From Classical Roots to Reinvention: Maria Borg on the Journey to Maria Bea
- Noel Mifsud
- Apr 14
- 5 min read
Maria Borg’s musical journey began at just five years old, when she started studying classical piano—a path that led her to earn a Licentiate diploma in pianoforte by the age of 14. She went on to complete a Bachelor's degree in Music Studies at the University of Malta in 2018. During her university years, Maria’s passion for music expanded beyond classical roots, delving into genres like jazz, metal, rock, and pop. She became one of the founding members of the band Delirium, performing at various local venues including Teatru Salesjan, Zion Reggae Bar, and The Garage.
Influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd, Tigran Hamasyan, Elton John, and Billy Joel, Maria’s sound reflects a blend of depth and versatility. After stepping down from Delirium in 2024, she launched her solo career under the name Maria Bea, releasing her debut single in March 2025.
We caught up with Maria to talk about her journey so far, her musical inspirations, and what’s next. Here’s what she had to say:
NM: Everybody knows you as Maria Borg. Why did you choose Maria Bea to release your debut solo song under? Why Bea?
MB: Well to be honest, having one of the most common names in the country is not so useful when you are any kind of artist, and so I wanted to create a solo artist 'profile' for myself that's more unique. but also relates to those who know me as well, and so Maria Bea came to be. The name came from simply, my acronym MB, I used Maria since of course everyone knows me as Maria, but since Borg is extremely common, I used the B sound to create Bea. Nothing too deep honestly!
NM: What inspired you to compose this solo piano instrumental, and what does it mean to you personally?
MB: This single is a solo piano instrumental made up of four main sections. This piece means a lot to me personally, as it represents the hardships I've been through. 6 years ago, I lost someone very precious to me, the person who was my role model growing up. It led to a long writers' block honestly, it's not that I didn't write any music, it's just that everything I wrote at the time seemed like it wasn't good enough or felt like a nuisance next to what I was going through.
NM: Why did you choose the title 'Released' for your single, and how does the music reflect the emotions behind it?
MB: This past year though, I decided to let go of some toxic connections and try and listen to what I, Maria wants, rather than what everyone around me wants me to do. This is precisely why the single is called 'Released' - releasing old emotions, old negative thoughts, and just letting go - moving forward instead of being stuck. The piece has got 4 quite contrasting sections which start off softer and calmer, but gradually build up to a grander ending. The last section is my favourite personally, as it really felt like I let everything out there with the suddenly loud dynamics and busier texture in the music. It also adds a bit of a surprise for the listener with a busy bassline - a lot of people think of the piano as a very gentle and elegant instrument. It is, but it can also be very robust and aggressive when it wants to be.
NM: What was the reaction ‘Released’ got so far and are you happy with it?
MB: At the moment I have got good feedback from listeners but am working on spreading the news more so that more people will hopefully listen to it. Some people closer to me have told me the feelings and vibes they got from the piece, and I was very glad to hear it made sense with the inspiration behind writing it and what each section kind of meant to me as well. Some people gave me less serious answers such as 'It gave me a vampire up in a castle vibes' which is always appreciated haha! While others gave me a more in-depth explanation with the general consensus being that it involves a lot of tension and release and clearly represents some intense turmoil/emotions.
NM: Is this the beginning of a solo project, are we to expect more songs and ultimately an EP or album?
MB: Yes, this will be my ongoing solo project, to be honest I have been composing for a while but I'd like to do it in a more organised way now. I'm planning on releasing an EP - the timeline is still a bit shaky but ideally by early next year.
NM: Does this composition take you back to your roots and your musical studies and was this intentional?
MB: Honestly, this was one of the easiest pieces for me to write. It flowed really naturally, and the ideas came to me really easily, it's not really the norm for me as I'm a bit of an overthinker which gets in the way when you're writing music frankly. I am trying to let my ideas flow at the moment to see what comes out and am not limiting myself to a specific genre. In this case, this piece was more on the Contemporary Classical side, but that's not necessarily what I'll be writing going forward, I'd like to experiment more with electronics as well. And so, I would say this did reflect on my formal training, but also that probably anything I write is going to reflect on my roots and formal training. But in this case, it was not intentional, I began coming up with different sections, and I did not really feel it needed more elements for this particular piece, as it was very much around my personal experience of the last 6 years, so I felt solo piano would be the perfect way to describe that. I'm not really a person of many words, I speak when I have something valuable to say, and I believe that reflects in the music I write as well.
NM: Can you give us any sneak peeks in what we expect next?
MB: I would say more experimentation going forward, I'd like to get more comfortable with singing and would like to have at least one of the songs on the EP with my vocals on them as a personal challenge so you can definitely expect more music upcoming, this is the kind of project where I'm playing by my own rules and going with what feels right musically.
Listeners can experience "RELEASED" by following the links below:
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