PUMA has joined forces with one of the UK’s hottest new talents, Mae Muller, to launch its latest Mayze sneaker. Hailed as a ‘pop sensation in the making’, Mae has continued to level-up over the past few years—having already opened up for Little Mix on their 2019 tour and worked with One Direction star Liam Payne, Mae has steadily been cementing her status as one of London’s most exciting names in music.
As part of PUMA’s She Moves Us movement, the #MyMayzeCrew campaign sees the singer-songwriter bring five of her talented friends into the spotlight with her, championing women in the music industry whose vital work behind the scenes is often overlooked. Mae’s Mayze crew includes Jaime Jarvis (stylist), Zara Ali (make-up artist), Hanya Fathi (best friend and music PA), Prinny Rae and Amber Leaux (friends and podcasters).
PUMA continues to recognise the importance of those who contribute to the magic of making music, both in front of and behind the camera. Through this new campaign—shot by women, for women—Mae Muller opens up about her journey in the lead up to her new album, which is due out this summer.
To celebrate the release of the campaign, we caught up with the rising star to talk through the highs, the lows and the hard graft of making it as a woman in the music industry and her work with PUMA—a brand she’s loved since she was a kid growing up in North London.
COMPLEX: How did this partnership with PUMA come about, and how much influence did you have on making it come to life?
Mae Muller: I’ve always liked PUMA. I used to wear all the time when I was younger, so there was always that connection there. They actually reached out to me first, and they basically just explained the idea for the campaign. Straightaway I was like, “I love it!” The campaign on the whole just sounded like a real natural fit for me.
How did growing up in London help shape your identity and musical style?
It’s everything to me. I’ve grown up in pretty much a one mile radius of London my whole life, so my style and my self-expression is very much influenced by what I’ve seen in that space. Amy Winehouse grew up just up the road from me in Camden, for instance, and having that sort of energy in the air around here definitely shaped my outlook on life and music. With my music, I like to sing how I talk—it’s very conversational, and I use some of my slang in my lyrics. There’s really no place like North, and I feel proper at home here.
How long have you been working with your all-girl crew?
All of the girls in the campaign with me I’ve known for 15 years. It’s so amazing that I’ve had these girls by my side for this long—it’s lucky to even have friends for that long! To share this journey with them has been a real blessing for me. My makeup artist, Zara, I’ve known since I was 5; she’s gone from working in a stock room at Mac, to doing make-up there, to doing my make up and traveling the world with me. It’s been a crazy journey. That’s how much of a tight-knit, family unit it is. I don’t actually know how people do it without having people by your side like that. They also keep you grounded, which is a good thing too! It’s very much been a started from the bottom, now we’re here kind of thing.
How important is the crew to your creative process?
Obviously, I love having them around me to bounce creative ideas off. Sometimes, I even write from their perspective, as I get bored from writing about my own shit. Sometimes I like to think about what they’re going through with my music as I like to get out of my own bubble and headspace. I actually think the best thing about having them around me is the way in which I can just switch off from the industry sometimes—breaking free from everything and just relaxing with them is great.
Women creatives behind the scenes have been overlooked for far too long. How important do you feel campaigns like this are for recognising all the work that often goes under-appreciated?
That’s a big part of why I wanted to do it. With so many artists, most people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, and no artist could do what they do without having a big team around them. I love highlighting their talents and what they do. No one’s ever on their own in this game, so it’s great to give people their credit when they’re overlooked so often. The more campaigns like this, the better. I think it’s great that it’s also highlighting the fact that there are creative spaces out there for women, especially as it’s celebrating the fact we lift each other up with what we’re doing on a day to day.
What is it about the #MyMayzeCrew campaign that resonated most with you?
I’ve always struggled with comparing myself to other people. So with the Mayze campaign, it was really nice for me to get out of that mindset and be part of a campaign that was showcasing unity over individuality. It shines a light on women supporting each other rather than comparing myself to others. It’s also just fun! Doing stuff with a team is so much more rewarding than doing stuff on your own; for me anyway. The thing that beats being successful, for me, is being successful with the people that I care about and sharing my wins with others. If my team and my family aren’t winning with me, I haven’t won—as cliche as it is to say!
Do you think we’ll see more of these sort of campaigns going forward?
The amount of love I’ve seen for this really makes me think it would be silly not to do more campaigns like this. There’s always a time and a place to be really, really serious, but this was something which celebrated togetherness and fun.
What are your thoughts on the PUMA Mayze, and how would you style out the sneaker?
The thing I love most about the Mayze is how flexible it is to different moods and environments. I love a smart/casual vibe where I can dress it up or dress it down. It’s got a platform, so I get a bit of extra height so I can be a bit sassy, but I also love pairing it with bicycle shorts and a cute top, with my nails done, jewellery on, so I’m still bringing that pizzazz. I kind of feel like I’m wearing wedges or heels when I’ve got them on, but they’re trainers and they’re proper comfy. I’ve got a lot of pairs now so I’m set for life!
What’s it been like working so closely with PUMA on this project?
They’ve been a dream to work with. They made us all feel so comfortable throughout and just let us get on with what we wanted to do. They fully just said, “You go with what you want and we’ll support,” so we really couldn’t have asked for more than that. They’ve already said for when I go on tour they want to personalise some stuff, which I obviously can’t wait for! The fact they’re looking ahead to the future with me is great. I can already see tracksuits with my names in rhinestones on! I’m looking forward to how the relationship is going to develop going forward.
What’s next up for Mae Muller?
I’ve got some really exciting features coming out. I’m really honing in on the album now, so there’s gonna be plenty of stuff coming your way soon. Before it was a wishy-washy dream, but now I really feel like I’ve got an amazing collection of songs with amazing people. Watch this space!
PUMA Mayze is available to cop in four colourways now from PUMA, JD, ASOS and OFFICE for £80.
