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Maria Minerva

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Maria Minerva
Maria Minerva (2014)
Born
Maria Juur

(1988-03-15) March 15, 1988 (age 36)
Tallinn, Estonian SSR, Soviet Union
Citizenship
Alma materEstonian Academy of Arts (BA)
Goldsmiths, University of London (MA)
Musical career
GenresElectronica, outsider house, nu-disco, avant pop, hypnagogic pop, lo-fi music
Occupation(s)producer, songwriter, singer, DJ, radio host
Instrument(s)electronics, vocals
Years active2010–present
LabelsNot Not Fun, 100% Silk, Pudru Kuul
Websitewww.mariaminerva.com

Maria Juur (born 15 March 1988), better known by her stage name Maria Minerva, is an Estonian musician.

Artistry

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Maria Minerva's music is described by critics as a blend of avant pop,[1] electronic dance,[2] and experimental[3] genres.

Critics have described Maria Minerva's vocal style as dreamy, haunting, mysterious,[4] or Lynchian,[5] but also as casual and slightly off-key, receiving comparisons to Blossom Dearie, Brigitte Bardot,[6] Nico,[7] and Billie Ray Martin.[8]

She has cited Cosey Fanni Tutti, Laetitia Sadier, Kim Gordon, and Laurie Anderson as influences.[9]

Critical Reception

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Maria Minerva is amongst the most internationally acclaimed Estonian electronic artists of the 2010s.[10][11] She is the recipient of two Estonian Music Awards.[12] Her releases have received critical acclaim from music publications such as Pitchfork Media[13] and The Fader.[14] One of Maria Minerva's early supporters was the influential pop critic Simon Reynolds.[15]

She was named as one of the seminal Los Angeles artists by The Guardian[16] and appeared on Estonian World's annual "Top 12 Most Outstanding Estonian Women in the World" list.[17]

Collaboration with Cherushii

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Chelsea Faith a.k.a. Cherushii was one of the 36 victims of the 2016 Oakland warehouse fire.[18] In 2019, the EP Cherushii & Maria Minerva was released, which had been nearly completed before Cherushii died[19] and includes repurposed tracks from previous Cherushii releases.[20][21][22][23][24]

Personal Life

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Maria developed an interest in electronic dance music and began attending club nights in Tallinn as a young teenager.[25] She graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts and Goldsmiths, University of London, where she studied with British cultural theorist and music critic Mark Fisher.[26]

She is the daughter of the Estonian humorist, writer and media personality Mart Juur.[27]

Maria Minerva was awarded the “Extraordinary Ability” United States green card for her work in electronic music[28] and subsequently became a naturalized U.S. citizen,[29] residing in Los Angeles, California.

Other

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While studying Art History at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Maria Minerva authored the first-ever Estonian-language academic paper on sound art, with an emphasis on the history of sound art in Estonia.[30][31]

Maria Minerva appeared as herself in the 2013 musical documentary Silk.[32] She starred as the Estonian Jazz and pop singer Marju Kuut in the 2021 documentary u.Q.[33]

Maria Minerva has worked with and remixed many other artists, including Cities Aviv,[34] Maria Chavez,[35] Mark Van Hoen[36] and John Cale.[37] She has collaborated with visual artists Pakui Hardware,[38] Phil Collins (artist)[39] and poet Vanessa Place.[40] Formerly, she hosted a show on LA's community radio station Dublab, where she interviewed fellow musicians such as Nite Jewel[41] and Yves Tumor.[42]

Discography

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LPs

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  • Tallinn At Dawn CS (Not Not Fun, 2011)
  • Cabaret Cixous CD/LP (Not Not Fun, 2011)
  • The Integration LP with LA Vampires (Not Not Fun, 2012)
  • Will Happiness Find Me? CD/LP (Not Not Fun, 2012)
  • Histrionic LP (Not Not Fun, 2014)
  • Soft Power, CS (100% Silk, 2020)

EPs

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  • Noble Savage 12" EP (100% Silk, 2011)
  • Sacred and Profane Love 12" EP (100% Silk, 2011)
  • Nii hea with Ajukaja, 10" Single (Pudru Kuul, 2012)
  • Bless 12" EP (100% Silk, 2013)
  • C U Again with Ajukaja, 12" EP (Pudru Kuul, 2014)
  • S/T with Cherushii, 12" EP (100% Silk, 2019)

References

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  1. ^ "Stream Maria Minerva's adventurous new album for Not Not Fun in full". Fact Mag. 5 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Maria Minerva". Dazed Digital. 31 March 2011.
  3. ^ "009: Experimental chanteuse Maria Minerva announces full details of new album". Fact Mag. 20 July 2012.
  4. ^ "Maria Minerva: The Rise Of Estonian Chillwave". NPR.
  5. ^ "Why Lana Del Rey, Cults, and More Indie Heartachers Lurk in the Shadows of 'Twin Peaks'". SPIN.
  6. ^ "Review: Cherushii & Maria Minerva". Pitchfork.
  7. ^ "Maria Minerva". Interview Magazine. 24 August 2012.
  8. ^ "Ajukaja & Maria Minerva: C U Again EP". Boomkat.
  9. ^ "Maria Minerva". PRS for Music.
  10. ^ "The Modern Music of Estonia". Bandcamp. 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  11. ^ "The Crowned Queen of Estonian Underground". Müürileht. 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  12. ^ "Curly Strings makes a clean sweep at Estonian Music Awards". ERR. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  13. ^ Lindsay Zoladz (2011-11-30). "Maria Minerva: Sacred & Profane Love EP Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  14. ^ "Artist: Maria Minerva".
  15. ^ Reynolds, Simon (7 October 2011). "Female Artists With a Penchant for Synth Sounds". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  16. ^ "The Sound of LA". The Guardian.
  17. ^ "Top 12 most outstanding Estonian women in the world". 8 March 2015.
  18. ^ Maria Minerva (9 December 2016). "The Rave Queen Next Door: Remembering the Life and Legacy of My Friend Cherushii". Vice.
  19. ^ Moreland, Quinn (March 5, 2019). "How Maria Minerva Finished Her Record With Cherushii, Who Died in Oakland's Ghost Ship Fire". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  20. ^ Brown, Harley (February 19, 2019). "Cherushii & Maria Minerva". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  21. ^ Clements, Miles (February 8, 2019). "CHERUSHII + MARIA MINERVA: SELF-TITLED". L.A. Record. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  22. ^ Matthew, Terry (September 4, 2019). "Days Without You: Cherushii and Maria Minerva Made Beautiful Music". 5mag. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  23. ^ Murray, Eoin (February 7, 2019). "Premiere: Cherushii & Maria Minerva 'Boyfriend Shirt'". DJ Mag. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  24. ^ Henry Bruce-Jones (15 January 2019). "100% Silk to release posthumous Cherushii & Maria Minerva collaboration". Fact Mag.
  25. ^ "Maria Minerva – Eesti esimene hüpnagoogilise popi staar". Eesti Ekspress. 2011-03-23.
  26. ^ "Perspective: Maria Minerva remembers Mark Fisher's Infectious Intellectualism". Crack Magazine.
  27. ^ Ulrik Noergaard (2011-03-31). "Maria Minerva | Dazed". Dazeddigital.com. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  28. ^ "Alien of Extaordinary Ability: An Interview with Maria Minerva". Fanzine. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  29. ^ Hasa, Romi (August 26, 2021). "Maria Juur, Õismäe tüdruk Los Angeleses" [Maria Juur, Õismäe Girl in Los Angeles]. Eesti Naine (Delfi) (in Estonian). Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  30. ^ Maria Juur (2012-01-11). "What is Estonian Sound Art?". Estonian Art. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  31. ^ Hans-Gunter Lock. "Media-Based Music in Estonia". Sound Exchange. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  32. ^ Glenn Jackson (2013-10-23). "100% Silk Documentary on the Way; Watch the Trailer Now". XLR8R.
  33. ^ "u.Q." Kino Artis.
  34. ^ Ian Cohen (2012-11-26). "Review: Black Pleasure by Cities Aviv". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  35. ^ "Listen: exclusive Maria2maria mix – Maria Chavez + Maria Minerva". Wire Magazine. May 2013. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  36. ^ "Unsound Labs: Denis Kolokol/Tomek Choloniewski Duo + Nate Wooley, Maria Minerva + Mark Van Hoen, Mark Mcguire + Bartosz Weber". Issue Project Room. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  37. ^ "Stream Tim Hecker and Maria Minerva's takes on John Cale". Fact Mag. 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  38. ^ "Popcorn, Pepsi, Petabytes". Bard Center for Curatorial Studies. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  39. ^ "Phil Collins: My Heart's In My Hand, And My Hand Is Pierced, And My Hand's In The Bag, And The Bag Is Shut, And My Heart". Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  40. ^ "Les Singes: A Passion Play for Today". Emergency Index. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  41. ^ "Estonian Air with Maria Minerva: Nite Jewel". Dublab. 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  42. ^ "(dublab) In Conversation: Yves Tumor (2019)". Youtube. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
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