Bio - The May Project

Dream-pop act The May Project is the musical branch of Auckland-based multidisciplinary artist Katie Brown, who is also at the helm of new indie digital media platform The May Magazine (read more about the platform here).

Drawing comparison to the likes of Björk, the Cocteau Twins and Massive Attack since the early days of The May Project’s inception in 2014, Katie has developed a signature sound consisting of delicate, layered vocals with intricate harmonies (inspired by her background in choral and classical music) floating on a bed of layered, percussive and textural synths, guitars and beats. The resulting music is both minimal and maximal: a juxtaposition informed by the pure, ethereal nature of Katie’s voice and the gritty, grounding beats and synths she employs as a contrast.

The first official May Project release, “Hshsh”, which was a collaboration between Katie and Benjamin Bartlett of Vanguard One (who later produced and mixed The May Project's debut album, 2018's Elpis), accompanied the launch of Katie’s designer clothing label, Etta Every, in February 2014.

Prior to her May Project days, Katie's first musical collaboration was as the vocalist for The Dannywolves, a duo of herself and LA-based New Zealand drummer Ben Barter. The pair released self-titled EP The Dannywolves in 2011.

Musical releases by The May Project and clothing collections by Etta Every usually go hand in hand. Katie takes a multidisciplinary approach to her projects, regularly exploring concepts via several creative avenues. A keen writer, Katie often also includes some form of prose or fiction with her releases, such as with 2019's Lodestar, which consisted of the conceptually linked capsule clothing collection by Etta Every, two-track release by The May Project and accompanying novelette.

Guitarist Sean Harvey accompanies Katie when performing live and has contributed to most May Project recordings. Katie currently produces, records and mixes her music herself based from her home studio.

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