Maria Usbeck

Albums

About Maria Usbeck

The textured arrangements of indie singer/songwriter Maria Usbeck's delicate, introspective songs often sound as otherworldly as they are deliberately composed. A one-time member of New York indie electronic band Selebrities, she went solo with 2016's Amparo, which featured lyrics in her native Spanish. A native of Ecuador, Usbeck moved to New York City when she was 17 years old, originally to attend art school. She eventually formed new wave/post-punk revivalist group Selebrities with keyboardist Max Peterson and guitarist/bassist Jer Robert Paulin. Usbeck was the band's lead singer. They released two albums, 2011's Delusions and 2013's Lovely Things, both on N.Y.C. indie label Cascine. Written while traveling to places including but not limited to Buenos Aires, Costa Rica, Easter Island, Lisbon, and Los Angeles, Usbeck's first solo album, Amparo, was inspired by various musics and cultures. Produced by Caroline Polachek (Chairlift) and featuring musicians including Olga Bell and Kurt Feldman, it arrived on Cascine in 2016. She followed it up with 2019's Envejeciendo (Spanish for "aging"), which was written and recorded in New York, Florida, New Zealand, and Japan. ~ Marcy Donelson

HOMETOWN
Quito, Ecuador
GENRE
Pop

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