a collection of nine songs supporting one central theme: “Feel To Heal.” Within the grooves of the new album, Mae wrestles with the complexities of existing as a human with mental illness. With each track, she shows she’s nothing less than a powerhouse. In order to tap into her rawest self, Mae wrote each song in the “lows” of her disorder and examined her struggle from every angle in order to create her most sonically adventurous set of recordings yet–and to remind us that we aren’t alone.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for “Be Not Afraid,” the third single from GLIMMER and her tribute to Pride month. The video, directed by Jeremiah Murphy, features J. Harrison Ghee, the star of Broadway musical Kinky Boots, along with other LGBTQ+ dancers and actors. Mae’s emotive vocals convey pain rimmed with hope; as she looks into the camera with a smile in her eyes, we realize the journey has been hard, but she knows that there’s much love to gain by living in truth. The power in her voice escalates and reflects the empowerment experienced through acceptance—not acceptance from others, but acceptance of who she is and who she wants to be. What began as a quiet contemplation resolves in a triumphant declaration.
“The song was finished, I thought,” Mae recalls. “And then after our wedding, my wife and I came face to face with homophobia from someone close to us. I can’t explain that emotional pain. The thing that got us through was our accepting friends and family who looked at us and told us that our love is not wrong. Through that odd juxtaposition of grief and pride, the bridge was written. Our love is not wrong. They’re wrong,” she continues. “’Be Not Afraid’ pays homage to the LGBTQ+ community and the struggles we have faced to be ourselves. There isn’t one way to be LGBTQ+ and I wanted to represent that in my music video,” she adds. “It was a dream to have my friends Ben Watts and J Harrison Ghee star in my music video, as well as Charlii Clark, a fellow AMDA alumni and transgender actress. LGBTQ+ love is so beautiful. That’s all I wanted to capture with this video,” Mae says. “The beauty and bravery.”
Check out tour dates below and visit heathermae.net for more music and info.
6/23 – McCabe’s – Santa Monica, CA
6/25 – Freight & Salvage – Berkeley, CA
6/26 – Michael’s on Main – Soquel, CA
6/29 – Havurah Synagogue – Ashland, OR
6/30 – Tsunami Books – Eugene, OR
7/1 – Alberta Rose – Portland, OR
7/2 – The Triple Door – Seattle, WA
