Mae Martin on their debut album: “It seems like a rogue pivot, but I’ve written music since I was a teenager”

nme.com:

Mae Martin has spoken to NME about their upcoming debut album ‘I’m A TV’, being inspired by love of Elliott Smith, and what to expect from new Netflix series Wayward.The brains behind Netflix hit Feel Good, winner of Taskmaster’s 15th season, and acclaimed stand-up, Martin recently announced their debut album ‘I’m A TV’ – sharing the intimate ‘Good Dream’ and the dreamier ‘Stowaway’ as singles last month.“Music feels like a fun thing to do right now,” they told NME. “With stand-up, you have to be really clear about the point you’re making, and there’s something so liberating about being able to write in a more metaphorical, lyrical way.

Things are not that clear in life, and it’s great to write in a more nebulous way and use poetry to say things that can only be said in that way.”Martin’s musical talent might surprise those who are more acquainted with their stand-up, but music has been a life-long hobby for the Canadian.

From singing Elliott Smith covers in their bedroom to casually jamming with friends, music even became an unexpected lifeline when filming Feel Good with co-star Charlotte Ritchie during the pandemic.“We were isolated when we were filming, so we really only saw each other every night after filming,” Martin explained. “All we really had was our instruments; she played the piano, I played the guitar, and we had such earnest fun playing Half Moon Run and Paul Simon.”After becoming an established name in London’s comedy circuit, Martin made the decision to move to LA around 2023.

Aided with a guitar, Martin began to write songs for the first time – and though they claim in our conversation that the songs are “fine”, the album is something that Martin was “proud of.“The other people who put their hard work.