Sideways

Maja Embra is making her debut with Sideways – an emotional and honest portrayal of lost love, heartbreak, and that heavy urge to hold on to something that’s already gone. With her modern pop sound infused with elements of hip-hop and R&B, she takes the listener on an inner journey where melodies meet soul and the lyrics truly take center stage. This is Maja Embra in her purest form – vulnerable, powerful, and full of emotion.

When Maja Embra sat down at her piano at home, it wasn’t with the plan to write her debut – it was out of the need to breathe. Sideways was written during a time when she felt completely lost, especially in love. It’s a breakup song, but not the final kind. It tells the story of two people who keep returning to each other, even though both know it does more harm than good. The feeling of being alone in still trying, while the other has already begun to let go, permeates every line.

For Maja, songwriting is a way to survive. Music is therapy – a space where she can be brutally honest. She describes Sideways as an inner dialogue, with a special focus on her favorite part: the final chorus and instrumental bridge. Here, the vocals intensify, dynamics shift, and the emotion of the breakup reaches its peak. It’s where the song stops being a story and instead becomes a state of feeling.

Maja Embra writes music that resonates. With a sound that moves between modern Swedish pop, hip-hop, and R&B, she captures emotions many people recognize – the nostalgic, painful, and yet beautiful parts of love’s highs and lows. For her, music is not just a way to express herself, but a glimpse into her inner world. She wants others to feel: “That’s me.” And that’s exactly why Sideways feels like such an important release – a song that not only tells her story but also the stories of many others.

Music has been a part of her life since childhood, but it was during her high school years at Rytmus that things really started to take off. The longing to share her work has been there for a long time – and now the time has come. Seeing someone walk around humming her song, or hearing that the lyrics moved someone – to Maja, that’s the greatest thing an artist can experience. With Sideways, she opens the door to her musical universe, where every line has a purpose and every note carries emotion.

Finishing Sideways has been an emotional and creative journey for Maja. Her collaboration with producer Filip became a key part of the process – especially when it came to vocal production. Her strongest memory? When he asked her to freely hum over the track – and the result turned out to be a spontaneous improvisation that is now part of the final version. That kind of thing can’t be planned, says Maja – that’s the magic of making music.

Being part of the entire process – from the first feeling at the piano to a fully produced track – has given Maja a deeper understanding of what it really means to be an artist. She describes it as rewriting the song each time it evolved in the studio. With every recording, she learned something new, and the energy in the studio brought the music to life.

Sideways is not just a song – it’s a launch. An introduction to Maja Embra as a songwriter, artist, and voice for a generation that knows love isn’t always easy, but always worth singing about.