by Maylin Lei

Credits to ilyaimy.com for providing the cover picture

My EP, When Pigs Fly, is the first body of music I’ve ever released. I purchased my first guitar little over a year and a half ago and only began writing songs after a year of learning to play guitar. However, when I found out how enjoyable it was to write songs, I knew that I was onto something.

Listen to the song while reading the text.

Moving into Unfamiliar Territory

The title of the EP derives from the figure-of-speech, “when pigs fly,” used to express disbelief when something seems impossible. However, there’s also a personal backstory to the title! I had recently left a job as a salesperson after almost two years to focus on creating my career as a singer-songwriter. My former manager was from China, so a big thing at my old job was the Chinese Zodiac. Being born on the year of the pig and also being the youngest employee, my nickname there was “little pig.”

The songs on When Pigs Fly focus on trying to reconcile with the reality of giving up my creative pursuits for financial security. It begins with Between Two Artists, which is actually also the first song I ever wrote. As a result, it’s a bit rough, yet I still find it beautiful in its honesty (maybe it’s also because I created it, much like how a mother believes her annoying kid to be the best thing in the world). The song is an imagined conversation between me and someone who I used to love, who was more ambitious than I was, where I told them that I had given up on my dreams on being an artist. Then in the songs that follow, I try to find something to be happy about in my situation.

I was a painter before and did a lot of figurative work, painting portraits, and landscapes, so switching over to music also came with an identity crisis and regret over all the time and effort expended on my craft. However, I learned that all the experiences that we have, continue to serve us throughout our lives. So don’t forsake your old projects and regretful experiences as they’ve already happened. Instead, be grateful for the lessons you learned that will help you get to where you want to go. Because of my background in painting, I like to see songwriting as painting through music. All the chord arrangements and lyrics serve to depict a scene as if they’re little paintings. Also, I still continue my painting and drawing practice, designing the artwork for my music.

The Joy of Sharing Yourself With Others

I confess to being a bit of a recluse. Most of the songs When Pigs Fly were meant for me to sing to myself in my apartment at night. However, I’ve been performing my songs at small clubs around Baltimore over the past two months and realizing what a joy it is to connect with people through music. At the current moment, my dreams of being a singer-songwriter are a secret between me, the universe, and you. I don’t know how I’ll be able to progress with my dream or if it’ll still resonate a few years from now. However, I believe that not only I but everyone out there in the world has something to contribute.

So don’t hold yourself back and begin sharing whatever you believe you can offer! It may seem a bit ironic of me to say this since my friends, family, and former co-workers don’t know what I’m doing right now. But I look forward to the day that they do know and that they’ll realize that pigs really can fly.

Thank you for taking the time to read this write up.

Best wishes,
Maylin Lei

If you would like to listen to the EP or to visit me on social media, feel free to click on the links below!

Maylin Lei

Maylin Lei, Category: Artist, Singles: When Pigs Fly, When Pigs Fly, Top Tracks: Walk On, It’s a Dove, Between Two Artists, Se l’amore, The Happiest Day, Biography: Maylin Lei is a singer-songwriter and artist currently living in Baltimore, MD.

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Artist’s Note
Baltimore, Maryland
Folk, Folk Pop, Indie, Indie Folk, Indie Pop, Singer-Songwriter
creative life, painter, painting, songwriting, sharing, connect through music