Biography
Maria Davis is an American electronic chillout music producer, Emmy-nominated aerial cinematographer, award-winning filmmaker, and FAA Part 107 certified drone pilot based in Arizona. Her music lives in the world of electronic chillout, but it is rarely static. Often uplifting, melodic, rhythmic, and full of forward motion, Maria creates tracks that carry listeners somewhere new, blending lush synthesizer textures, memorable melodies, driving beats, and emotional atmosphere into a sound that is unmistakably her own.
Maria began playing music as a child with no formal instruction, teaching herself by ear on a small keyboard. She would listen to cassette tapes by artists such as Enya, Enigma, Pink Floyd, and Vangelis, rewind them a few seconds at a time, find the notes by ear, and repeat the process until she could play entire songs from memory. Her first introduction to electronic music came at a very young age, when her Uncle Tom played Vangelis’s “Chariots of Fire” for her. That moment left a lasting imprint, opening the door to the electronic textures and emotional lift that would later shape her own music.
Maria began playing music as a child with no formal instruction, teaching herself by ear on a small keyboard. She would listen to cassette tapes by artists such as Enya, Enigma, Pink Floyd, and Vangelis, rewind them a few seconds at a time, find the notes by ear, and repeat the process until she could play entire songs from memory. Her first introduction to electronic music came at a very young age, when her Uncle Tom played Vangelis’s “Chariots of Fire” for her. That moment left a lasting imprint, opening the door to the electronic textures and emotional lift that would later shape her own music.
As a teenager, Maria’s first multi-track keyboard allowed her to layer six parts together, giving her an early taste of arrangement and composition. Though she was once told she could never pursue music professionally without learning to read notation, the music never left her. During a long hiatus from pursuing music seriously, Maria turned toward film. She put herself through film school, earned a degree in film and production, founded Totality Films, and began building a career in visual storytelling and aerial cinematography.
Years later, when the COVID pandemic brought film work to a standstill, Maria returned to what she had always known how to do: play music. She began building songs with the tools she had: a laptop, inexpensive desktop speakers, a non-professional keyboard, and gamer headphones. Her first three albums were produced from that modest setup.
Davis released her debut album, Paradox, on December 12, 2020. She continued creating and releasing music independently, gradually refining her production process and artistic identity. With the release of Limitless on January 7, 2022, her sound began to take a major step forward. Upgraded equipment and a smoother workflow allowed her ideas to move more freely, helping her hone the evolving Maria Davis sound: electronic chillout with energy, melody, atmosphere, and emotional lift.
For nearly three years, Maria kept releasing music without major traction, driven by her love of the work rather than certainty that anyone would listen. During that time, while rebuilding from the disruption COVID caused in the film world, she also drove deliveries for DoorDash while continuing to produce music. What began as a Plan B during an uncertain chapter became the career she had once been told was out of reach.
Her breakthrough came with the album Imaginarium, especially its title track, which found its audience on Pandora and has since surpassed 6 million+ streams on that platform alone. The success of “Imaginarium” helped bring Davis’s music to listeners who connected with her melodic, uplifting style and marked the turning point when music became her full-time career. Since then, her catalog has reached millions of streams across major streaming services, led by 22 million+ streams on Pandora.
Maria’s momentum has continued through albums including, Don’t Look Back, Fill the Sky with Stars, Relic, and Skyline. Her latest album, Skyline, has become her best-received and fastest-rising release to date, with multiple tracks gaining significant attention early in the album’s life. For Maria, each release is a chance to explore new textures and movement while staying rooted in the emotional clarity and melodic identity that define her work.
Arizona is the canvas Maria turns into music. Surrounded by mountains, high desert, open skies, prairie, Sonoran desert landscapes, and unforgettable sunsets, she draws inspiration from the places, memories, and visual atmosphere around her. Her background in aerial cinematography deepens that connection. Long before she owned a drone, Maria was fascinated by aerial perspective: the motion, reveal, and emotional scale of seeing the world from above. That visual language continues to shape how she builds sound, with movement, space, and a sense of discovery.
Alongside her music career, Maria is the founder of Totality Films and an award-winning filmmaker whose visual work has earned 16 wins and 35 nominations, including an Emmy nomination. She creates the visual world around her music herself, including the music videos, release imagery, and visual assets that accompany her work on YouTube, her website, and social platforms. Whether filming desert light from above or building a music video from story and emotion, Maria treats visuals as an extension of the song.
As a fully self-managed independent artist, Davis writes, produces, releases, and oversees the visual identity of her work herself, performing the work of both artist and label. Her creative choices are led by instinct, emotional resonance, and a commitment to authenticity rather than trend-chasing. She does not write music to tell listeners exactly what to feel. Instead, she creates space for each listener to find what they need inside the music.
In addition to releasing music under her own name, Davis also creates under the monikers Firehawk and Glamis. Glamis explores her more trance-driven side, while Firehawk sits in a deeper, more downtempo chillout space. She has also collaborated with artists including John Nixon, known as 7and5, as well as KC Lyon, Anita Barbereau, Michael Goodluck, and Chris Tinard. KC Lyon, Maria’s best friend, passed away in 2023; his voice remains part of her catalog on songs including “Arizona,” “Quest of the Vox Man,” and “Time is the Key.”
From a child rewinding cassette tapes to learn songs by ear, to an independent artist reaching millions of streams worldwide, Maria Davis has built her career through persistence, instinct, and a lifelong devotion to sound. Her music continues to grow from the same place it began: curiosity, emotion, movement, and the desire to create something that carries people somewhere new.
Maria's music can be found on streaming sites and social media worldwide, including Spotify, Pandora, iTunes/Apple, and Amazon.
Davis released her debut album, Paradox, on December 12, 2020. She continued creating and releasing music independently, gradually refining her production process and artistic identity. With the release of Limitless on January 7, 2022, her sound began to take a major step forward. Upgraded equipment and a smoother workflow allowed her ideas to move more freely, helping her hone the evolving Maria Davis sound: electronic chillout with energy, melody, atmosphere, and emotional lift.
For nearly three years, Maria kept releasing music without major traction, driven by her love of the work rather than certainty that anyone would listen. During that time, while rebuilding from the disruption COVID caused in the film world, she also drove deliveries for DoorDash while continuing to produce music. What began as a Plan B during an uncertain chapter became the career she had once been told was out of reach.
Her breakthrough came with the album Imaginarium, especially its title track, which found its audience on Pandora and has since surpassed 6 million+ streams on that platform alone. The success of “Imaginarium” helped bring Davis’s music to listeners who connected with her melodic, uplifting style and marked the turning point when music became her full-time career. Since then, her catalog has reached millions of streams across major streaming services, led by 22 million+ streams on Pandora.
Maria’s momentum has continued through albums including, Don’t Look Back, Fill the Sky with Stars, Relic, and Skyline. Her latest album, Skyline, has become her best-received and fastest-rising release to date, with multiple tracks gaining significant attention early in the album’s life. For Maria, each release is a chance to explore new textures and movement while staying rooted in the emotional clarity and melodic identity that define her work.
Arizona is the canvas Maria turns into music. Surrounded by mountains, high desert, open skies, prairie, Sonoran desert landscapes, and unforgettable sunsets, she draws inspiration from the places, memories, and visual atmosphere around her. Her background in aerial cinematography deepens that connection. Long before she owned a drone, Maria was fascinated by aerial perspective: the motion, reveal, and emotional scale of seeing the world from above. That visual language continues to shape how she builds sound, with movement, space, and a sense of discovery.
Alongside her music career, Maria is the founder of Totality Films and an award-winning filmmaker whose visual work has earned 16 wins and 35 nominations, including an Emmy nomination. She creates the visual world around her music herself, including the music videos, release imagery, and visual assets that accompany her work on YouTube, her website, and social platforms. Whether filming desert light from above or building a music video from story and emotion, Maria treats visuals as an extension of the song.
As a fully self-managed independent artist, Davis writes, produces, releases, and oversees the visual identity of her work herself, performing the work of both artist and label. Her creative choices are led by instinct, emotional resonance, and a commitment to authenticity rather than trend-chasing. She does not write music to tell listeners exactly what to feel. Instead, she creates space for each listener to find what they need inside the music.
In addition to releasing music under her own name, Davis also creates under the monikers Firehawk and Glamis. Glamis explores her more trance-driven side, while Firehawk sits in a deeper, more downtempo chillout space. She has also collaborated with artists including John Nixon, known as 7and5, as well as KC Lyon, Anita Barbereau, Michael Goodluck, and Chris Tinard. KC Lyon, Maria’s best friend, passed away in 2023; his voice remains part of her catalog on songs including “Arizona,” “Quest of the Vox Man,” and “Time is the Key.”
From a child rewinding cassette tapes to learn songs by ear, to an independent artist reaching millions of streams worldwide, Maria Davis has built her career through persistence, instinct, and a lifelong devotion to sound. Her music continues to grow from the same place it began: curiosity, emotion, movement, and the desire to create something that carries people somewhere new.
Maria's music can be found on streaming sites and social media worldwide, including Spotify, Pandora, iTunes/Apple, and Amazon.