Marked by her lyrical, deeply textured style, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Maia Friedman has garnered acclaim as both a solo performer and a member of the indie rock outfit Dirty Projectors. Following an album with her dream pop project Uni Ika Ai in 2016, notable contributions to Dirty Projectors projects beginning in 2018, and the release of 2021's Coco, the eponymous debut from her collaborative trio with members of Lucius and Pavo Pavo, Friedman released her first solo LP, Under the New Light, in 2022. Mostly anchored by synthesizers, guitars, and percussion, it was followed in 2025 by the more pastoral Goodbye Long Winter Shadow, which relied on guitar and chamber instruments. A native of Southern California, Friedman grew up in a creative, intellectually stimulating household with a film editor father and Jungian psychoanalyst mother. She began playing music at a young age, and by the time she was in college, she was an adept multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. Following a period in the collective group Bobby, Friedman launched Uni Ika Ai with Lucius guitarist Pete Lalish, former Via Audio multi-instrumentalist Tom Deis, and Olden Yolk drummer Dan Drohan. New London Fire's D. James Goodwin joined them on saxophone for the project's debut album, an airy and highly melodic set of dream pop titled Keeping a Golden Bullseye in the Corner of My Mind. It was self-released in late 2016. Friedman gained wider attention by joining Dave Longstreth's experimental indie rock band, Dirty Projectors, debuting in recorded form on 2018's Lamp Lit Prose. She was also a member for 2019's Sing the Melody and sang and co-wrote songs on the group's five EPs project in 2020. Away from Dirty Projectors, Friedman formed the soft rock group Coco, collaborating with guitarist Oliver Hill (Pavo Pavo, Dustrider) and drummer Dan Molad (Lucius, Chimney). In 2021, they released their eponymously titled debut album. On the heels of that record, Friedman also released her first-ever solo track, "Where the Rocks Are." It was the opening song of her debut solo album, March 2022's Under the New Light. Reliably dreamy and elegant in nature, it was produced by Friedman, Lalish, Molad, and Deis and featured appearances by other Coco and Uni Ika Ai bandmates as well as Jacob Eli Goldman on synthesizer. Coco issued their second album, 2, in early 2024. She got back together with Dirty Projectors (the lineup of Longstreth, Friedman, Felicia Douglass, and Olga Bell) for April 2025's Song of the Earth, an ambitious song cycle dealing with environmental issues and featuring the chamber ensemble Stargaze. In the meantime, Friedman signed with Last Gang Records, which that May released a chamber-oriented album of Friedman's own, Goodbye Long Winter Shadow. A poetic and pastoral set of 15 short songs and instrumentals, it was produced by Friedman with Phil Weinrobe (Adrianne Lenker, Florist, Tomberlin) and Coco's Oliver Hill. In addition to each of the producers, the album's many performers included drummer Kenny Wollesen and singer Hannah Cohen. - Biography by Marcy Donelson