Mae Mae Gad ’27 is in the midst of producing an album that contains thirteen indie-folk songs she has written over the past year.

Gad said her music is derived from her own life experiences.

“Most of the songs I write are inspired from events in my life that I need to process ,” Gad said, “I put a lot of emphasis on my lyrics and, oftentimes, the style is derived from what I read, like poetry or novels. My lyrics are kind of a mix between real-life and literary inspiration, whereas the production and melodies are inspired by other music.”

Gad is responsible for the entirety of each song, from its inception to production. Gad said the process requires meticulous care and can be demanding.

“Production gets really intricate and every little detail and decision counts towards the final product,” Gad said. “Sometimes I record a whole song on my guitar and then realize it was out of tune the whole time so I need to go back and do it all over again. I would also have to redo the song if it feels too fast or too slow. Everything needs to be balanced for a song to really sound its best, and that can get really challenging because there’s a lot to consider.”

Gad said making music is a central part of her identity.

“Through this whole process, I’ve learned that I need to make time for myself to make music every day,” Gad said. “It’s a very important part of who I am, and so I get quite frustrated if I don’t make music for awhile.”

Gad said she hopes her music will have a transformative cinematic quality.

“I want my music to sound like something that could be in a movie or that makes you feel like you’re in a movie.” Gad said, “I want it to make people think and for it to be catchy right off the bat, but also [analyzable] if you look a little closer.”