Maria Minerva

Estonian musician

Maria Juur

Maria Minerva (2014)

Background information
Birth name| Maria Juur
Also known as| Maria Minerva
Born|  (1988-03-15) 15 March 1988 (age 36)
Tallinn, Estonia
Genres| Electronica, outsider house, nu-disco, avant pop, hypnagogic pop, lo-fi music
Occupation(s)| producer, songwriter, singer, DJ, radio host
Instruments| electronics, vocals
Years active| 2010–present
Labels| Not Not Fun, 100% Silk, Pudru Kuul
Website| www.mariaminerva.com

Musical artist

Maria Juur (born 15 March 1988), known by her stage name Maria Minerva, is an Estonian musician and activist.[1]

## Artistry

[edit]

Maria Minerva's music is described by critics as a blend of avant pop,[2] electronic,[3] and experimental[4] genres. Her work includes references to various styles of dance music, such as house,[5] disco,[6] electro, and eurodance.[7]

Critics have described Maria Minerva's vocal style as dreamy, haunting, mysterious,[8] or Lynchian,[9] but also as casual and slightly off-key, receiving comparisons to Blossom Dearie, Brigitte Bardot,[10] Nico,[11] and Billie Ray Martin.[12] She has cited Cosey Fanni Tutti, Laetitia Sadier, and Laurie Anderson as influences.[13]

## Personal life

[edit]

Maria developed an interest in electronic dance music and began attending clubs in Tallinn as a young teenager.[14] She graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts and Goldsmiths, University of London, where she studied with British cultural theorist and music critic Mark Fisher.[15]

Her father Mart Juur is an Estonian humorist, writer and media personality.[16]

As of 2018, Juur was a member of the Estonian Greens political party.[17]

Maria Minerva was awarded the “Extraordinary Ability” United States green card for her work in electronic music[18] and subsequently became a naturalized U.S. citizen,[19] residing in Los Angeles, California.

## Critical Reception

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Maria Minerva is amongst the most internationally acclaimed Estonian electronic artists of the 2010s.[20][21] She is the recipient of two Estonian Music Awards.[22] Her releases have received critical acclaim from music publications such as Pitchfork Media[23] and The Fader.[24] One of Maria Minerva's early supporters was the influential pop critic Simon Reynolds.[25] She was named as one of the seminal Los Angeles artists by The Guardian[26] and appeared on Estonian World's annual "Top 12 Most Outstanding Estonian Women in the World" list.[27]

## Collaboration with Cherushii

[edit]

Chelsea Faith a.k.a. Cherushii was one of the 36 victims of the 2016 Oakland warehouse fire.[28] In 2019, the EP Cherushii & Maria Minerva was released, which had been nearly completed before Cherushii died[29] and includes repurposed tracks from previous Cherushii releases.[30][31][32][33][34]

## Other

[edit]

While at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Maria Minerva authored the first-ever Estonian-language academic paper on sound art, with an emphasis on the history of sound art in Estonia.[35][36]

Maria Minerva has worked with and remixed many other artists, including Cities Aviv,[37] Maria Chavez,[38] Mark Van Hoen[39] and John Cale.[40] She has collaborated with visual artists Pakui Hardware,[41] Phil Collins (artist)[42] and poet Vanessa Place.[43] Formerly, she hosted a show on LA's community radio station Dublab, where she interviewed fellow musicians such as Nite Jewel[44] and Yves Tumor.[45]

## Discography

[edit]

This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous.
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* Sacred and Profane Love 12" EP (100% Silk, 2011)
* Cabaret Cixous CD/LP (Not Not Fun, 2011)
* Noble Savage 12" EP (100% Silk, 2011)
* Tallinn At Dawn CS (Not Not Fun, 2011)
* Nii hea with Ajukaja, 10" Single (Pudru Kuul, 2012)
* The Integration LP with LA Vampires (Not Not Fun, 2012)
* Will Happiness Find Me? CD/LP (Not Not Fun, 2012)
* Bless 12" EP (100% Silk, 2013)
* Histrionic LP (Not Not Fun, 2014)
* C U Again with Ajukaja, 12" EP (Pudru Kuul, 2014)
* S/T with Cherushii, 12" EP (100% Silk, 2019)
* Soft Power, CS (100% Silk, 2020)

## References

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1. ^ Hasa, Romi (August 26, 2021). "Maria Juur, Õismäe tüdruk Los Angeleses" [Maria Juur, Õismäe Girl in Los Angeles]. Eesti Naine (Delfi) (in Estonian). Retrieved 2023-06-22.
2. ^ "Stream Maria Minerva's adventurous new album for Not Not Fun in full". Fact Mag. 5 September 2012.
3. ^ "Maria Minerva". Dazed Digital. 31 March 2011.
4. ^ "009: Experimental chanteuse Maria Minerva announces full details of new album". Fact Mag. 20 July 2012.
5. ^ "Premiere: Cherushii & Maria Minerva 'Boyfriend Shirt'". DJ Mag.
6. ^ "Sunken Disco: Maria Minerva Talks Downloads, DJing & Dance Music'". The Quietus.
7. ^ "Review: Cabaret Cixous". Pitchfork.
8. ^ "Maria Minerva: The Rise Of Estonian Chillwave". NPR.
9. ^ "Why Lana Del Rey, Cults, and More Indie Heartachers Lurk in the Shadows of 'Twin Peaks'". SPIN.
10. ^ "Review: Cherushii & Maria Minerva". Pitchfork.
11. ^ "Maria Minerva". Interview Magazine. 24 August 2012.
12. ^ "Ajukaja & Maria Minerva: C U Again EP". Boomkat.
13. ^ "Maria Minerva". PRS for Music.
14. ^ "Maria Minerva – Eesti esimene hüpnagoogilise popi staar". Eesti Ekspress. 2011-03-23.
15. ^ "Perspective: Maria Minerva remembers Mark Fisher's Infectious Intellectualism". Crack Magazine.
16. ^ Ulrik Noergaard (2011-03-31). "Maria Minerva | Dazed". Dazeddigital.com. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
17. ^ "Tallinn Music Week celebrates its 10th anniversary". Euronews. 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
18. ^ "Alien of Extaordinary Ability: An Interview with Maria Minerva". Fanzine. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
19. ^ Hasa, Romi (August 26, 2021). "Maria Juur, Õismäe tüdruk Los Angeleses" [Maria Juur, Õismäe Girl in Los Angeles]. Eesti Naine (Delfi) (in Estonian). Retrieved 2024-01-12.
20. ^ "The Modern Music of Estonia". Bandcamp. 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
21. ^ "The Crowned Queen of Estonian Underground". Müürileht. 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
22. ^ "Curly Strings makes a clean sweep at Estonian Music Awards". ERR. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
23. ^ Lindsay Zoladz (2011-11-30). "Maria Minerva: Sacred & Profane Love EP Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
24. ^ "Artist: Maria Minerva".
25. ^ Reynolds, Simon (7 October 2011). "Female Artists With a Penchant for Synth Sounds". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
26. ^ "The Sound of LA". The Guardian.
27. ^ "Top 12 most outstanding Estonian women in the world". 8 March 2015.
28. ^ Maria Minerva (9 December 2016). "The Rave Queen Next Door: Remembering the Life and Legacy of My Friend Cherushii". Vice.
29. ^ Moreland, Quinn (March 5, 2019). "How Maria Minerva Finished Her Record With Cherushii, Who Died in Oakland's Ghost Ship Fire". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
30. ^ Brown, Harley (February 19, 2019). "Cherushii & Maria Minerva". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
31. ^ Clements, Miles (February 8, 2019). "CHERUSHII + MARIA MINERVA: SELF-TITLED". L.A. Record. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
32. ^ Matthew, Terry (September 4, 2019). "Days Without You: Cherushii and Maria Minerva Made Beautiful Music". 5mag. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
33. ^ Murray, Eoin (February 7, 2019). "Premiere: Cherushii & Maria Minerva 'Boyfriend Shirt'". DJ Mag. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
34. ^ Henry Bruce-Jones (15 January 2019). "100% Silk to release posthumous Cherushii & Maria Minerva collaboration". Fact Mag.
35. ^ Maria Juur (2012-01-11). "What is Estonian Sound Art?". Estonian Art. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
36. ^ Hans-Gunter Lock. "Media-Based Music in Estonia". Sound Exchange. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
37. ^ Ian Cohen (2012-11-26). "Review: Black Pleasure by Cities Aviv". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
38. ^ "Listen: exclusive Maria2maria mix – Maria Chavez + Maria Minerva". Wire Magazine. May 2013. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
39. ^ "Unsound Labs: Denis Kolokol/Tomek Choloniewski Duo + Nate Wooley, Maria Minerva + Mark Van Hoen, Mark Mcguire + Bartosz Weber". Issue Project Room. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
40. ^ "Stream Tim Hecker and Maria Minerva's takes on John Cale". Fact Mag. 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
41. ^ "Popcorn, Pepsi, Petabytes". Bard Center for Curatorial Studies. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
42. ^ "Phil Collins: My Heart's In My Hand, And My Hand Is Pierced, And My Hand's In The Bag, And The Bag Is Shut, And My Heart". Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
43. ^ "Les Singes: A Passion Play for Today". Emergency Index. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
44. ^ "Estonian Air with Maria Minerva: Nite Jewel". Dublab. 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
45. ^ "(dublab) In Conversation: Yves Tumor (2019)". Youtube. Retrieved 2024-01-20.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maria Minerva.

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany

Artists|

* MusicBrainz