Introducing Maia Reid: The Hummingbird From the West
West London singer-songwriter Maia Reid is stepping into a new chapter with her debut EP, In Her Own Time. Rooted in her Jamaican heritage, faith and a genre-spanning love of music, Maia reflects on identity, community and finding the confidence to let her voice be heard.
Maia Reid in 2026. Image property of Eyula Koroma.
With her debut EP In Her Own Time now out, West London-raised singer-songwriter Maia Reid is embracing a journey rooted in patience, purpose and authenticity. The project marks a journey that began publicly in 2022, when she started releasing music after years of nurturing her relationship with songwriting.
Maia's spritely debut single "Your Light" caught fire, introducing an artist whose sound draws from the reggae and lovers rock she grew up with, alongside the soul and R&B that have long influenced her musical identity. Her next single "Love" followed, extending that warm, uplifting sound and exploring connection.
Yet releasing music came with hesitation. Maia had initially held "Your Light" while deciding whether she was ready to commit to music professionally, choosing to move at a pace that felt right for her.
Since then, her journey has gathered momentum. From performing at Milton Keynes' Reggae Land festival whilst opening for lovers rock greats Carroll Thompson and Janet Kay, to joining City Splash's Rise Up cohort, Maia is building a career that brings her closer to the artists and sounds that shaped her.
Raised in a musical household where her mother's love of soul met her father's love of reggae, Maia carries her sonic roots into everything she creates. Describing herself as "the hummingbird from West"—a nod to Jamaica's national bird, her British Caribbean heritage and West London upbringing—Maia carries her origins through her sound, storytelling and sense of identity.
That pride breathes life into In Her Own Time. Blending these sounds with deeply personal songwriting, the EP unfolds like an extended diary in musical form, tracing Maia's growth with every riddim and revelation. It stands as both a marker of the evolved state of soul-bound UK reggae and a portrait of a woman finding herself in real time: from the sparse claps and R&B bedrock of "Higher" to the motivational mantras of "In His Hands", layered over lush instrumentation. Across both, Maia turns reflection into reassurance, allowing the project's themes of faith and self-belief to settle naturally into the music.
As summer gave way to autumn, we caught up with Maia to discuss her project, heritage, community and the journey towards finding her voice.
The Culture Crypt: You've spoken about the importance of carrying Caribbean culture forward. How does that influence your artistry?
Maia Reid: "Caribbean presence is such a big thing, especially with younger generations. Our grandparents and parents brought that culture here, and now it's our responsibility to uphold that foundation. That's one of the biggest pillars of my artistry and I feel honoured to come from such a legacy.
My nanny represents that Caribbean presence and the generation that built a foundation for me. There are so many things within Caribbean culture that we don't even have to explain. It's just understood."
The title In Her Own Time feels like a philosophy. When did patience become important to your journey?
"I'm guided by my parents, my brother and my friendship group, who have always encouraged me to take my time. But ultimately, this is my journey, and no one else can experience it for me.
I've never been led by other people's demands of me, only by what feels right. I started making music when I was younger but didn't release anything until I was 25 because I wasn't ready. Timing is important, and I hold onto that with all my heart."
Was there a moment where In Her Own Time really came together for you?
"I think 'In His Hands' really set the premise for me. My whole ethos is about uplifting and prioritising God, and I always think of Him when I start a song. When I was travelling to Rome with my two best friends, I remember looking out the plane window at the clouds and feeling so close to God. The words, lyrics and ideas just started coming to me. When I finished the song, I thought, 'This is it.'"
“I love to piece every part of my artistry and my identity with connections to my origins, whether it’s through soundscapes or storytelling in my lyrics, you can tell my origins.”
Is there a song on the EP that feels like the clearest reflection of who you are today?
"Definitely 'In His Hands'. It's one of the slower songs on the EP, and it really takes its time to get there. It has my nanny's words at the start of the song, she blesses the song, and that means everything to me. When I performed it at Reggae Land, it was amazing introducing it to a new audience. I just want to put that song in different places around the world."
What do you hope listeners take away from the project?
"I hope people speak more to each other and have more vulnerable conversations. Community is what's going to keep us together. I think society is becoming more individualistic, but that's not how we progress. Whether it's through love, spirituality or whatever your belief system is, those things are important pillars of life. They're what keep humanity going."
Your creative relationship with producer and sound engineer Sunset Drver feels central to the project. What do you bring out in each other?
"The core of it is friendship. That's the foundation. We literally just have fun and we're always busting jokes. When you think about reggae music and lovers rock, especially coming from the Caribbean, a lot of people made music with their friends. People would just come together and create. That's what it feels like. It's easy and natural. Conversations turn into melodies, and melodies turn into songs."
You blend reggae and lovers rock with R&B and soul. How do you make those influences your own?
"I grew up on Brandy, Amerie, Lauryn Hill and Donny Hathaway—these amazing artists who trusted in their own sound, and I've leaned on that. I love R&B melodies because I love the groove of them, but I also love the rocksteady beats and rhythms that keep a song at a chill pace. I love to draw inspiration from reggae and rocksteady sounds."
Do you feel a responsibility to continue the legacy of the artists who came before you?
"I think it's all in my own time. I understand that in order for things to fully change, we all have to come together, but it also starts with the individual. A lot of people hear reggae and lovers rock as something they grew up with in their household, but it's not always seen as something people look towards as a major genre. If we don't hold onto these genres and continue to reinvent them, they could become distant. For me, it's about reconnecting people with those roots."
You were selected for City Splash's Rise Up cohort. What did that recognition mean to you?
"It means a lot. I had only released music a year ago, so to be recognised by events that represent reggae music and Caribbean culture is really promising. It means people are watching. It means I'm going on the right path, but it's because I'm doing things in my own time and staying true to myself. To perform at City Splash alongside artists like Beres Hammond reminded me how powerful that culture is. I'm just grateful to God, honestly."
Ultimately, what have you learnt from your journey thus far?
"I've come such a long way with music. I've always sung, but I was always singing in silence, in places where people wouldn't necessarily hear me. I realised no one is in control of how I live my life apart from me. So I have to do this. I didn't live in the possibilities. I didn't live in the 'what ifs'. I lived in the actuality of putting out the music I wanted to make."
Stream In Her Own Time below: