Maë Defays’s music flows fluidly between soul, jazz and Afro-Caribbean influences, embodying her own mixed cultural and musical identity. Born to a family of artists between Europe and the Caribbeans, the singer-songwriter-guitarist poured her multidimensional creativity and talents into music, dance and filmmaking from a young age. Now, Maë has created a musical world using a multi-genre palette composed of the confluences of her myriad inspirations and mixed heritage.

Having studied at the Didier Lockwood Music Centre (CMDL) — a prestigious jazz institution in Paris – Maë released two critically acclaimed EPs Whispering and Morning Rain while performing at numerous prestigious festivals (Jazz à Vienne, Jazz en Tête, Jazz sous les Pommiers…) and opening for world renown artists including Macy Gray, Boyz II Men, Ibrahim Maalouf and China Moses.

With her new project, A Deeper Ocean, released in January 2024, she explores the ocean of the human soul through symbolic worlds of water and earth, seamlessly fusing music and poetry. The album masterfully navigates and seamlessly ties human emotions, stories, personal exploration, cultural heritage and love for a natural world in danger into a musical tapestry of Maë’s creation. 

Her crystalline, ethereal voice gently carries the listener through the lyrical worlds of her first full-length LP. The album is accompanied by visual poetry in five music videos shot in Guadeloupe, featuring symbolic scenes of the island’s natural beauty, sublime choreography, and powerful images of Afro-Caribbean legacies.