Episode 130

Conversation with Maria Rubia

Published on: 21st March, 2023

I am having a jolly good conversation with Maria Rubia about her career, the music industry, online marketing, and her future plans.

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Episode 130 (44 minutes) was recorded on March 8, 2023, by podcaster, Martin Lindeskog, with Ringr app.. Editing, post-production, and transcript with the podcast maker, Alitu. Notes to self written on Mod 1927 notecards. Bumper and jingle by Jim Jonsson, JTunes Productions. 

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Transcript
Martin:

Ego net cost.

Martin:

Welcome to Ego net cost.

Martin:

I am Martin Lindeskog and this will be episode 130.

Martin:

And today I have a guest here.

Martin:

Hello, Maria Rubia.

Maria:

Hi, how are you?

Martin:

I'm fine.

Martin:

Yourself?

Martin:

What's on your mind?

Maria:

I love your accent.

Martin:

You could do yeah, thanks.

Maria:

All day.

Martin:

Is it Queen's English or American English?

Maria:

What I'm speaking now yeah, it's Queen English and I Swedish.

Martin:

Yeah, it could be that swingish Swedish.

Maria:

English with a very nice Swedish accent.

Martin:

Thanks.

Martin:

So talking about that, have you seen The

Martin:

Muppet Show? And The Swedish Chef?

Maria:

No.

Martin:

Then you definitely should check out a song called Popcorn.

Martin:

You know the classic synth electronic pop music that was like buttery pop popcorn.

Martin:

And the Swedish Chef in The Muppet Show.

Martin:

He's talking like, boom, boom, boom.

Martin:

It's not Swedish, but it's that very finky Swedish.

Martin:

It's so funny.

Martin:

He's making popcorn and shrimp together.

Martin:

Totally hilarious music video, but it's with this popcorn song.

Martin:

And we will talk about your music and happy music.

Martin:

And thanks to and shout out to Yonathan Dahl that told me about you and asked if it would

Martin:

be interesting to have you as a guest on the show.

Martin:

And I have had, I think it's ten individuals right now, artists that I have had on Egonet

Martin:

Cost.

Martin:

Here my podcast, so that's great.

Martin:

So thanks for taking your time here, Maria.

Martin:

And we can start out with that.

Martin:

Your fans, they are called Rubies like precious dough, right?

Maria:

Yes, but I don't like the word fans because I just think it's just silly.

Maria:

I think we're all fame, you know what I mean?

Martin:

Right, yeah.

Maria:

Because to me, they're very precious, thank God.

Maria:

All over the world.

Maria:

And I was getting a lot of messages on my

Maria:

Instagram saying, happy Women's International Day yesterday, which I thought, they're so

Maria:

kind, they don't need to send me that message.

Maria:

It was just really lovely.

Maria:

Yeah, they're literally from all over the world.

Maria:

I mean, I've had soldiers stuck up mountains for work whilst they were doing a battle, and

Maria:

one was depressed and he said it was my songs that kept him going.

Maria:

And I was like, wow, that to me is so special.

Martin:

Yeah. So let's talk about special.

Martin:

When I did a search on Your Name Here, I found

Martin:

like 61,000 hits on Google.

Martin:

I haven't searched an alternative search

Martin:

engine like Doctor Go.

Martin:

I often do that also, but I checked that and

Martin:

the first one, and we'll talk about a little about marketing and how to be found on the net

Martin:

for an artist and record labors and others.

Martin:

It was a Wikipedia entry with you and then it

Martin:

was a link to your official page so we could start out that from a gecko.

Martin:

Could you tell the listeners where to find you in cyberspace on your own page?

Maria:

Yes. Thank you.

Maria:

Because I basically got all of my socials

Maria:

hacked, some deleted, and there is one out there that is not my official page.

Maria:

So we've now set up a website so that, thank God, is like at the top of the when you Google

Maria:

it, it comes to the top and it's www.mariarubiaofficial.com.

Maria:

And that's got all of my socials, my real socials on there because there are some out

Maria:

there that are fake.

Maria:

And also there are some producers that have

Maria:

said, oh, Maria Rubio has sung on this song.

Maria:

I've not sung on that song.

Maria:

And he also says that I've been in a Mexican film.

Maria:

I've never been in a Mexican film.

Maria:

So there's a lot of mistakes and false

Maria:

information on the internet, so just be very careful.

Martin:

Good. And I like that advice.

Martin:

As a new media advisor, I said, be careful out

Martin:

there and double check.

Martin:

And then I also see opportunities as a new

Martin:

media advisor to help along with this.

Martin:

Because if you create content like blog posts

Martin:

or videos, podcasts and so on, you will come up off the top in the long run.

Martin:

And that's like the Wikipedia, it's very good that it is an official way there and also

Martin:

linked to official, because I found Facebook, as you said, Twitter and others.

Martin:

And I was wondering, is that the real deal or is it somebody else or is it something that

Martin:

was in the past and so on.

Martin:

So it's good that you have mentioned that on

Martin:

your website there.

Martin:

Also I see lots of information there and I see

Martin:

potential for that website.

Martin:

Also what you could do in the future.

Maria:

Because even on the Wikipedia, there's misinformation on there.

Maria:

People that are just adding stuff onto my Wikipedia.

Martin:

Yeah, because they could edit it.

Maria:

Yeah, it's not the truth.

Maria:

I don't think Wikipedia should allow Tom Dick

Maria:

and Harry to just add stuff on there because it's not the case.

Maria:

People I don't know are just adding stuff onto Wikipedia.

Maria:

So I don't bother with Wikipedia.

Maria:

I don't bother with even looking anymore

Maria:

because there's a lot of things that is not correct.

Maria:

So, yeah, the website has got all the correct information.

Maria:

It's got all of the songs.

Maria:

We are doing a YouTube channel and all of

Maria:

that.

Maria:

So all of that information is correct.

Martin:

That's good.

Martin:

And that will be interesting when you search

Martin:

for something and how you work with social media and new media.

Martin:

So I liked what you said on the page where Google got the go.

Martin:

You said about the vocals there and the credits that you want to have credits when his

Martin:

credit is due, but you want to have it in the correct way so that we could come to your

Martin:

latest song.

Martin:

Is that a piece of the puzzle to how to get

Martin:

out there in the cyberspace and how to get through to your Rubies and others?

Martin:

Of course you meet them at the concerts, you have contact with them in different ways, but

Martin:

do you see that as a challenge? I know that you have a management team and you

Martin:

have the record label, you have guys like Yonaton and others that are promoting you and

Martin:

so on.

Martin:

What's your thoughts on this as an artist?

Maria:

Yes. So when all of my socials got hacked, you literally rely on your socials for

Maria:

everything.

Maria:

And I was communicating with a lot of people,

Maria:

business people, via my socials.

Maria:

So when they got hacked and my TikTok got

Maria:

deleted first, and I was like, okay, well, that's not that important.

Maria:

I can do another one.

Maria:

But my Twitter had a lot of followers.

Maria:

I'm talking a lot.

Maria:

And I've been with Twitter since 2014.

Maria:

And the sad thing is that Twitter has no customer service, zero Instagram, Spotify, all

Maria:

of that.

Maria:

Yes, but Twitter, no. And we keep getting bot

Maria:

emails, and they're like, oh, because there's an impersonation official Maria Rubia page,

Maria:

which has nothing to do with me.

Maria:

And we told them about it, and they're like,

Maria:

oh, we need your ID.

Maria:

Well, I don't have ID in my stage name.

Maria:

That's my stay's name.

Maria:

And they're like, oh, yeah.

Maria:

And it's the same message, bot email that they send at the end.

Maria:

You just give up.

Maria:

So I'm not on Twitter anymore.

Maria:

I've just got my team on Twitter, so my management and then there's Maria Rubio

Maria:

updates.

Maria:

But that's it.

Maria:

That's it, because otherwise it's just you can get stressed about it.

Maria:

You're like, oh, my gosh, you're a massive company.

Maria:

But the company is too big for me.

Maria:

What has happened to me?

Maria:

Twitter is too big because it doesn't go to the problem, which is bad.

Maria:

So my management literally are writing to Elon Musk about it because it's just unacceptable.

Maria:

Yeah, so that's why we set up the website, because that's a point of contact that can't

Maria:

get hacked, the company, and then people can go onto it.

Maria:

You can then reach to the people out there who enjoy music.

Maria:

And spotify artists is absolutely fantastic.

Maria:

It's very professional.

Maria:

And if there's a tiny little thing that you don't get, you contact them.

Maria:

Their customer service is on point.

Maria:

So that's how it needs to be an Instagram as

Maria:

well.

Maria:

They're very good TikTok.

Maria:

Yeah, I love TikTok, but I'm not a person that takes selfies all day, every day or videos.

Maria:

My personal life, I follow a lot of people who do that, and that's their thing.

Maria:

But with me, I'm extremely private with my children, with my private life, because I

Maria:

think it's really important to have that separation.

Maria:

So I've got far less followers than if I was literally filming myself all day, every day,

Maria:

filming myself swimming and when I'm eating and all that, I would have a lot more.

Maria:

But that's the choice that I've made, is that I like to stay private.

Maria:

And the only thing that I like to put out there is the music.

Maria:

You do photo shoots, so that's the model in me when I do photo shoots, then that goes in

Maria:

magazines or then I will add that to my socials.

Maria:

But that's business, that's not my life, if that makes sense.

Martin:

Yeah. Tough.

Martin:

So that's good decision, I think.

Martin:

And I am a cat person.

Martin:

I will talk about food also.

Martin:

I often ask you about that question.

Martin:

And you're in England, right?

Martin:

So do you drink tea?

Maria:

Oh, no, I've never drunk tea.

Maria:

No, that stains your teeth.

Maria:

That's not good for you.

Maria:

No, green tea is very good for you.

Maria:

It's good for your insides.

Maria:

But no, I just drink water or smoothies.

Maria:

I am definitely a cat and a dog person.

Maria:

So we have a little cat called Cuddles, which

Maria:

we absolutely love, and we are actually going to get a little puppy, a cockapoo.

Maria:

That's the choice of my little one called Bailey.

Maria:

He's eight years old.

Martin:

Yeah.

Maria:

He chooses what he wants and he hand color.

Maria:

What is your cat called?

Martin:

Robin.

Martin:

So he's a red.

Martin:

Yeah.

Martin:

It's nice.

Martin:

And your record company, it's dogs, right?

Maria:

Yes. So they're called Crazy Dog Records and have a dog that they absolutely

Maria:

love, and they put it in my pop videos.

Maria:

I think it's the mascot of the record company

Maria:

and, yeah, they absolutely love their doggie, so that's fair enough.

Maria:

You respect that.

Maria:

That's their mascot.

Maria:

And, yeah, they love him to bits.

Maria:

I can't remember his name.

Maria:

I can't remember, say, he or she.

Maria:

I went into the studio and the dog was there

Maria:

and I met David's wife and lovely people.

Maria:

The PR company that I'm using is called Power

Maria:

Promotions and they're plug in all of the songs that we've got out.

Maria:

We've got free out at the moment.

Maria:

And my Traps again played in Miami Music Week

Maria:

on the 21st, which is fantastic.

Maria:

So the record company is excited, I'm excited.

Maria:

The PR company, Power Promotions, they've been going for 30 years, so they are very kind and

Maria:

they've done it at mates rates.

Maria:

We call it in English, so not too expensive.

Maria:

They're very kind to us.

Maria:

My mum and dad paid them, which was kind of my

Maria:

mum and dad.

Maria:

But, yeah, you know, it's like you get

Maria:

feedback from DJs, so the DJs are enjoying the songs and they are downloading it.

Maria:

So that's really good.

Maria:

We 8.6 million downloads on Spotify alone.

Maria:

Wow, thank you.

Maria:

And seven point it's going up every week by

Maria:

100,000 views.

Maria:

It's 7.5 million views on YouTube.

Maria:

So, yeah.

Maria:

So thank you to everyone that's out.

Maria:

And it's gone viral on TikTok.

Maria:

We got to my surprise, that was the Big

Maria:

Brother theme tune that's gone viral on TikTok.

Maria:

And also, every time you need me has gone viral.

Maria:

So that's the power.

Martin:

Is that the one? Because I listen when I search on Apple Music,

Martin:

we'll talk about the different how you could get out there.

Martin:

I remember the day with vinyl and so on, how you could listen to music and how you could

Martin:

get paid.

Martin:

So I did a search on Apple Music and I found

Martin:

the one that you mentioned there.

Martin:

Could you tell a little about that?

Martin:

Because then you got like Silver was it record thanks to this Fragma thing.

Martin:

Was that the first hit, so to speak? Or have you done other tunes before that?

Maria:

No, so I did theater before that, but I was in university and I've modeled since 13

Maria:

years old.

Maria:

So I was like in magazines and TV adverts and

Maria:

things like that.

Maria:

But I was myself going to meetings with

Maria:

businessmen at the age of 16 1718.

Maria:

And imagine a young girl, long blonde hair,

Maria:

slim, who was having business meetings with men who just wanted to eat me up, I think in

Maria:

their forty s. And they wouldn't take me seriously.

Maria:

And I was like, okay, well because I really wanted them to take me seriously.

Maria:

So my attitude was, no, I'm not going to sleep with you, because that was quite normal.

Maria:

So they would say, oh, well, if you date me, I can give you this, or if you're my mistress, I

Maria:

can give you this, and I can get your record deal, blah, blah, blah.

Maria:

And none of that was happening, I will not do that.

Maria:

So I would just go, oh, thank you.

Maria:

And then I just say, okay, I'm going to go

Maria:

now.

Maria:

And then I would leave politely and that would

Maria:

be the end of the meeting.

Maria:

So I sieved through all of the I'd call them

Maria:

perverts, weirdos, or Opportunists, whatever you want to call them.

Maria:

And no, I didn't sleep with anyone to get to where I was because that's my self respect, I

Maria:

think.

Maria:

And that's just how I was brought up, is you

Maria:

keep yourself to yourself and business is business and that's completely separate.

Maria:

So, yeah, I was in university and then I had meetings, good meetings, not meetings like

Maria:

that, good meetings where they meant business.

Maria:

And I would sing down the phone to them and

Maria:

then they said, oh, fragment.

Maria:

I've just had a number one and are interested

Maria:

in flying you over to the studio.

Maria:

Imagine university and over.

Maria:

And they've just had a number one, and I was listening to it on the radio.

Maria:

So anyway, cut long story short, yeah, I went there.

Maria:

I was really nervous, didn't think I got it.

Maria:

Mom and dad were like, did you get it,

Maria:

darling? I said, I don't think so.

Maria:

And they were like, oh, they were more disappointed than me.

Maria:

And then I got the phone call and then I got it, and I was like, oh my God.

Maria:

Yeah.

Maria:

And then it happens really fast, doesn't it?

Maria:

You know what happens when you're famous happens very fast.

Maria:

So 1 minute you're not getting recognized, next minute you are, you're doing a pop video,

Maria:

you're signing autographs, and it's an avalanche.

Maria:

And I was getting like two to 4 hours sleep.

Maria:

The promotion was incredible.

Maria:

It was very professional.

Maria:

I was with EMI who treated me amazingly well,

Maria:

and fragment were amazing.

Maria:

I'm still in contact with them now and it was

Maria:

just done perfectly.

Maria:

It's all I can explain.

Maria:

And my tour manager, et cetera.

Maria:

I had a lovely team around me.

Maria:

And then off the back of that, we did the other song.

Maria:

So, yeah, I did the Big Brother theme tune Forever in a Day.

Maria:

And then I did Akira, Here Comes the Rain again.

Maria:

So the guy from Eurythmics, he gave us yeah, David, he gave us the thumbs up.

Maria:

He liked the vocals, so that was an honor.

Maria:

And then I wrote say it.

Maria:

When I was stuck on the motorway, you know, when there's accidents on the motorway, I was

Maria:

like, oh.

Maria:

And then this song came to me.

Maria:

I was like, oh, my God, I got to write it down quick.

Maria:

And then, yeah, it just carried on from there and I was Mummy.

Maria:

So I ended up in a wheelchair with Brandon.

Maria:

I couldn't walk because he nearly died inside

Maria:

of me.

Maria:

He got stuck, yeah.

Maria:

And so I had seconds to get him out because his heart rate was dropping.

Maria:

And then when he came out, he wasn't breathing, so they hid him from me and it was

Maria:

crazy.

Maria:

Like, you expect the baby to cry.

Maria:

Why is the baby crying? And I saw my mum really pale, so after that, I

Maria:

couldn't walk.

Maria:

Basically, I'd broken my synthesis pubists

Maria:

bone that I'd never heard of before.

Maria:

I was like, what is that?

Maria:

They're like, yeah, you've broken it, you snapped it.

Maria:

So I didn't walk for two and a half years and then it was just lovely being Mummy.

Maria:

And I had lots of phone calls for work, but I went from size four to a size 18 because I

Maria:

just couldn't move.

Maria:

It wasn't like I was eating cakes or anything.

Maria:

I just couldn't move.

Maria:

I literally was on the sofa six months.

Maria:

I had baby on my back, like an African woman, and I would crawl to get baby stuff and say,

Maria:

he was catered for.

Maria:

It was an experience, but it made me

Maria:

appreciate people in wheelchairs, because when you're not in a wheelchair, you don't

Maria:

understand.

Maria:

But when you're in a wheelchair and you're

Maria:

just trying to go down the pavements and things like that, there are so many things

Maria:

that you can't get into, like restaurants and shops and things like that.

Maria:

The doorways are too small, or there's bumps and things like that.

Maria:

So, yeah, it made me sympathize a lot with wheelchair users.

Maria:

That was the positive.

Martin:

That'S this accessibility and so on.

Martin:

And there you have it on the Internet, also to

Martin:

be able to read things on the net and also to listen to music and podcasts.

Martin:

We'll talk more about your song, where you had also, like, a club remix of a band.

Martin:

Could you tell a little bit about that?

Maria:

There are loads of club mixes out there from wonderful people.

Maria:

I've never met or never heard of or celeb DJs also.

Maria:

But I found one a couple of days ago that I've added onto my website, which is absolutely

Maria:

banging.

Maria:

It's so strong.

Maria:

I love it.

Maria:

I played it to my children in the car and they

Maria:

were dancing about in the car.

Maria:

I love that people just take your music and

Maria:

just flip it and twist it and do their own creativity.

Maria:

That's the joy about music.

Maria:

I just love it.

Maria:

And yeah, you mentioned silver disc.

Maria:

We got a silver disc and a gold disc with

Maria:

every time you need me.

Maria:

And what happened was last year it got put on

Maria:

Love Island UK.

Maria:

Excuse me, my voice is going, Love Island UK.

Maria:

And I didn't know anything about it.

Maria:

And Fragment had been trying to contact me for

Maria:

the past couple of years, but I changed my number, I've moved, blah, blah.

Maria:

So then they just released it and then I had a lot of messages on my phone like, oh my gosh,

Maria:

your song is playing Love Island UK.

Maria:

And I'm like, what?

Maria:

No, I don't have anything out.

Maria:

I don't know what you're talking about.

Maria:

And then I checked it, okay? And then it's funny how the Internet helps you

Maria:

because then on my new Twitter, I basically put, oh, thank you so much for having me on

Maria:

your show, blah, blah.

Maria:

And then I hashtag Fragma, and then Fragma

Maria:

found me from that tweet and then we started conversing again and they were like, We've

Maria:

been trying to find you for years.

Maria:

I'm like oh, my God.

Maria:

I'm so sorry.

Martin:

That's good.

Maria:

Yeah, we're talking about doing another song together, which I think would be really

Maria:

lovely for the rubies out there and for people out there.

Maria:

Yeah, I mean, club mixes for me are the best because they're played in clubs and people can

Maria:

really have a good dance with them because they're faster and they're stronger.

Martin:

Yeah, that's good.

Martin:

And I have some ideas that maybe it could be

Martin:

interesting for you and the management and others, and that's how you could support

Martin:

artists directly, also with something called the Value for Value model bits of bitcoin

Martin:

called Satoshis.

Martin:

And also that you could send like a boostogram

Martin:

or telegram and give your appreciation and thank you note to the artist.

Martin:

I will include that in show notes.

Martin:

It's one project called The Music Side Project

Martin:

and another called Wave Lake WA v. Lake.

Martin:

And it's interesting to see because back in

Martin:

the day when the record companies and the stores selling vinyls and now it's streaming

Martin:

mostly, but also it's interesting to see that, as you said, the DDA coming back and they are

Martin:

mixing and they are using the old records again.

Martin:

But it must be a challenge as an artist to get the royalties and get the streaming, as you

Martin:

said, and also when it's concerts and merchandise and all this kind of thing.

Martin:

So I think that we'll see new alternatives and new ways.

Martin:

And also to give like credit, as you said, if you have every individually in the chain, it

Martin:

could be, as you said, the remixes, it could be studio musicians, it could be marketing, it

Martin:

could be album art, could be lyrics, et cetera, et cetera.

Maria:

Yeah, definitely.

Maria:

I think that's a wonderful idea.

Martin:

Yeah. And now you are bilingual also.

Martin:

I have heard you talking in French in one

Martin:

song, but also Spanish, right? Yeah, Spanish radio station the other day.

Maria:

I speak more than two languages.

Maria:

I love languages.

Maria:

I'm currently learning Mandarin and I'm revising my Italian.

Maria:

There's Kiara.

Maria:

I don't know if you know, she's extremely

Maria:

famous in the fashion world.

Maria:

I've been listening to her on Netflix.

Maria:

She's got a documentary out in Italian and then I've got my subtitles.

Maria:

And it's so funny how when I was in the bath, I was just singing in Italian and all the

Maria:

Italian words coming back.

Maria:

So I love languages.

Maria:

I'm not keen on maths, but I love languages.

Martin:

That's great.

Martin:

So when you come up with, as I said, the song

Martin:

and lyrics, could you then tell about the latest one?

Martin:

As I said, the pieces of a puzzle there.

Maria:

Pieces Of My Life is a song that was written by David, who for me is a talented

Maria:

producer and okay, he co wrote it with some other guys, but he's the only guy that I met.

Maria:

So it's a very clever song.

Maria:

It's a beautiful song.

Maria:

For me, it's the number one, not because I'm singing the vocals on it, but because without

Maria:

Just as, it is just a demo, it's the number one hit.

Maria:

And I think it should be in films, I think it should be in adverts, because it's just such a

Maria:

lovely song.

Maria:

When I got sent it, my big boy, Brandon said,

Maria:

wow, Mum, that is the best song you've received in years.

Maria:

And I said, I totally agree.

Maria:

I need to get into the studio and get the

Maria:

vocals down on that because it's so lovely.

Maria:

So that's out Pieces of My Life and obviously

Maria:

on Spotify Artists and on all the other social platforms.

Maria:

And then Eye of the Storm, also written by David, is out now.

Maria:

So Pieces of My Life is more of a pop ballad, but the club mixes are really cool as well.

Maria:

And then you've got either Storm, that's more of a pop, which is really good song that gets

Maria:

you going, like when you're in the car.

Maria:

And club mixes are coming out with that

Maria:

already as well, which is good.

Maria:

And then we've got the Every Time You Need Me

Maria:

2022 track, which is lovely, the one that got played on Love Island UK.

Maria:

So, yes, we got those at the moment.

Maria:

And then we've got the others, obviously,

Maria:

because it's mad.

Maria:

They're coming back, like I said, Forever in a

Maria:

Day, it's gone viral on TikTok.

Maria:

So that's the beauty of music.

Maria:

There's no limit to you play a track and then it will just be liked by a certain person and

Maria:

it gets played.

Maria:

And that's why I love music so much.

Martin:

It's funny when you said that word no Limit, I listened to Two Unlimited and the

Martin:

song no Limit the other day and it's funny to see them there in a way, maybe some other

Martin:

singers and so on.

Martin:

I think Anita was one of the earlier about the

Martin:

band and they are touring and it's interesting.

Martin:

And same thing like with Rosala that I have had on my podcast here, yonatandal arranged.

Martin:

She had been in business for is it over 30 years now.

Maria:

I met her at I can't remember where we were because, you know, you go to so many

Maria:

events, but we were in a VIP area.

Maria:

All I remember is this.

Maria:

And then there was a guy who had like black trousers, white shirt and then a black

Maria:

waistcoat.

Maria:

So I thought the waiter.

Maria:

So I sat next to Rosala and I was like I asked the guy if he would give me a drink.

Maria:

Rosala started laughing and she goes, do you know who that is?

Maria:

The waiter? And she goes, That's Jason Donovan.

Maria:

You've just asked him to get you a drink.

Martin:

What's a good one.

Maria:

What? Oh, no. Oh my God.

Maria:

What happened? He doesn't look the same.

Maria:

And that's when he was going through a bit of a tough time, let's put it that way.

Maria:

Which he would admit himself.

Maria:

And I said I thought he was the waiter.

Maria:

And Rosalis died laughing ahead off.

Maria:

And Elton John comes in and I go, I can't

Maria:

believe I've just asked Jason Donovan thinking he was a waiter, to go and get me a lemonade.

Maria:

And Elton John was laughing his head off.

Maria:

And then Jason Donovan comes back with the

Maria:

lemonade and he goes, oh, here you go.

Maria:

And I go, I am so sorry.

Maria:

I am so sorry.

Maria:

I literally thought you were a waiter.

Maria:

I didn't recognize you with your hair like that.

Maria:

And he goes, he took it really funny.

Maria:

But I said, oh my gosh, what a nice man to

Maria:

literally go and get me.

Maria:

That was a little funny story that I'll never

Maria:

forget.

Martin:

Yeah, that's a funny story.

Martin:

That's good.

Martin:

Do you have any other stories to share? And then also, of course, tell about your

Martin:

future plans.

Maria:

Oh my God, there are so many.

Maria:

When I met I did a gig somewhere with Tina

Maria:

Turner.

Maria:

I was like, wow.

Maria:

Tina Turner.

Maria:

And what happened was she performed and then

Maria:

another two artists performed and then I performed and then my music stopped, the

Maria:

backdrop fell onto my dancers.

Maria:

It was like and I carried on singing.

Maria:

I was singing like a bella because everything just turned itself off and nothing was working

Maria:

and the stage was falling.

Maria:

And Tina Turner came up to me after in a VIP

Maria:

room.

Maria:

She goes, well done.

Maria:

I said, oh, thank you so much.

Maria:

I thought I was going to get educated or

Maria:

something, because it was all going wrong.

Maria:

She laughed her head off.

Maria:

But there are so many things that you have.

Maria:

There's also people who actually love

Maria:

themselves and sign autographs.

Maria:

They will just stay in the VIP area and they

Maria:

won't sign autographs.

Maria:

I don't like people like that at all, because

Maria:

those people that want you to sign the autographs, they're the people buying your

Maria:

music.

Maria:

Yeah, there's a lot of people that I've met

Maria:

like that, who I once I've worked out that they absolutely love themselves and they think

Maria:

they're special.

Maria:

I sort of don't really associate myself with

Maria:

them, do you know what I mean? I just hang around with the nice people, and

Maria:

it's normally the A listers that are the nice people, and it's the Z Listers that are an

Maria:

absolute nightmare.

Maria:

And London, I had a lovely, beautiful dressing

Maria:

room next to Jennifer Lopez, and this artist who just come onto the scene, had the TV and

Maria:

papers and stuff like that, no names, just was like, oh, yeah, dressing room is too small.

Maria:

And I was thinking what? So I said, you know what?

Maria:

You can have my dressing room.

Maria:

I'm just going to get changed in the toilets.

Maria:

And I have people with me who just looked at me in shock to say, what?

Maria:

And I was like, yeah, I can literally get changed in the toilets.

Maria:

It's absolutely no problem at all.

Maria:

Got changed, came out, got my hair and makeup

Maria:

done in another room.

Maria:

Stylist did whatever she did and I went on

Maria:

stage.

Maria:

And that's how I think it should be.

Maria:

Not this attitude of demanding this and demanding that.

Maria:

It's just what is on the rider.

Maria:

There was a famous rock and roll group, very

Maria:

famous, who wanted certain colors.

Martin:

Of M and M. Yeah, I'm reading your mind.

Martin:

I was thinking of it also.

Martin:

Yeah.

Martin:

What is that list call that you give?

Maria:

And I was literally at this event and these people wanted that, and this poor

Maria:

person, this runner, was taken out, the M, and there's so many things like that.

Maria:

Oh, they want the temperature, they want the color of the walls different, painted.

Maria:

And I literally would just have a kettle.

Maria:

I'd have some hot water and some honey, and

Maria:

that'd be it.

Maria:

And a towel, and that be it.

Maria:

And I said, if you don't have any of that, don't worry about it, I'll bring it.

Maria:

And that's how I think you should be.

Maria:

I think you should appreciate the journey and

Maria:

not think you're a king or a queen, because there's a lot of egos that goes about, and I

Maria:

think with social media as well, because everyone's taking selfies and filming this and

Maria:

filming that, there's too many egos, do you know what I mean?

Maria:

And it's just a job.

Maria:

And I think most people, special people, are

Maria:

people like doctors who save lives.

Maria:

They're the.

Maria:

People that should be praised.

Maria:

Not a pop star and definitely not a

Maria:

footballer.

Martin:

Yeah. And when we could talk about that, you're on this ego show now called Ego

Martin:

net cost.

Martin:

But I see it as a philosophical meaning.

Martin:

Like ego I am.

Martin:

And you have to understand your true self.

Martin:

But I hear what you're saying.

Martin:

It's lots of people out there that maybe don't

Martin:

have their own self.

Martin:

It's only a surface and so on.

Martin:

And footballer, we could joke about that because of the soccer thing.

Martin:

And I'm not so much into sports, but I like American football.

Martin:

And there you see the coach is doing the strategy and the teams, and they know the

Martin:

different position and division of labor, but it could be very hyped and hoarse.

Martin:

But it's interesting to see what's going on.

Martin:

So, what's next on your journey, Maria?

Maria:

Okay, so obviously we've got the tracks at now and then they get in played, as I said,

Maria:

on Miami Music Week, on stages, several stages at Miami Music Week and after parties, which

Maria:

is phenomenal.

Maria:

I've got a film that I'm filming.

Maria:

It's an anime film in Canada.

Maria:

So done the script reading, which takes hours

Maria:

and hours and hours.

Maria:

At the end of it, you're so, like, are we done

Maria:

yet? Not yet.

Maria:

Okay, let's do some more and then.

Martin:

We could export it to Mexico.

Martin:

Right.

Martin:

Menu it will be correct listing.

Maria:

Yeah, imagine that.

Maria:

So we got the film, we've got more tracks

Maria:

obviously coming out.

Maria:

And the pressure is on for me to look a

Maria:

certain way, because don't forget, I was a size four before, so that's a UK size.

Maria:

So at the moment I'm a UK size ten.

Maria:

Because I've just enjoyed life and I've just

Maria:

enjoyed being normal and being a mom.

Maria:

Yeah, thanks.

Maria:

But now the pressure nobody's asking me to, but for me, because I am a bit of a

Maria:

perfectionist when it comes to image and always look your best and always your best.

Maria:

So, yeah, I'm in the gym twice a day now.

Martin:

Do you take some rest also between the gym?

Maria:

Right, I just rest.

Maria:

No, because my big boy tells me to do that.

Maria:

You're right.

Maria:

But no, I'm doing more cardio just to burn and

Maria:

for fitness because of stage.

Maria:

So it's really important.

Maria:

I cannot just stand there, Martin, and just sing.

Maria:

I have to move.

Maria:

I have to move.

Maria:

And because of my BPM on, my music is so fast.

Maria:

You obviously have to move fast.

Maria:

So the dancing is quick.

Maria:

I have to get my cardio up, which is good.

Maria:

I performed at UK Glamour Awards recently and I wasn't out of breath, so that's a good

Maria:

thing.

Maria:

So I'm doing the right thing in the gym.

Martin:

Good to hear.

Maria:

Thank you.

Martin:

Yeah, well, that's great.

Martin:

And you have to then send me later on things

Martin:

so we could promote this podcast episode in the future in different ways.

Martin:

So it was great to talk to you.

Martin:

And thanks again to Yonat and all for reaching

Martin:

out and arranging this.

Martin:

And thanks for your team there and the

Martin:

management and others.

Martin:

So, is it anything else you want to say, like

Martin:

shout out or something else about the cyberspace there or the music industry that

Martin:

you want to shout.

Maria:

Out to your listeners? Love your country, I love your people, I love

Maria:

your food.

Maria:

You guys, to me, are one of the nicest people

Maria:

in the world.

Martin:

I say I am an American in spirit, but I hear you.

Martin:

And have you been in Sweden?

Maria:

Yes, whereabout a lot of people think I'm Swedish and they used to speak to me in

Maria:

Scandinavian, like Henry Maria, when you're plugging music and you're going here, there

Maria:

and everywhere.

Maria:

I didn't get to visit your country and I

Maria:

really want to visit it instead of going from the plane to the hotel to the state to the

Maria:

hotel back on the plane.

Maria:

But everybody were really friendly to me and

Maria:

the Danish as well.

Maria:

They are so kind.

Maria:

I think people from up north are really, really friendly.

Martin:

Maybe because it's a bit close.

Martin:

We have a bond and relation to United Kingdom

Martin:

and England and whatnot, so of course it's close by.

Maria:

Do you ski?

Martin:

No, I do off to ski.

Martin:

I don't ski.

Martin:

Yeah, do you ski?

Maria:

Yeah, I love skiing.

Maria:

I love the snow.

Martin:

Like snowboarding or downhill?

Maria:

No, see, I want to learn to snowboard.

Maria:

I've never done it.

Maria:

Skiing, literally skiing.

Maria:

I got stuck on the black pist.

Martin:

Which is because I was not sounds dangerous.

Maria:

Yeah, exactly.

Maria:

Martin.

Maria:

I wasn't good enough to get onto the black slopes, but I went on there by accident, so

Maria:

ended up just sliding down at the bottom.

Martin:

I hope you had a helmet then.

Maria:

No, that's the thing, I didn't have a helmet on, but definitely when I go skiing

Maria:

again, I will put a helmet on.

Martin:

Good wet.

Martin:

You have to be safe.

Martin:

I have a friend who is really from Hungary now he's in Spain and I see some of his videos and

Martin:

what he's doing when he is doing snowboarding.

Martin:

It looks very fascinating.

Maria:

Yeah, you got fast.

Martin:

So what's happening in your area, then?

Martin:

Where you are located? Of course, you are a traveler.

Martin:

Any highlights from there on your locals? Do you have performances and gigs nearby also?

Maria:

Yes, I've got a company that is arranging, you know, where they do the radio

Maria:

plugin, the club tours, the circuit in England, so we're doing the circuit in the UK

Maria:

and then obviously all over.

Maria:

And I don't know if you know that I have a

Maria:

radio show that I do with ABC, which is the biggest American radio show in America.

Maria:

It's massive.

Maria:

And I with a guy called Aaron and I'm the show

Maria:

biz host.

Maria:

Yeah, thanks.

Maria:

I love it.

Martin:

Could you listen to that online, or.

Maria:

Is it yeah, literally, I mean, it's on ABC, but also it's on YouTube.

Maria:

If you just literally Google Maria Rubia, aaron Sanchez ABC it'll come up or Maria Rubia

Maria:

radio show will come up.

Maria:

But yeah, it's really nice because you get the

Maria:

vibe from what's going on in America and what's gone on in the world.

Maria:

I just love radio.

Maria:

I think it's just amazing.

Maria:

Even me in my car, I can tune into somebody some radio station abroad and I love that.

Martin:

Great podcast for since 2006.

Martin:

I started this one.

Maria:

Wow. How many listeners do you have?

Martin:

Yeah, that's a good question.

Martin:

I will send you the stats when I get that

Martin:

question.

Martin:

I want to have it in perspective because

Martin:

people listen to big TV shows or radio services and so on.

Martin:

Do you know what the average or download per episode of all the podcasts out there?

Martin:

And it's listed like 4 million, maybe 500,000 are active.

Martin:

But do you know the average download for the podcast out there?

Martin:

No, it's like about 150 downloads and that maybe doesn't sound much, but it's like an

Martin:

active choice that I want to listen to this episode here with Maria and plug your

Martin:

earphones in your ears and listen.

Martin:

So I often say that think if you would have

Martin:

like 150 people in a room listen to you and listen to the conversation so I could have

Martin:

that 150 individuals, you don't know exactly who it is and in a way it's good with privacy.

Martin:

But of course if they reach out and get comments and you could share what I was

Martin:

talking about, how you could be supported by Boostograms and Telegrams like this podcast in

Martin:

2.0. I really look forward to that in the future so you could spread the good word.

Martin:

It's a small show, it's a philosophical show and also now with artists and so on.

Martin:

But I've been doing it for a long time and I have several podcasts in different topics and

Martin:

different areas and also helping individuals and companies and brands to start their

Martin:

podcast.

Martin:

It's great to hear that you're liking a radio

Martin:

or on radio.

Martin:

So we have to exchange ideas and information

Martin:

about that also.

Maria:

Yeah, well, send me your links and I'll promote your podcasters to the Max.

Martin:

Yeah, wow, thanks.

Martin:

I appreciate that.

Maria:

Well, thank you having me on your on your podcast.

Maria:

I really appreciate it.

Martin:

Yeah, and thanks for taking your time and we'll talk soon again, Maria.

Maria:

So thank you.

Martin:

Do you have any ending fort notes or something like that?

Maria:

Please download my songs and enjoy.

Maria:

They have different meanings for different

Maria:

people.

Maria:

So one person may cry when they listen to

Maria:

song, another person may dance.

Maria:

Yeah, I think that's the best interpretation

Maria:

for a song.

Maria:

It can have different meanings to different

Maria:

people, which I think is really cool.

Maria:

So thank you so much for your time and thank

Maria:

you so much for having me on your amazing podcast and you've been really lovely.

Martin:

Interviewing thank you for your kind words.

Martin:

And I say call to action.

Martin:

Download a new podcast app on

Martin:

newpodcastapps.com or podcastapps.com.

Maria:

Okay.

Martin:

Listen to this episode and yeah, spread the good word.

Martin:

So thanks again, Maria.

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About the Podcast

EGO NetCast
Food for Thought
Martin Lindeskog is conducting interviews with artists, authors, business minded individuals, entrepreneurs, philosophers, etc. I am answering your questions on business philosophy, new media, and the good life. Stay tuned!
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Martin Lindeskog

Creator, ✍🏻 Tea Book Sketches. Indie Biz Philosopher ⚛️ & New Media 📲 Advisor, TeaParty.Media. Blogger since 2002 and podcaster🎙since 2006. First podcast: EGO NetCast. Latest podcast: High Five for Hemp. Support 💲My Work and 🗽 Freedom of Expression: https://bio.link/lyceum