Coming up to the Donauinselfest Viennese indie artist, MAYAA, steps up to perform her passion music. From self-producing in her local community studio in Hirschstetten to the stage of the biggest free entry festival worldwide, she draws inspiration from her life to write into her songs.
Maya Wopienka (stage name: MAYAA) is a 25-year-old artist from Vienna who’s steadily making a name for herself in the local music scene. With a background in acting and a hands-on approach to music production, she writes and performs songs that are deeply personal, genre-fluid, and unapologetically honest.
Whether she’s performing at a youth center, at the iconic U4 club, or on one of Austria’s biggest festival stages, MAYAA brings the same energy: raw, relatable, and real. Her music bridges genres with fearless creativity – blending catchy pop melodies with the pulse of EDM, while never shying away from experimentation. Singing in both English and German, she crafts songs that are as emotionally charged as they are sonically bold.
From early on, the stage was calling. “I watched Hannah Montana and knew: that’s what I want.”
MAYAA grew up surrounded by art, her father was a theater actor and a writer, her mother is a musician and painter recreationally. She drew inspiration from her life experiences, including her near death drowning in a lake near to her home, Hirschstetten. One distinct memory comes from the time her mother thought she was practicing swimming, “I almost drowned. I was eight, couldn’t swim. A girl flipped the mattress I was lying on. I thought: this is it.”
That memory later became the emotional core of her song Lügenmeer. “I wanted to translate that feeling of losing control into music – but in a way others could relate to. So the water became a metaphor: a sea of lies you’re drowning in,” she said.
Before the show, MAYAA becomes the performer. “I’m nervous, but you’ll never see it.”
Makeup, setlist, breathing exercises. The routine helps, but the nerves are real, “My throat hurts days before. My body knows what’s coming.” Still, she loves the stage. “I grew up with it. I know how to own it. And I want every show to feel different – for me and for the audience. I want my friends and family to experience something new every time.”
The death of her father marked a turning point. “I quit my job. I needed time.”
She returned to the youth center in her hometown she used to visit as a teen – specifically, the basement studio. “I asked if I could use it. Then I locked myself in there for seven hours a day.”
That’s where her first songs were born. Later, she met producers, recorded her debut single, and began shaping her sound. “I didn’t want to just be someone’s plus-one in the industry. I wanted to find my own way.” Her songs are rooted in real stories: A best friend lost in romantic illusions. A father who left behind words and wisdom. A heartbreak that took years to process.
MAYAA will perform next on June 19th at the G5 Livebar, followed by her biggest concert yet on June 20th at Donauinselfest – Austria’s largest open-air music festival. “I never thought I’d get to play there. Three million people – it’s huge.”
Beyond the stage, she’s working on new songs and producing a YouTube series where she breaks down her lyrics and creative process. “I want people to understand what’s behind the songs – how they were made, what they mean.”
Despite her growing presence, MAYAA stays grounded. “I don’t do this for the money. I have a job working with kids and teens, and I love it. Music is my heart project. If one person connects with a song – that’s enough.”
