Moments of Bliss and Nostalgia with Pop Singer May Wells
Back in the last days of summer, multi-talented singer-songwriter May Wells unveiled the French version of Moments – her latest romantic English pop single, written and composed in collaboration with Luca the Producer – through a new music video featuring model Alex St-Lot.
As May was happy to tell the world before the launch:
I wrote this song to remember to keep a heart open to future romantic experiences. Despite the obligations and responsibilities that come with being an adult, I wanted to emphasize taking the time to experience these Moments. As for the musical direction, I’ve always loved the ’80s because there was a good balance between guitars and synthesizers. This musical period makes me extremely happy, so it was a way for me to dive back into it and honor those times. I got a taste for writing songs in French again when I worked on the J4DE project. After all the songs I released back when I was in my band The Garlics, I knew that sooner or later I would come back to French for songwriting!
A finalist with her pop-punk rock band The Garlics on MusiquePlus’s 2011 edition of House Band Recherché, May Wells quickly took to the art of composing and producing original material. With guitarist Olivier Mimeault, she put out three albums and six radio tracks that were well received by Quebec radio stations and aired as far afield as France, Switzerland and Belgium. After playing WE Day Montreal 2015, The Garlics scored another triumph as the opening act for Simple Plan.
Leaving a trail of successes and fans behind them, The Garlics split and May Wells launched her solo career with a first EP of four titles on November 1st, 2016. Her first single We All Want Love quickly opened the doors to English Canada for this singer from Lanaudière. Named “Bell Media Future Star” in March 2017, her song became a real radio hit, propelling her to #25 on the prestigious Billboard BDS Main AC.
With her second single One Night, May Wells saw her talent revealed in the “Pop Song of The Year” category, alongside five other very talented artists, during the 2018 edition of the Independent Music Awards in New York. No wonder, because the title remained 5 consecutive weeks in the corresponding list of ADISQ.
In the summer of 2019, her Like U Do collaboration with Will Murphy once again hit the radio stations in the province and remained on the corresponding charts for 17 consecutive weeks, at #17. On online listening platforms, the singer has more than 3 million listenings.
Her new single Moments follows on the feel-good song Obvious released in the fall of 2020. With more than 100,000 plays on online listening platforms, the title has also stood out on the various charts and has been on the corresponding charts, at #39, for eight consecutive weeks.
Sometime after the September 2021 launch of her Moments music video, we were fortunate to sit down with May Wells for a quick interview to get a more intimate portrait of this artist to watch for.
Who are the female singers and songwriters who have served or still serve as your role models?
I will always hail to the Queen – Céline Dion (laughter) – but I LOVE Kelly Clarkson. She’s a great singer but she’s also so funny. I grew up listening to amazing songwriters like Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch and Sarah McLachlan. I still respect their work very much!
What was the turning-point moment that confirmed to you that you are a talented singer with the potential of making it big one day?
When we opened for Simple Plan on July 29th, 2015 in front of 20 000 people with my previous band, The Garlics. I got us this gig and, while on stage, I thought to myself that I was the only reason we were able to play a show this big. Also, when my first solo single was picked to be the “Bell Media Future Star” in February 2017. That’s when I knew that, even with a solo career, I was able to do what I wanted if I put my mind and efforts into it.
After more than 10 years of making your way in the music world, whether it be as the lead singer of a band or on your own, what is the most important lesson you have learned?
I’ve learned that being successful in music isn’t about talent. It’s mostly about your work ethic, the respect you have for the people you work with and how you’re consistent. Talent is subjective, but work ethic isn’t.
Next October you will hit the big 3-0. What do you hope to accomplish within the next 10 years?
The next 10 years will be about new challenges and new projects. I wanna write more music for movies and TV shows, as well as I want to collaborate more with other artists and do more featuring. A while back I decided to get a law degree because I was already dealing with lots of legal contracts in my music career. So I’m also aiming to do more classes on common law and be more “complete” as a jurist (since my law degree covers only civil law). I also have this dream of going to the UK one day. Lots of projects. I’m not done with dreaming so stay tuned! (laughter)
You regularly use social media to promote body positivity. Truly accepting one’s body has always been difficult for many of us despite some hopeful trends in mainstream culture. What is the ultimate message that you’re trying to communicate to both your younger fans and the world at large?
Body acceptance was and is still a long journey for me. But the more you work on your brain, the less you focus on your body. I’m so much more than a number on a scale. What I want to say to people is to start paying more attention to the content and less on how it’s presented. We need to stop giving the spotlight to people who don’t deserve it and demand more in terms of relevant content. We need to be more selective about the people we make famous. Our younger generation needs to look up to intelligent people and not only people who seek fame at all costs.
May Wells Links
Social media
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Music channels
Amazon Music | Apple Music | Deezer | Napster | Shazam | Spotify | YouTube
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