May-a
Australian musician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maya Cumming (born 2001), known professionally as May-a (stylised as MAY-A[2]), is an Australian singer-songwriter from Sydney.[4]
24 August 2001
- Singer
- songwriter
- Vocals
- guitar
May-a | |
|---|---|
| Born | Maya Cumming 24 August 2001 Sydney[1] |
| Origin | Sydney |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Labels | Sony Music Australia (2020-present)[2], Atlantic Records (2021-2024)[3] |
| Website | www |
On 2 February 2022, Cumming was featured on the single "Say Nothing", a collaboration with Australian electronic musician and producer Flume.
Early life
May-a grew up in Sydney, but moved to Byron in 2010. She moved back to Sydney age 13.[5][6] While living in Byron Bay she competed in songwriting competitions, and performed street busking around the ages of 11 to 14.[7][8] She started out posting videos on YouTube under the username Heyit'smaya.[9]
Prior to discovering her attraction to women, May-a stated she was in a "super awkward" relationship with a boy that inspired her song "Apricots".[10]
Career
May-a released her debut single "Fools Paradise" in September 2019. This was followed by "All Girls Aren't the Same", which is a twist of Juice WRLD's "All Girls Are the Same" and is a song about how women should know their worth, everyone is an individual with different quirks."[11]
On 1 May 2020, May-a released her third single, "Green" saying "'Green' is an outlook on the way that validation fuels the way we live, especially in green teens. Young, impressionable and desperate to be accepted by people they don't even like." adding "I wrote it when I was 15 and bored by the hierarchy of high school. It paints a picture of the things that teenagers think are important until they realise they aren't."[11]
In August 2020, May-a toured with Wafia and signed with Sony Music Australia.[12][13][14]
In 2021, May-A signed with Atlantic Records in the United States.[3]
Her debut EP, Don't Kiss Ur Friends, was released on 6 August 2021. The EP debuted at number 31 on the ARIA Charts.[15] In 2021, she signed with Atlantic Records in the US ahead of her debut EP, Don’t Kiss Ur Friends[3]
In January 2023, May-a released "Sweat You Out My System".[16]
May-a topped Triple J Hottest 100, 2022 with a feature on Australian musician Flume's song "Say Nothing". The song was also featured in the 2022 Netflix show Heartbreak High.
Following a period of recording between Australia and Los Angeles, in June 2023, May-a released "Lola" and announced her second EP Analysis Paralysis.[17]
May-A split from Atlantic in late 2024, referencing "many compromises" on the Analysis Paralysis EP.[3]
In 2025, May-A performed "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" with Cyndi Lauper on her Sydney Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour[3]
In November 2025 May-a announced her debut album, Goodbye (If You Call That Gone). It was released on 20 February 2026.[18]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [19] | ||
| Goodbye (If You Call That Gone) |
|
46 |
Extended plays
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [20] | ||
| Don't Kiss Ur Friends |
|
31 |
| Analysis Paralysis |
|
70 |
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot [21] | |||||||||||||
| "Fool's Paradise"[22] | 2019 | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||||
| "All Girls Aren't the Same"[23] | — | ||||||||||||
| "Green"[11] | 2020 | — | |||||||||||
| "Apricots"[1] | — | Don't Kiss Ur Friends | |||||||||||
| "Time I Love to Waste"[24] | 2021 | — | |||||||||||
| "Swing of Things"[25] | — | ||||||||||||
| "Central Station"[26] | — | ||||||||||||
| "Talk" (with Budjerah)[27] |
— | Conversations | |||||||||||
| "Junk Truck Head Fuck" (with DMA's)[28] |
— | I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going to Miss You | |||||||||||
| "Sweat You Out My System"[16] | 2023 | 38 | Analysis Paralysis | ||||||||||
| "Your Funeral"[29] | — | ||||||||||||
| "Lola"[17] | — | ||||||||||||
| "Something Familiar"[30] | — | ||||||||||||
| "[Redacted]"[31] | 2025 | — | Goodbye (If You Call That Gone) | ||||||||||
| "(I'm Here for the) Girls"[32] | — | ||||||||||||
| "Claws"[18] | — | ||||||||||||
| "Catching Up 2 U"[33] | 2026 | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | |||||||||||||
As featured artist
Awards and nominations
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
APRA Awards
The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982.[41]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | "Say Nothing" (Flume featuring May-a) | Song of the Year | Won | [42] [43] [44] |
| Most Performed Dance/ Electronic Work of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | May-a (Maya Cumming) | Emerging Songwriter of the Year | Nominated | [45] |
| "Sweat You Out My System" by May-a (Maya Cumming p.k.a. May-a, Robby De Sá) | Most Performed Alternative Work | Nominated |
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual ceremony presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Don't Kiss Ur Friends | Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | [46] |
| 2022 | "Say Nothing" (Flume featuring May-a) | Best Pop Release | Nominated | [47] |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Best Video | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Murli Dhir for May-a – "Lola" | Best Video | Nominated | [48] |
J Awards
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.
Rolling Stone Australia Awards
The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.[50]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | May-a | Best New Artist | Won | [51] |
Vanda and Young Global Songwriting competition
The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by Albert Music and APRA AMCOS. It commenced in 2009.[52]