Maria Requena

Singer/Custom Songwriting

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11 Reviews
Maria Requena on SoundBetter

Maria Requena is a Chicago based singer, songwriter, and producer. With experience writing and singing in Spanish and English, Maria brings various genres to life, including pop, jazz, indie, folk, and musical theater.

Hello! Hope you're having an awesome day! Let's make some music together!

Songwriting and singing are my loves, and I will put in 110% into your project. For each vocal recording I typically provide 1 included revision, lead stacks, harmonies, and BGVS. Communication, intention, and goals are very important to me, and I will take the song you send me very seriously. Once we've established what the purpose of the song is, what my role will be, and have agreed on compensation, I will send you an agreement for both of us to sign, and then we can get started. Let's get to work and make something truly remarkable!

Services I Offer:
Topline/Songwriting (no vocals) - $100
Topline + Vocals - $200
Vocals and Background Vocals (lyrics and music provided) - $150
Custom Songwriting + Production - $300

Ownership/Publishing for Songwriting:
50% Complete Topline
25% Hooks/Chorus
*If I am not a writer on the song, I will not take a writing share. This is specifically for writing.*

Master Ownership for songs my vocals are used on:
- I will not ask for a master split if it's a work for hire
- Happy to negotiate splits

**Please specify if you're looking to do a "work for hire/buyout" in your proposal.
***May not use my artist moniker on songs, AKA permitted

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Languages

  • English
  • Italian
  • Spanish

11 Reviews

Endorse Maria Requena
  1. Review by Katie Dwyer
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    check_circleVerified (Client)

    Maria is such a great composer, singer, and vocal arrangement magician! As always, this job was easy to complete because of her straightforward instructions, gorgeous voice, and chill personality. Thanks, Maria!!

  2. Review by Jacqueline Loor
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    Maria is a songwriter, singer and producer who brings so much heart and talent into every project I have worked on with her. She is someone I know will bring so much value to any song, and someone who is a true pleasure to work with. I can 1000% recommend her and know she will only take your project to the next level!

  3. Review by Alissa Oberst
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    by Alissa Oberst

    I cannot rave enough about Maria! Her voice is gorgeous and her ability to translate emotion through her songwriting and vocal performance is incredible. She is absolutely wonderful to work with and truly invests herself in the projects that she is involved with. I highly recommend Maria for your vocal and/or songwriting needs!

  4. Review by jANiCKA
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    Maria is joyful and professional, and talented. Great with melody, harmony and lyric alike. Her beautiful voice really made our track come to life in such a unique way. I look forward to working with her again!

  5. Review by Alycia Willis
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    by Alycia Willis

    Maria is just a gem to work with! If she lets you know a timeline when she can complete a task, she gets it DONE. She’s wonderful with words, and adds such a genuine transparent warmth to any song she writes. She’s also just a delight, so kind and thoughtful, and cares about your vision so much. I will be working with her again and again!

  6. Review by Brian Skeel
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    by Brian Skeel

    I love working with Maria! Amazing voice, fantastic creativity, and the enthusiasm you always want from someone on your team. Always look forward to working with her. :)

  7. Review by Dana Halle
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    by Dana Halle

    I had the great pleasure of working with Maria on a recent song. In addition to having a wonderful, smooth voice, she was responsive, organized and professional. Her contribution to the song absolutely elevated it. I look forward to working with her again!

  8. Review by Katie Dwyer
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    Maria is very easy to work with! She has a very smooth quality to her vocal and a large range. Most of her songs have positive and relatable lyrics with interesting melodies. She is also easy to communicate with and quick!

  9. Review by Ari Cohen
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    Maria oh Maria. What a voice! If you need a singer to bring a soft and sweet yet powerful and strong voice to your song, this is your girl 100%!! As a songwriter, a great and unique “voice” as well. I had the pleasure of working with Maria on a song she composed and her innate sense of musicality is so authentic and individual it made my ears dance and my heart slow down. She always brings that individuality. No matter how unique and unexpected her melody choices are, they PERFECTLY match the soul of the song 1000% of the time. You’ll be singing her catchy toplines in the shower for sure 🎶❤️🤘🏼

  10. Review by Jessie Smith
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    Maria and I worked on a few projects this year. Recently we collaborated on a track as part of the group JAMMMS, which now has a rep deal with What Up Pitches. She's super easy to work with, she always listens attentively and takes everyone's thoughts and talents into consideration. She's also super organised and is very good at keeping a team of people together. I'd highly recommend Maria as a co-writer and collaborator, especially when writing music for sync.

  11. Review by Cherie P Gullerud
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    by Cherie P Gullerud

    I have worked on a few songwriting and producing projects with Maria. She is versatile, consistent, dedicated, talented, and simply lovely to work with. If you want a fast turn-around time with a terrific product, call Maria!

Interview with Maria Requena

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. A: I am really excited about JAMMMS. We wrote a song for a tik tok brief together, and got together as a cowriting/collaboration group kind of last minute. We wrote and fully produced the song within a week, and someone discovered that our initials spelled out JAMMMS. We fell in love with that name, and have decided to become a band and continue writing together. We are now working towards making an EP together!

  3. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  4. A: I am always working on anthem commissions for The Anthem Project, artist tracks to release under my Sunflower Summit Moniker, and music fo sync licensing.

  5. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  6. A: I have a few friends on here who are spectacular! Check out: Jessie Smith, Emma Harrop, Kimera, and Kris Bradley. They each have unique voices and are amazing to work with!

  7. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  8. A: Digital, mostly because I never learned analog.

  9. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  10. A: I promise to communicate with you consistently and honestly, and to treat you like a human - with kindness and respect.

  11. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  12. A: I love creating music, knowing that what I've written today didn't exist yesterday. There's something really cool in recognizing the special aspect of each song. I love meeting and working with people all over the world, learning about them and their cultures. I love being able to make an impact in someone else's life through music, love when people cry, laugh, or sing along to my songs. I love being connected through music.

  13. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  14. A: That I can only write acoustic/singer-songwriter music. This is my favorite kind of music to write and sing, but I love exploring different genres, and have worked in other genres too.

  15. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  16. A: 1. What is your turnaround time? 2. What is your project for? (sync, demo, release, etc) 3. What key is the song in? What is the vocal range you are looking for? 4. Do you have a reference track(s)? What do you like about your reference that you want in this project? 5. Any specific directions and instructions for me to follow; eg: how you want your stems delivered, etc.

  17. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  18. A: Communication and honesty are key! Let me know from the get go what you're plan is, and I'll be able to follow along. If you aren't liking what I'm doing, please tell me ASAP so I can make changes and give you what you need. Don't be afraid to tell me it's not what you're looking for, and if it's not, please don't wait too long to let me know because it'll be harder to modify the further along it goes. And humor, kindness, respect. I will always see you as a human first, and I hope you do the same for me :)

  19. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  20. A: My laptop, my mic, my keyboard, guitar, and uke. I'll have everything I need. (granted that my laptop has access to my DAW and internet hehe)

  21. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  22. A: I started out in music education, then shifted to entrepreneurship and business, then found myself working in nonprofit education work. I was songwriting and performing through all of this, and decided to make the shift and work in music and songwriting full time in 2020.

  23. Q: How would you describe your style?

  24. A: Happy-go-lucky, emotional, true, easy to listen to.

  25. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  26. A: It would be a dream come true to work with Sara Bareilles; I've grown up with her music and her melodies and lyrics have always inspired me. Others have been able to hear the Sara Bareilles influence in my writing, and I think we would be able to make something really cool together. I'd love to learn from her and grow with her guidance and mentorship.

  27. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  28. A: Give yourself grace to play and make mistakes. Don't be hard on yourself, and remember that the music is 20% what you do in your DAW and 80% the energy you bring to the DAW. If you approach a song and your mind isn't in it, nothing you try will sound good to you. Mindset is everything!

  29. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  30. A: Acoustic, singer/songwriter type music is my favorite to work on, but I have also worked on pop, soft pop, indie pop music, as well as the occasional punk pop/rock type thing.

  31. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  32. A: Writing, Singing and Performance. I am learning production, but writing and singing is definitely where it's at for me.

  33. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  34. A: Energy, passion, and emotion. I love storytelling, and as long as I have a clear understanding of the message you want to get across, I can deliver that message in song. I do this in my artist songs, in my anthems, and in sync songwriting too.

  35. Q: What's your typical work process?

  36. A: I start with writing, which is usually me at my keyboard or with my chosen instrument, or with a track someone has sent me. I have several writing techniques that I use. Once I have something, I make a voice memo recording and send it over to see if I'm heading in the right direction. It's easy to tweak things here. I have a desk mic too, so if you need a more polished recording, I can do a quick take at my desk without needing to turn on my studio gear. Once we like the topline, I head into recording. I will give you: 1 lead, 2 doubles, and 2 stacks of each set of BGVs and Harmonies. Depending on what you prefer, I can do some light tuning of my vocals and send you dry stems, or if you prefer to tune yourself, I'll send you the dry stems without me touching them. From there, I will be available for questions and a revision if needed. Depending on the project, this is probably where my role ends.

  37. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  38. A: I have a room in my apartment dedicated to music, where I have my mic permanently set up, with my guitars, keyboard, ukulele, as well as my production gear. I am teaching myself production, and having it all in the same place is great!

  39. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  40. A: I am very inspired by Sara Bareilles; her music, her career as a singer/songwriter, producer, actress, author. She is filled with so much love and kindness and she fights for what she believes in, and she does everything with integrity and dignity. She is all around a wonderful human who inspires my day to day. Musically, I am inspired by; Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Us The Duo, Sigrid, Aurora, The Wild Reeds, Norah Jones, Melody Gardot, Gabrielle Aplin, Aly and Aj, Bon Iver, Ben Rector and many more! I love getting new music, and have an ongoing playlist of references that I go to when writing.

  41. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  42. A: I typically focus on writing lyrics and melodies for toplines, and either sing a demo for another to learn and sing the song, or am the featured vocalist. I am a quick writer, and can have a topline done within a day or two. I also love cowriting, and am happy to help you finish lyrics you've started or start from scratch together!

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Terms Of Service

1 Included Revision
$50 for additional revisions
Lead Stacks + Harmonies
BGV - oohs/ahhs/woahs
1 Week Turn Around

Compensation and agreements vary per project, and can be negotiated.

GenresSounds Like
  • Sara Bareilles
  • Anna Kendrick
  • Taylor Swift
Gear Highlights
  • Scarlett 2i2 Gen 3 Interface
  • Slate VMS ML1 Microphone
  • Logic Pro X (Latest update)
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