At just 22, maryjo has emerged as a standout in the rising pop scene. Known for her powerhouse vocals and beloved appearance on Season 19 of American Idol, the Cleveland native overcame her childhood fear of singing in public to seize her big break on the show.
Since then, she has released a collection of music, toured the country, performed alongside iconic artists like Jewel, and built a growing fanbase of thousands, connecting deeply with fans through her raw and vulnerable music and social media presence.
The track was written alongside songwriters Dave Pittinger, known from the likes of GAYLE‘s “abcdefu” and Fraser
Churchill, who has a history of writing with artists such as Charlie Puth and Michael Buble.
With the desire and goal of capturing reminders of the ending of a toxic relationship, maryjo explains how the theme of the ballad has an emotional connection to her, and ultimately allowed her to realize she had the power to move on from a relationship she initially thought was irreplaceable.
“Nothing To Lose” follows up other recent powerful releases including “Should Be Us” featuring musician Michael Gerow, as maryjo is continuing a strong run of new music for her audience. Known for her strong vocal versatility, the Cleveland native also carries the powerful storytelling ability to put listeners into the story of each song she releases.
In conversation, maryjo opens up about her musical confidence, songwriting process with “Nothing To Lose”, hints at new music and possible touring, with the continued momentum of her previous festival debut at Summerfest this year as well as supporting artists including Alex Warren and Knox.
Read the full interview with maryjo below!
THE KNOCKTURNAL: When you look back at your early exposure to music, which artists or genres had the biggest impact on your desire to pursue a career in music?
MARYJO: I definitely listened to Kelly Clarkson growing up a ton. I think when I was younger, even though I didn’t sing in front of my family, I would listen to those songs and then try to kind of sing those singers. Once I heard Julia Michaels, that’s when I realized that you don’t just sing to sing. You sing to express emotion. That’s when I started finding my own voice. I learned the basics through other artists, but those are definitely my top two.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: One of the themes of your music that I notice is how you use different interactions, whether that be assuming that you see your ex’s car, or assuming that you see them in a coffee shop, especially when you are going through a breakup and it’s even more intense if it was a toxic relationship. Could you share with us the songwriting process for such a vulnerable track and why you decided to make this your latest single?
MARYJO: We probably wrote it about eight months ago, close to a year ago. I was with Dave Pittinger and Fraser Churchill, and at that time I definitely wanted to write a ballad. Frazier took the guitar, and he was playing chords. We took so much time constructing such a picky melody. We thought “This melody needs to be it.” So we started with the melody, and then we got into the story and went with what I was going through, but at the same time, we made the situation sound fifteen times worse. I did have a muse, but we’re still great friends. But yeah, I guess we started with the guitar, then the melody.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: What made you decide to choose this song to represent this new era of music for you?
MARYJO: I just love it. I think it wasn’t even a decision whether it was going to be my new sound or whatever. I just think we put so much time and effort and emotion into this song and I knew it had to come out.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: Is there a typical process that you do or is it kind of a mix?
MARYJO: It’s a mix. I like to do stories if I can, and then I like to make them more dramatic because it’s fun that way. You have a muse, but then you get to just make it worse. And I totally love fools, for example. That was totally from friends experiences that I used. And then sometimes in the studio, we’ve been doing songs where it’s like totally not my story, but it’s so fun to write about and I can relate to it even though it’s not my story. I can relate to parts of it, so I know other people would probably be able to.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: I read that you had this huge fear of performing in front of others. I’ve seen your American Idol audition where you explained how you hadn’t even really sung in front of your mom before. Yet in spite of that, it’s so crazy because here you are years later, you’re signed to Atlantic Records and you’re opening musicians and you’re going on tour, performing at your first music festivals… What changes have you noticed the most within yourself and your confidence as a performer since the younger version of you was performing on American Idol and auditioning for the first time?
MARYJO: I think now I just enjoy sharing music where, at first, it almost feels selfish that I didn’t sing in front of people. I was scared of how my voice would sound, and now I don’t sing for my voice. I sing for stories and for people to relate to. Music became a whole different ball game for me and how I related to it and how I would perform it.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: Is there something that you wish you had known about the touring process?
MARYJO: I love touring, but I definitely sleep a lot more and get sleep paralysis. I think because o f the time changes and my body just is like, “What’s going on?”. I wish I knew about that. You get little sleep and it’s natural. You still have all this adrenaline once you get off of a show. And then I try to go to sleep, and I do, but then I’m half asleep, so then I’m like, ugh. So then the next day it’s a pattern. When I get home, I’m just super sleepy. At the same time I’m like, “Oh my gosh, that was so amazing.” I’m still trying to figure out how to navigate that, but I definitely love tour.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: Yeah, I’ve heard about that with a lot of artists. How right after a show that night, it’s kind of the comedown or the post-concert blues where you’re kind of coming down from a performance.
MARYJO: Yeah, it’s really interesting. I love going home and then processing the show and thinking about all the people I met and what what I can do better, and it doesn’t feel like an adrenaline rush. I think naturally when you meet a lot of people, whether you can notice that it’s an adrenaline rush or not, your heart and everything is still going. It was a lot to process in that night. And then,
THE KNOCKTURNAL: Could you share a bit about upcoming projects, whether that be more live shows, more music, and kind of what fans can look forward to for the remainder of the year?
MARYJO: I definitely have a lot more music coming out, and we’ve written some really fun ones. And then tours, I’m hoping that we do those in the spring.
THE KNOCKTURNAL: What artists have you been listening to lately?
MARYJO: Definitely Zach Bryan. I fell in love with him, so now I listen to a lot more country. Definitely Chappell Roan. I feel like everyone’s listening to her. And then UPSAHL. Those are definitely my top three.
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Stream “Nothing To Lose” here!
