Mary Ann Alexander Is Plotting Her Next Hit, But on Her Own Terms

When Mary Ann Alexander was still in college studying visual communication in Bengaluru, seasoned guitarist-producer Sanjeev T reached out to her for his song “Take My Life With You” from his lo-fi project Future. They were on a serene hill outside of the city shooting the music video when the producer played her the full version of the track, revealing that the second verse features star R&B, Carnatic and film singer Sid Sriram.  

Alexander recalls over a Zoom video call, “First of all, he only told me when we’re shooting. I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ There’s this part where Sid comes in harmonizing and ad-libbing over me and then he starts singing. For me to hear both of our voices at the same time was surreal.”  

A fan of Sriram’s, the Thiruvananthapuram-raised, Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter says the bluesy “Adiye” (from 2012 Tamil movie Kadal, composed by A.R. Rahman) is her go-to song for most occasions, from soundchecks to close gatherings to intimate gigs. “Day before yesterday was my friend’s birthday and they asked me to sing, and I sang ‘Adiye.’ It was one of the songs that made me realize how much I like R&B and blues because of the style. I would sing it and feel like, ‘This is what I want to do,’” she recounts.  

Born into music: Alexander’s father is a seasoned voice in the Malayalam music industry and took her along to recording sessions right from when she was five years old, while her mother held down an office job. Whenever there was a part in the songs that needed a child’s voice, she got a chance to record, starting out as a studio artist as early as seven years old. “Just standing still, singing correctly, delivering everything right, felt natural for me,” she adds.  

Moving on up: Although she was surrounded by an encouraging family who were passionate about the arts, her mother did express doubts about her making a career out of music. Alexander knew she always wanted to be an artist, but first took the step to move out of Kerala to Bengaluru to study and even began doing an internship as a graphic designer and illustrator. “I [did] not grow up around people who had the guts to do what they what their heart desired; they would do what they thought [society wanted them to do]. I’ve seen so many people abandoning their dreams. But when I came to Bangalore, I was surrounded by people who, without knowing, inspired me to be who I am,” she says.  

First songs: Incidentally, her second release was “Over The Ocean” from the Malayalam film Kolambi in 2021, which was made around 2018 when the movie was still in development. In a moment of pure serendipity, Alexander’s first original—made when she was just 15 years old—was being played by her friend when it was overheard by the friend’s father, who happened to be filmmaker T.K. Rajeev Kumar. It happened just as he cooking up the script to his Malayalam movie Kolambi. Alexander recalls with a laugh, “He went to her, he’s like, ‘What are you listening to? What is that?’ And then she’s like, ‘That’s Mary Ann.’ He said, ‘I need that. Ask her to record it.’”  

Since then, the singer-songwriter’s smooth R&B/pop vocals have been a part of songs like “Superhuman” by Bengaluru artist Tarang Joseph (also featuring singer-songwriter and rapper Ranj), “Sit Back” with neo hip-hop group Till Apes, “You’re The Reason” with Nate08, and “10kmph” with Dot. In between, Alexander’s been releasing her solo singles, including the club-ready “In My Zone” and the playful love song “Bling Bling,” plus more recently, “Draining Out.” She says, “I don’t like working on music with other people unless I actually admire them. There have been times where I’ve said yes, out of just being nice, and it doesn’t feel good at all.”  

Internet friends: When in-person collaborations didn’t lead to much creative synergy, Alexander found that long-distance, virtual collaborations were far easier to navigate. “That vulnerability did not come to me naturally,” she recounts. Sending tracks and ideas back and forth with producers, she feels that’s a simpler and less “anxiety-inducing” process for her. That said, there are videos of her jamming with Shillong producer Adl on their new track “Draining Out” that definitely show she’s getting more comfortable.  

Alongside, she’s also sang for composer Sushin Shyam on the song “Sthuthi” from the movie Bougainvillea and her first Hindi song, “Ulfat” with composer Sneha Khanwalkar for the movie CTRL. She says, “When these songs come along, and when I like the projects, and when I notice excitement and enthusiasm within myself, I just go for it, and I don’t stop.”  

Simmer, don’t boil: Phone in front of her, Alexander blew up after uploading unreleased snippets of “lovey-dovey R&B” songs and a heartbreak tune produced by the likes of Kerala beatsmith Parimal Shais. She’s aware that these songs are not out yet. even after millions of views on Instagram Reels over the last year. “I feel kind of bad that I have a reputation for not releasing the songs that I tease people with on Instagram,” she admits. But she doesn’t expect people to understand the pace that she works at with producers and her own team. “A lot of new opportunities have been presenting itself to me and I’m kind of trying to decide what’s the best way to go, and what would be the best thing for this song,” she says.  

Maybe at the end of it, she might just shop for labels and ultimately drop a song on a whim, with a raw production that highlights her powerfully communicative R&B style. She wants to “put love into the song, make the best of it and then put it out.” She’s quick to clarify, “I’m not overworking anything. I am not overcooking anything to the point where it’s like I can’t listen to it anymore. That’s not what’s happening.”  

Future present: Working on about 14 songs simultaneously, one thing’s for sure: you’ll definitely see her testing out a lot more songs on social media. She says, “I cannot stand people who villainize social media. It’s the biggest superpower right now. Use it or don’t complain about it. Harness the power of it. If you can’t, that’s just too bad for you, bro.”