Why Maya Soufi is the Jennifer Lopez of the Middle East

  Superstardom is not something that is easy to achieve. Yet there are millions of people chasing that on a daily basis. To be frank, there's only a few that have that true "X Factor" and Maya Soufi is definitely one of them. 

From traveling to Lebanon and going back and forth both coasts in the U.S., she can never be stuck in one place for too long. Which could also credit why her fanbase is from all over. Ranging from afrobeats, dance, r&b, and much more. You'll go from crying your eyes out, to dancing until your legs fall off when you listen to her discography. This is what makes her so unique, because she doesn't allow you to put her inside a box musically. Maya will fit whatever role is needed for her, and she is never afraid to take a step back. She currently resides in Los Angeles and is a full time entrepreneur, model, and singer/songwriter.

    We recently interviewed her on the "Exposed" podcast and co-host Ilias said "she seems like she's one song away". You can listen to the full episode by clicking the video down below.

After looking more into Maya, there is one thing that sticks out about her. It boils down to her middle-eastern roots. In mainstream media, you don't tend to see a lot of women like her and she rep her people proudly. As she stated multiple times that she's from Lebanon and wants to put on for her people back home. According to her, the entertainment industry isn't as big over there as it is so she wants to do anything she can to help shed a light. While also collaborating with some of the up and coming producers, engineers, A&R's, etc. 

Well Jennifer Lopez became a powerhouse Latina whose known as —J.Lo—all over the world. She was able to be a sign of hope for a generation of Latina women who felt underrepresented. Where as of a couple years after her career picked up they finally reflected in pop culture. She changed the Hollywood landscape, by single-handedly increasing representation for Latino's in fashion, television, and film. We see the same path for Maya here except we expect her to do it for Middle Eastern women. If you want to keep up with her career and see where she goes from here make sure to follow her on Instagram @mayasoufii .