For singer-songwriter Nora Mae, music isn’t a sonic expression of hurt and desire, it’s a cinematic exploration of the human experience. Set to release her debut full-length album Fin on May 1, Mae has crafted a body of work that turns love songs into a multi-layered theatrical event.
Pulling inspiration from Broadway, 1960s cinema, and a wide array of musical influences ranging from jazz to pop to rock, Mae’s artistry is equally timeless and poignant. Following the release of her inaugural EP Mad Woman in 2024, her upcoming full-length was introduced by singles “Don’t Wake Me Up” and “Change For Her,” which display Mae’s flawless ability to convey magnetic dichotomy. Throughout 13 tracks, sensuality and vulnerability dance across the stage through acts of love, loss, heartbreak, and healing.
Ahead of the album’s release, Mae has also recorded her own rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” for Apple TV’s new series Imperfect Women. Adopting a stripped-down, piano-led take on Sinatra’s hit, Mae’s cover continues to showcase her wide-ranging musical prowess.
While carving her own identity as a thrilling alternative jazz talent, Mae is continuously honoring the legacy she stands upon. The granddaughter of the legendary Eartha Kitt, Mae grew up singing, acting, and watching her grandmother perform on Broadway. Now, she carries the playful ferocity of her grandmother while establishing a strong, irreplaceable artistic identity of her own.
Arriving this May, Fin fearlessly explores every stage of a relationship through a theatrical lens. In the album’s first act, the passion of a new love is expressed. At its climax, the tone makes a shift from joy to heartbreak, with the latter act of the record exploring the relationship’s bittersweet end and the personal growth that follows.
“I think the beautiful thing about music is that you have this awareness about the fact that this hurts so much and it sucks, but the fact that I have this outlet where I can transpose this pain into something that becomes powerful and relatable was such a beautiful escape,” Mae tells Melodic Magazine ahead of the album’s release. “It’s so therapeutic and cathartic to write that way. The healing of the heartbreak informs the music, and the music informs the healing. I always say I’m trying to turn pain into passion and passion into power.”
Through both its message and its structure, Fin is an extremely intentional body of work. From its two-act delivery, as well as an intermission at the album’s midpoint that brings listeners out of the musical experience, Fin breaks the fourth wall in terms of just a simple album playthrough. Overall, Mae performs each song on the album as though she’s playing the lead role in a one-woman Broadway show.
“I’m not reinventing the wheel by writing love songs and then writing heartbreak songs,” Mae says. “So [I thought,] how can I do this in a way that feels cinematic and voyeuristic? I want the listener to be able to come on the journey with me and sort of escape as if you are in the protagonist’s shoes…I wanted moments of levity where there’s some humor to break through the heartache, and then moments of real enduring vulnerability. To me, it felt like theater is the ultimate way to show both of those things. I’m such a theatrical person that I was experiencing the heartache in a very theatrical way, too. I was like, ‘Why not just make it into a musical?'”
Most everyone experiences a breakup at some point, but by turning the mundane into something truly sensational, Mae has crafted an artistic product that makes every listener feel like a star.
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