Long Island-based musical visionary Maria Ellis loves being able to tell a great story through a song. Having learned how to play instruments and performing as a child, Maria would propel herself into a life full of love for making music. She’s involved in every aspect of her creative process, from songwriting, production, and everything else in between!
In 2020, Maria uploaded a video on TikTok with a self-written verse for 24kGoldn’s hit “Mood.” The video instantly went viral, receiving over 250,000 views in one day. Having captivated the eyes and ears of fans all around the world, Maria went on to create similar videos with songs from Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, Sabrina Carpenter, and more. She also hit the studio to work on her own songs, and released her debut EP Ultrabaddie in May 2025.
Today, Maria returns with a new single titled “I Like Me (When I’m Loving You)”, a light-hearted Pop/R&B track reminding listeners that being surrounded by the right people can bring out the best in us.
Here’s your chance to get to know Maria Ellis and learn about the making of “I Like Me (When I’m Loving You)”!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How was it like putting “I Like Me (When I’m Loving You)” together?
I don’t know if you know Tayla Parx, but she’s a songwriter and producer who works with Ariana Grande. Very, very talented person. She put out a pack of samples, and I really wanted to get her attention. So I was like, let me use one of these samples and write over them. One of the sounds was made for “I Like Me (When I’m Loving You).” I put it online, and a producer friend of mine reached out to me and he was like, “Hey, this is actually really, really good. Like, you should finish this.”
He basically worked on the production with me, and it is what you hear today. So yeah, that was a nice thing where I was trying to make something for the internet, and it just ended up being something I really like.
Can you elaborate a little more on what the song means to you?
To me, it’s about a relationship that helps you look at those insecurities, flaws, things that maybe you don’t like about yourself – and look at them a little bit differently because they love you and accept you for who you are. At the same time, it’s just a really fun song.
Is there anything you’d say you did while approaching this song that you haven’t really done in the past?
I did some whistle tones! That was probably a first, because I love Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande so much, and I love when they do that in their songs. So I was like, “this is the perfect track to really debut my whistle toning skills.” But also, I think coming out of my last project a lot of the subject matter was about myself, confidence, and independence. This is kind of a good transition out of that.
When you mentioned whistle tones, as well as Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey, I thought about some of the videos I saw on your TikTok too where you were adding your own verses to their songs! I thought that was super cool.
Thank you so much! Yeah, I love doing that. It’s really fun, and then I get to sing with them too.
I do want to talk about how you got started in music and events that have led up to where we’re at right now.
So I started writing (songs) at the age of 6, and I was playing piano and taught myself guitar probably by age 9. Then, I started performing. I’m from New York (Long Island), so I would start performing at my church or anywhere that I could. Then, when I was 12 years old, I recorded in a studio and fell in love with the recording process. I started performing more, writing more songs, and working with more people. I ended up going to Berkeley College of Music, and I got my degree in music business, which was really important to me. I met a lot of my collaborators and people that I write with, produce with, and work with all the time.
When the pandemic happened, I started going on TikTok and doing a lot of those verses, and gained a fan base there. I’ve been releasing music for the past eight years, and I just released my debut EP Ultrabaddie in May. It had a really great response, and was playlisted by Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music. I’m really happy with how things have transpired this year, but I’m really excited to give even more music, because I have so much new music to put out.
What has been one of the most rewarding aspects of you being a songwriter?
Definitely when someone will reach out to me and tell me that my song helped them through a really hard time in their life. I think making these songs like “Conceited” and “Royalty,” people have told me that they’ve really helped them in their everyday life.
Is there any particular advice that you’d give to your younger self, or any other younger artists trying to break into the business?
It’s a lot of hard work, but I definitely think there’s always a lot of opinions being thrown at you… especially at a young age. I’ve been doing this really since I was 12. I know this sounds cliche, but staying true to yourself, what you believe in, and what you want. It’s your life, your career, and nobody knows that better than you. So, I think I would just say, you’re gonna get pulled in all these different directions, but always stay true to why you started making music. You know what you’re doing, and nobody knows what’s better for you than you.
What are some things that fans absolutely have to know about you that might not be as obvious? (I would say, number one is you’re a big fan of Ariana Grande, but it’s obvious!)
Yes. Very, very obvious! Maybe it’s not super obvious, but I record everything myself. I love to vocal produce. I know that’s my process. I don’t really put as much out there on social media, but I really love to produce my own music. I love to record myself and arrange my own vocals. I just love the process of creating a song.
Keep up with Maria Ellis on socials!
Article featured image by Jasper Soloff