Formerly performing under the name Wendy, maya dhondt is a classically trained pianist and composer creating idiosyncratic glitch-pop and contemporary piano works. Fluttering vocal murmurs mingle with haunted piano strings while programmed fragmented drums spiral in and out of disarray; it is a rich sound world that dhondt has established. With her songs that blur the line between the world of fiction and reality, it’s not surprising to see a quote from magical-realist author Clarice Lispector adorn the Bandcamp page for dhont’s album wow, x (2024): “... you, with your habit of wanting to know why.” This quote hints towards the unknowability of dhondt’s songs, which are each shrouded in an air of mystery. As if emerging out from some hidden place, dhondt’s songs are at times foggy and noir and at others playful and charming. Harnessing this chimerical strangeness, dhondt makes music that twists and turns intuitively. “What I create never stands alone,” she says of her work, “it can be many things at once.”

The presentation of this work was made possible thanks to the support of Flemish Arts Centre de Brakke Grond, VierNulVier & STUK