Islip High School Senior Performs On NPR, Brings 'Message Of Hope'

ISLIP, NY — Ma'Raya Stewart remembers first writing songs at the age of six.

She would sit on her family's stoop with her father, feeding three neighborhood cats milk.

"I remember taking out a pen and a paper and singing, 'Come little kitty, kitty. Don't be shy, just come with me tonight,'" Ma'Raya sang for Patch.

Now a senior at Islip High School, her audience has expanded from cats to listeners all over the world.

The 17-year-old recently performed with the contemporary worship music collective, Maverick City Music, on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, in honor of National Black Music Month.

Ma'Raya spoke with Patch about her experience.

She first became involved with the collective in summer 2020, when she registered for their three-day intensive songwriting camp.

"I love writing songs that have a message, because I think nowadays, everything is kind of negative in a way," Ma'Raya said. "I want to bring a message of hope, peace, joy and love."

Growing up, she and her family had a strong relationship with their faith, and are currently members of Lifeline Restoration Ministries in North Babylon.

"Ever since a baby singing with a hairbrush, we've noticed she has something," said Claudia Stewart, Ma'Raya's mother.

In April 2021, she learned the music group was holding auditions for her soprano voice part. Her former music teacher, Anthony Rovello, encouraged her to try out.

"I was telling God, 'If this door is for me, let it be open, but if it's not, close it, and it's okay'," she said.

The audition process was a bit intense, she said. Ma'Raya would be tested on one out of a list of seven songs on the group's repertoire.

But the same night of the audition, at 8:24 p.m., she received an email — Ma'Raya was officially one of about 150 members of the collective's northeast district.

"I immediately started jumping and thanking God," she said. "Then I went to my mom's room and they (Ma'Raya's family) were screaming."

Since then, the teen has made memorable experiences, performing for crowds of up to 10,000 people.

Her most notable experience came on June 16, when she had the opportunity to perform on NPR Tiny Desk Concerts.

The teenager had already planned to travel to Washington D.C. with her family that same weekend, to be in the collective's performance at Capital One Arena.

The youngest performer in the group, Ma'Raya said she was amazed to arrive at the NPR studio, after watching her favorite artists perform in the same space.

"That day, I was kind of in shock, because you see people who you always look up to (on the Tiny Desk Concerts series), and you're in the same space as them," said Ma'Raya. "It's kind of crazy, because you'll watch their videos on YouTube, listen to their music. Now you're standing near them and close to them."

The 19-minute performance took one whole take, she said.

One week later, on June 23, the performance was posted to YouTube. Ma'Raya sat down with her family to watch it.

"I remember just the joy I felt from seeing it," she said. "I didn't fully process everything just yet. But my family was like so excited to watch and see. They were just vibing with the videos and dancing."

She also told Patch how meaningful it was to represent National Black Music Month.

"Skin color can be seen as a barrier, but you shouldn't let that stop you from like chasing the dreams and the goals that you want," Ma'Raya said.

Islip High School staff were overjoyed to hear of her once-in-a-life time opportunity, and felt compelled to help.

Ma'Raya said her teachers, including music teacher Rich Harris, social worker Shari Pennington and other school employees collectively donated more than $500 for her, to help fund her trip to Washington D.C.

"Mariah is a very talented, lovely young woman," said Pennington, who has known Ma'Raya since she was in middle school. "She is a really, really good person."

Outside of Maverick City Music, Ma'Raya leads a busy schedule, and plays viola, is a member of her school's chorus and peer mentoring program, and has a part-time job at McDonald's. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and the Superintendent's Round Table.

The high school senior is currently applying to college, where she hopes to study music education.

"I always had great music teachers in my past, and I have so many amazing ones now," said Ma'Raya. "But I think seeing someone who looks like me, would have really impacted my life a lot. So I want to be that to someone else."