In December 2020, sophomore Maya Debnath released two holiday-themed singles on several streaming platforms. The two songs, titled “Christmas in Quarantine” and “Angels,” are the first songs Debnath has written, sung and produced entirely by herself at home using a microphone and Logic Pro software. Debnath has also participated in both Menlo’s Got Talent shows and the Menlo choir performances since she came to Menlo as a freshman. 

Debnath has been singing since she was three. “I joined a choir in kindergarten, and I’m still in that choir today,” Debnath said. “When I was really young, I took voice lessons.” Throughout elementary school, Debnath was constantly putting on concerts for her family and spending time at an extracurricular music school called Happy Mozart where she had the opportunity to have vocal and piano lessons. 

Later on in elementary school, Debnath discovered her passion for songwriting. “I had been writing songs in my notebook for a while,” Debnath said. “My mom eventually suggested releasing them.” Since her first release in October 2016, Debnath has released two albums and seven singles.

Debnath described her process for creating her songs. “I start by finding a chord progression or an idea for a lyric,” Debnath said. “If it’s the chord progression, I’ll come up with the music then the lyrics. If it’s the lyrics first, I’ll write the song then put chord progression to go along with that.”

After writing the song, Debnath uses Logic Pro software to produce the song as a whole by using her voice, guitar and the software instruments on the application. Debnath also mentioned that she has been inspired by social media, literature and seeing other people’s art and music. 

Debnath drew inspiration from the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight against police brutality for a single she recently released called “Angels.” “I felt really strongly and felt obligated to write a song about those who have died at the hands of the criminal justice system,” Debnath said. “I was consulting [Chief of Institutional Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Keith Wheeler] to make sure it didn’t seem performative or for streams. A lot of people have reached out to me about how they’ve felt touched by it.”

In the future, Debnath looks forward to releasing more albums before the end of high school. She hopes to eventually double major in songwriting or production. 

In addition to writing and making her own music, Debnath has participated in musical theater performances, including Menlo’s productions of “Cabaret” and “Dracula.” In middle school, she guested for a teen rock band and quickly learned how to play the bass guitar. Debnath also is a part of both Menlo’s choir and the Peninsula Girls Chorus outside of school.