MARIS Is Carving Out Her Own Kind of Pop Stardom
I said this a year ago, and I'll scream it from the rooftops until the universe catches on, but MARIS is one of the most beautiful and refreshing things happening in pop music right now. We really need to get her to the top of the charts. Past all the algorithms, marketing strategies, and social media trends, MARIS is a breath of fresh air. She's an artist who genuinely understands her audience, knows what her fans want, and somehow manages to make every show feel like one big celebration with them.
I had the pleasure of seeing MARIS for the first time last October when she joined Caroline Kingsbury on their joint tour. I came home that night feeling like I had witnessed a new religion being born. After a full year of listening to her, a handful of new releases, and countless plays of her music, I knew I couldn't miss her Austin stop this time around.
Walking into the venue, I immediately recognized a few familiar faces from the previous year. The same dedicated fans who knew every single word and weren't afraid to scream them right back, sometimes even louder than MARIS herself. But with this show taking place on the UT campus, there were plenty of new faces in the room, too. By the time MARIS took the stage, the venue was packed, and the energy was already through the roof.
Her openers? The fans, of course. Continuing her tradition of letting fans open the show, MARIS kicked things off with a karaoke session featuring some of the audience's favorite hits. This tour brought everything from High School Musical to Lady Gaga and Beach Bunny, with fans taking the stage while the rest of the crowd sang along. It's such a simple idea, but watching an entire room come together to cheer on someone they might have just met is genuinely special. By the time the karaoke wrapped up, the crowd was more than ready for MARIS.
One of my favorite things about MARIS is that she never takes herself too seriously. Her shows are fun, a little chaotic, and completely centered around the people who show up for her. You can tell just how much her fans mean to her, and she makes sure they know it, too. At one point during the show, she tells everyone to get whoever they can on FaceTime. She then proceeds to collect phones from the crowd, fanning them out in her hands, microphone tucked into her boobs, and singing directly to the people watching from home. It's hilarious, it's ridiculous, and it's exactly the kind of thing that makes a MARIS show a MARIS show. Somewhere out there, a few people are probably still recovering from the FOMO.
And while all of that makes for an incredibly fun live show, the music itself is what keeps me coming back. In a pop landscape that can sometimes feel like it's been built around algorithms and whatever sound is trending that week, MARIS's music feels refreshingly personal. Her songs have an honesty to them that carries straight through her performances. You can hear how much each one means to her in the way she sings, the emotion behind every lyric, and the moments where she lets the crowd take over. Her fans give that same energy right back, screaming every word whenever she gets close enough to sing along with them. Beyond the music, she's also incredibly open with her audience, sharing her own experiences and talking about life without feeling the need to filter herself. It's that combination of honesty, humor, and genuine connection that makes her so easy to love.
Every MARIS show feels like its own little world, and Austin was no exception. I could tell you to keep an eye out for her spot at the top of the charts, but honestly, I think she's busy carving out her own space instead. And I can't wait to see just how big it gets.
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