Maria Minerva

Maria Minerva
Maria Minerva (2014)
Born	Maria Juur (1988-03-15) March 15, 1988 (age 37) Tallinn, Estonian SSR
Citizenship	Estonia United States
Alma mater	Estonian Academy of Arts (BA) Goldsmiths, University of London (MA) UCLA Anderson School of Management (MBA)
Musical career
Genres	Electronica, outsider house, nu-disco, avant pop, hypnagogic pop, lo-fi music
Occupation(s)	producer, songwriter, singer
Instrument(s)	electronics, vocals
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Not Not Fun, 100% Silk, Pudru Kuul, viis
Website	www.mariaminerva.com

Maria Juur (born 15 March 1988), better known by her stage name Maria Minerva, is an Estonian musician.

Artistry

Maria Minerva's music is described by critics as a blend of avant pop, ^[1] electronic dance, ^[2] and experimental ^[3] genres.

Critics have described her vocal style as dreamy, mysterious, ^[4] or Lynchian, ^[5] but also as casual and slightly off-key, receiving comparisons to Blossom Dearie, Brigitte Bardot, ^[6] Nico, ^[7] and Billie Ray Martin. ^[8]

She has cited Cosey Fanni Tutti, Laetitia Sadier, Kim Gordon, Laurie Anderson and Cabaret Voltaire as influences. ^{[9] [10]}

Critical reception

Maria Minerva is amongst the most internationally acclaimed Estonian electronic artists of the 2010s. ^{[11] [12]} She is the recipient of two Estonian Music Awards. ^[13] Her releases have received critical acclaim from music publications such as Pitchfork Media ^[14] and The Fader. ^[15] One of Maria Minerva's early supporters was the influential pop critic Simon Reynolds. ^[16]

She was named as one of the seminal Los Angeles artists by The Guardian ^[17] and appeared on Estonian World's annual "Top 12 Most Outstanding Estonian Women in the World" list. ^[18]

Collaboration with Cherushii

Chelsea Faith a.k.a. Cherushii was one of the 36 victims of the 2016 Oakland warehouse fire. ^[19] In 2019, the EP Cherushii & Maria Minerva was released, which had been nearly completed before Cherushii died ^[20] and includes repurposed tracks from previous Cherushii releases. ^{[21] [22] [23] [24] [25]}

Personal life

Maria Minerva graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts and Goldsmiths, University of London, where she studied with British cultural theorist and music critic Mark Fisher. ^[26]

She is the daughter of the Estonian humorist, writer, and media personality Mart Juur. ^[27]

Maria Minerva is a naturalized United States citizen. ^{[28] [29]}

Other

While studying Art History at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Maria Minerva authored the first-ever Estonian-language research paper on sound art, with an emphasis on the history of sound art in Estonia. ^{[30] [31]}

Maria Minerva appeared as herself in the 2013 musical documentary Silk. ^[32] She starred as the Estonian Jazz and pop singer Marju Kuut in the 2021 documentary u.Q. ^[33]

Maria Minerva has worked with and remixed many other artists, including Cities Aviv, ^[34] Maria Chavez, ^[35] Mark Van Hoen ^[36] and John Cale. ^[37] She has collaborated with visual artists Pakui Hardware, ^[38] Phil Collins (artist) ^[39] and poet Vanessa Place. ^[40] Formerly, she hosted a show on LA's community radio station Dublab, where she interviewed fellow musicians such as Nite Jewel ^[41] and Yves Tumor. ^[42]

In 2025, Maria Minerva released the lost recordings from the cult 2000s-era Estonian teen pop-punk band Plixid on her boutique label viis. ^{[43] [44]}

Discography

LPs

• Tallinn At Dawn CS (Not Not Fun, 2011)
• Cabaret Cixous CD/LP (Not Not Fun, 2011)
• The Integration LP with LA Vampires (Not Not Fun, 2012)
• Will Happiness Find Me? CD/LP (Not Not Fun, 2012)
• Histrionic LP (Not Not Fun, 2014)
• Soft Power, CS (100% Silk, 2020)

EPs

• Noble Savage 12" EP (100% Silk, 2011)
• Sacred and Profane Love 12" EP (100% Silk, 2011)
• Nii hea with Ajukaja, 10" Single (Pudru Kuul, 2012)
• Bless 12" EP (100% Silk, 2013)
• C U Again with Ajukaja, 12" EP (Pudru Kuul, 2014)
• S/T with Cherushii, 12" EP (100% Silk, 2019)

References

1. "Stream Maria Minerva's adventurous new album for Not Not Fun in full". Fact Mag. 5 September 2012.
2. "Maria Minerva". Dazed Digital. 31 March 2011.
3. "009: Experimental chanteuse Maria Minerva announces full details of new album". Fact Mag. 20 July 2012.
4. "Maria Minerva: The Rise Of Estonian Chillwave". NPR.
5. "Why Lana Del Rey, Cults, and More Indie Heartachers Lurk in the Shadows of 'Twin Peaks'". SPIN.
6. "Review: Cherushii & Maria Minerva". Pitchfork.
7. "Maria Minerva". Interview Magazine. 24 August 2012.
8. "Ajukaja & Maria Minerva: C U Again EP". Boomkat.
9. "Maria Minerva". PRS for Music.
10. "Maria Minerva". Dazed Digital. 31 March 2011.
11. "The Modern Music of Estonia". Bandcamp. 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
12. "The Crowned Queen of Estonian Underground". Müürileht. 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
13. "Curly Strings makes a clean sweep at Estonian Music Awards". ERR. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
14. Lindsay Zoladz (2011-11-30). "Maria Minerva: Sacred & Profane Love EP Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
15. "Artist: Maria Minerva".
16. Reynolds, Simon (7 October 2011). "Female Artists With a Penchant for Synth Sounds". The New York Times . Retrieved 2016-09-25.
17. "The Sound of LA". The Guardian.
18. "Top 12 most outstanding Estonian women in the world". 8 March 2015.
19. Maria Minerva (9 December 2016). "The Rave Queen Next Door: Remembering the Life and Legacy of My Friend Cherushii". Vice.
20. 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.
21. Brown, Harley (February 19, 2019). "Cherushii & Maria Minerva". Pitchfork . Retrieved 5 April 2021.
22. Clements, Miles (February 8, 2019). "CHERUSHII + MARIA MINERVA: SELF-TITLED". L.A. Record . Retrieved 5 April 2021.
23. Matthew, Terry (September 4, 2019). "Days Without You: Cherushii and Maria Minerva Made Beautiful Music". 5mag. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
24. Murray, Eoin (February 7, 2019). "Premiere: Cherushii & Maria Minerva 'Boyfriend Shirt'". DJ Mag . Retrieved 8 April 2021.
25. Henry Bruce-Jones (15 January 2019). "100% Silk to release posthumous Cherushii & Maria Minerva collaboration". Fact Mag .
26. "Perspective: Maria Minerva remembers Mark Fisher's Infectious Intellectualism". Crack Magazine.
27. Ulrik Noergaard (2011-03-31). "Maria Minerva | Dazed". Dazeddigital.com. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
28. "Alien of Extaordinary Ability: An Interview with Maria Minerva". Fanzine . 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
29. 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.
30. Maria Juur (2012-01-11). "What is Estonian Sound Art?". Estonian Art. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
31. Hans-Gunter Lock. "Media-Based Music in Estonia". Sound Exchange. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
32. Glenn Jackson (2013-10-23). "100% Silk Documentary on the Way; Watch the Trailer Now". XLR8R.
33. "u.Q." Kino Artis.
34. Ian Cohen (2012-11-26). "Review: Black Pleasure by Cities Aviv". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
35. "Listen: exclusive Maria2maria mix – Maria Chavez + Maria Minerva". Wire Magazine. May 2013. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
36. "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.
37. "Stream Tim Hecker and Maria Minerva's takes on John Cale". Fact Mag. 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
38. "Popcorn, Pepsi, Petabytes". Bard Center for Curatorial Studies. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
39. "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.
40. "Les Singes: A Passion Play for Today". Emergency Index. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
41. "Estonian Air with Maria Minerva: Nite Jewel". Dublab. 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
42. "(dublab) In Conversation: Yves Tumor (2019)". Youtube. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
43. "Estonian girls' long lost 2000s punk hits resurface in surprise release". ERR News. 2025-10-27. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
44. "Plixid: A Lost 2000's era Feminist Pop-Punk Band from Estonia". In Sheep's Clothing Hi-Fi. 2025-11-09. Retrieved 2025-11-17.