| Ma is a dedication to motherhood. The title of the album comes from the realization that the word 'Ma' is a very good candidate for our first utterance and our very last whisper, the word itself means 'Mother' in countless languages. The record contains 3 parallel narratives all pointing back to motherhood. The first is one of loss and helplessness, the narrative of a mother who reluctantly had to put up her child for adoption, still loving them, but unable to be with them. This became a metaphor for my own personal experience of observing my family in Venezuela, not being able to help in any meaningful way, and the constant feeling of complete helplessness. The second narrative is everything I would ever say to the children I may or may not have. The third narrative is one of celebration, of recognizing the Mother in each being, and of gratitude for music and its mothering qualities. Ma was recorded in Big Sur and Los Angeles, CA and was produced, arranged, and recorded with my longtime collaborator Noah Georgeson. It features appearances by many, including Cate Le Bon and Vashti Bunyan, the archetype of a mother. -Devendra Banhart |
