A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the comeback of one of my favorite rising stars in Pop and R&B, Maya J’an. After a couple of years of focusing on songwriting for others, she decided to return to making her own music. In case you missed that write-up, here is a brief summary of Maya and her comeback. Maya J’an burst onto the music scene in the mid to late 2010s, releasing several Alternative R&B and Pop tracks that achieved significant viral success. Songs like ‘Selenas,’ ‘Dollar To A Diamond,’ ‘Sink,’ and ‘Getty Woah’ all had quite a bit of success when they came out. After her little hiatus from solo work, Maya J’an returned with a new single called cul-de-sac at the beginning of 2025. It is one of my top songs of the year so far, having been on repeat for the last month. Maya J’an’s second single of the year, ‘pocket knife,’ dropped about a week ago. I wanted to share some thoughts below. Please let me know in the comments what you think of Maya J’an and ‘pocket knife.’ 

Like ‘cul-de-sac,’ ‘pocket knife’ has a very sweet and whimsical sound. This song is so dreamy; it literally makes me feel like I am floating when I listen to it. There’s something about this melody that is reminiscent of Golden Age Pop music. The melody is driven by a soft and groovy bassline with a light tone and slow tempo. It is complemented by a sweet guitar riff and some synths that come in and out. The beat for this song is also very slow and subdued; it goes so well with the bassline that sets the pace for this song. Maya J’an’s vocals are just as delicate and dainty as the instrumental. I really love her delivery, as it adds to the airy feeling of the instrumental. On ‘pocket knife,’ Maya J’an sings about distrust in her partner(and in life in general) and wanting to give in but not letting herself succumb to potential lies. It is a very sweet and sentimental song where she wants to find solace in someone or something but won’t let herself trust others as well. ‘pocket knife’ is an excellent second new single from Maya J’an, and it makes me excited to hear where she continues to go with her new music.