Deaf for the first year of her life, the moment Malia Grace gained her sense of hearing, she was completely attached to music. And nothing was ever going to hold her back. After years of studying classical music, Malia has swung into the pop side of things and released her self-titled EP. But she's ready to do more and tap into as many parts of of the music industry. We spoke with Malia about her music, songwriting and dreams to take on the biz.

Hometown/Homebase: Austin, TX

You were born without being able to hear. Can you talk about that experience and how that affected how you approach music?

I was profoundly deaf until I was 18 months old. Then [my parents] realized I wasn’t when a piano tuner came over and I was singing the pitches back to him. And my parents said, “Well, I guess she’s not deaf.” But since I was so young, I don’t think it consciously affected how I approach music. But subconsciously because I found music at a later time unlike other people who hear [music] when they’re born, my love for it was much greater because it was so profound and impactful for me. So I don’t remember any time in my life where music wasn’t my number one. 

You’ve studied a variety of musical styles but now mainly write pop music. How did all those styles influence your music?

I just always wanted to be a versatile musician and go into every genre. I think the only one I didn’t get into was metal like screamo metal, but I was into Flyleaf and more lighthearted metal. I was just into different types of music, and I was always training in classical music because that’s what they have in schools. All those influences came together in the way I write. I think the main basis in what I write is soul. There’s a lot of soul in what I do, but I think that’s just a reflection in what I feel in music.

And what inspired the decision to study opera?

I never intended to go into opera. I was recruited for opera, and I was very skeptical. I wasn’t so sure it was for me though they were convinced it was. So [University of Texas Austin] brought me in to do that, but it was also a way for me to study music business while I was in school. But as soon I could finish opera, I did. It was something my teachers are convinced is something I will come back to but is something I’m convinced I will never come back to. That was an opportunity and not really a choice, but I explored it and found that it wasn’t the thing for me. And I went down different avenues.

What is “Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool” about?

It’s really just a song about being underestimated. I look at it as a commentary that are in two segments. People are often underestimated and judge based on the way we look. People often thought that just because I’m blonde and pretty outgoing that I’m probably dumb, and they can get get things over on me, whether that be a friend, a boyfriend or a business associate. And I typically prove them wrong. It’s very annoying still, and I know many people deal with that. And there’s also a commentary on -- not necessarily on males but on relationships in general. People tend to play people. And although people talk about it and exposes that it happens, we’re very accepting of the fact that we don’t treat people with very much respect these days. And so it’s kind of a song that demands respect in all aspects of relationships, business and friendships.

What are you working on now?

I am trying to sell music. I’m looking into the songwriter world and making music for other artists. I want to make an album, but there’s this idea that if you publish music that you can’t sell it to people. So I’m currently working on getting a large repertoire of demos to try to get publishing and licensing for. But I’m still playing shows and building my brand. And if I put anything out in the next year, it will be an EP or a single because I really want to save some music to be in a different field. I want to be in both an artist and selling my music. I want to maximize my income and my opportunities because I love every aspect of the industry, and I want to be in all aspects. There are a couple of songs like a wedding song I recorded. I’m trying to get that out because I’ve had a lot requests for that wedding song. There are other songs that I want to sell because I feel there’s someone else who could do it more justice than I can.

You can’t predict who’ll record your songs. But who would be some of the people you’d want to sing your songs?

There’s so many people who I’d want to sing my songs. I like the strong singers. I think my music lends itself to the country field as well like Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. One of my songs is a duet. So if they were able pull off a Hunter Hayes and Miranda Lambert duet, that would be super cool. You just never know what can happen. I think my music lends itself to country really well. It’s not how I would produce the songs myself. But if someone wanted to do the production on it, it would go country really fast -- the new, modern country.