Maria Minerva | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Maria Minerva (2014) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maria Juur |
| Born | 15 March 1988 Tallinn, Estonia |
| Genres | Electronica, outsider house, nu-disco, avant pop, hypnagogic pop, lo-fi music |
| Occupation(s) | producer, songwriter, singer, DJ, radio host |
| Instruments | electronics, vocals |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Not Not Fun, 100% Silk, Pudru Kuul |
| Website | www |
Maria Juur (born 15 March 1988), better known by her stage name Maria Minerva, is an Estonian musician and activist.[1]
Maria Minerva's music is described by critics as a blend of avant pop,[2] electronic,[3] and experimental[4] genres. Her work includes references to various styles of dance music, such as house,[5] disco,[6] electro, and eurodance.[7]
Critics have described Maria Minerva's vocal style as dreamy, haunting, mysterious,[8] or Lynchian,[9] but also as casual and slightly off-key, receiving comparisons to Blossom Dearie, Brigitte Bardot,[10] Nico,[11] and Billie Ray Martin.[12] She has cited Cosey Fanni Tutti, Laetitia Sadier, and Laurie Anderson as influences.[13]
Maria developed an interest in electronic dance music as a teenager and began attending clubs and raves in Tallinn at the age of 13.[14] 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.[15]
Her father Mart Juur is an Estonian humorist, writer and media personality.[16]
As of 2018, Juur was a member of the Estonian Greens political party.[17]
Maria Minerva was awarded the “Extraordinary Ability” United States green card for her work in electronic music[18] and subsequently became a naturalized U.S. citizen,[19] residing in Los Angeles, California.
Maria Minerva is amongst the most internationally acclaimed Estonian electronic artists of the 2010s.[20][21] She is the recipient of two Estonian Music Awards.[22] Her releases have received critical acclaim from music publications such as Pitchfork Media[23] and The Fader.[24] One of Maria Minerva's early supporters was the influential pop critic Simon Reynolds.[25] She was named as one of the seminal Los Angeles artists by The Guardian[26] and appeared on Estonian World's annual "Top 12 Most Outstanding Estonian Women in the World" list.[27]
Chelsea Faith a.k.a. Cherushii was one of the 36 victims of the 2016 Oakland warehouse fire.[28] In 2019, the EP Cherushii & Maria Minerva was released, which had been nearly completed before Cherushii died[29] and includes repurposed tracks from previous Cherushii releases.[30][31][32][33][34]
While 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.[35][36]
Maria Minerva has worked with and remixed many other artists, including Cities Aviv,[37] Maria Chavez,[38] Mark Van Hoen[39] and John Cale.[40] She has collaborated with visual artists Pakui Hardware,[41] Phil Collins (artist)[42] and poet Vanessa Place.[43] Formerly, she hosted a show on LA's community radio station Dublab, where she interviewed fellow musicians such as Nite Jewel[44] and Yves Tumor.[45]
