Maya Hawke Newsletters [Messages From the Stranger Things Actress and Singer]

Hey guys,

Thank you so much for your incredible response to the Blue Hippo postcards. I’ve been working on a lot of cool new music that I am so excited to share with you. Unfortunately, everything takes forever so this is just a check in.

Soo I am not the best at keeping up with new music but I recently found this record called Tomb by Angelo De Augustine from 2019 that i am obsessed with. I have also been loving Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville and Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Power in the Blood. Christian Lee Hutson’s new album,Quitters and Angel Olson’s new single ROCK!! (Also secretly i have been listening to a tun of 50’s crooners…Doris Day, Peggy Lee, the pointer sisters, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.)

I don’t know if you guys were introduced to me through Stranger Things but I am super excited to have the new season come out in May!! I basically wrote all of my upcoming music while we were filming season four. I was listening to a ton of Lucy Dacus and Baerd, and John Prine and The Weepies and phosphorescent…Evan Dando, Bobby Charles.

I know a lot of actors make playlists for the characters they play. Music they think their character would like or listen to…I’ve never been that good at that. When I play a character its very hard for me to find the border between myself and that person. I just find myself listening to new music and buying different kinds of clothes…then when the movie is over I think to myself…wait…”i don’t actually like this massive collection of fingerless gloves I’ve acquired.”

…AnywayI hope everyone is doing okay and feeling a little hope creeping in with the better weather. I know Spring is coming when i stop obsessively (trying to do) doing the crossword everyday.


PS. I’ve been watching the new Hulu show The Dropout and have found myself thinking about the place of ambition. There was something about the Elizabeth Holmes story that i was sympathetic to before the pandemic. Her drive and self-possession were obviously pathological but also inspiring? But now watching Amanda’s incredible performance in the show I think she is one of the most repugnant characters in recent history. These past few years have really changed the way I see ambition. I feel so lucky that I get to do what I love and that what I love helps me connect with others. Connecting with others is THE BEST…

I went to get a cup of coffee yesterday and the barista sparked up a conversation with me about The Dropout. We basically talked about the exact same thing that I’m trying to summarize here. I walked away so grateful for her kindness and curiosity. I think those are my two buzz words for the summer. KINDNESS AND CURIOSITY. Thank you so much for yours.

Xx

-maya