Over 50 years ago, New York psychologist and poet Irwin Robert Shaw placed thousands of elegant stanzas to their respective page that would lie waiting to be graced by their visionary recipient.
Israeli singer-songwriter, composer, and pianist Maya Shaw, Irwin’s granddaughter, stumbled across these poems and songs a half century later as a teenager, and knew they deserved not only their musical counterparts, but to serve a grander meaning.
A uniquely rich debut album that situates itself between the refinement of Lana Del Rey and the conversational wit of Regina Spektor, Unfocused Freedom was released this past June, and maintains its vintage undertones with delicate grand piano solos and reminiscent interludes of Irwin’s voice found on unheard recordings from the 1980s. This combined with Shaw’s own words creates a unique familial collaboration across time.
An ode to the start of a transformation, her June single, “Chrysalis,” features dancing keys, swaying between supportive softness and dramatic drive. Forefronting a conversation on the need for self discovery, tangled with the push and pull of a loved one, the tune’s lyricism is tastefully interactive with the dynamics and rhythms of the piano accompaniment.
Fitting for its vintage theme, the “Chrysalis” music video houses Shaw standing vulnerable, singing soulfully, and often elegantly breaking the fourth wall, seemingly directing the audience on what to draw from its influence.
Following “Mantra,” a 13-second interlude of Irwin seeming unsure about his standings and opting to give himself his routine reminders, comes “Loneliness,” and their juxtaposition notes the nonlinearity in the transformation process like a cherry on top.
Intensity meets intricate transparency and binary uncertainty as the piano paints emotions untouchable by language. Marking a music video theme, the audiovisual counterpart shows Shaw’s playfulness despite seriousness, as her fingers mimic the piano’s resplendent movement.
Mixing blues, gospel, and classical timbres with a fitting airiness, “May The World / A Child’s Prayer” proves a monumental moving work, arriving just in time for the ripe political, environmental, and social climates it seems to speak to. “We can fight to heal the world / And realize ourselves without repression / If life’s a game we can all play / We are the ones to break the chains,” Shaw sings, narrating a child-like optimism with mature instrumentation as if hand-delivering advice from the past that can shape our future with progressive unity.
New York-based and rooted in a drive to create for the movement and inspiration of any who listen, Shaw recognizes the power of performance as she reimagines the legacy of her grandfather, deploying it as an international tool to recognize mutual feelings and experiences, and as well as the empowerment that can come from that communal understanding.
The album followed previous singles of 2024, which included “Breathe,” “Miss You,” and “Your heart [Live].”
From performing all over Tel Aviv to traveling the world with a curious, creative mind, Shaw takes her unresolved relationship with her piano and optimizes it to convey raw emotion, as displayed on Unfocused Freedom. Each song is a unique testament to her and her grandfather’s shared journey — one that bridges generations and creates something timeless.
Photo credit: Zohar Shitrit
