Born in Mexico to parents of Mexican and Turkish descent, Maya and her family immigrated to Australia when she was one. She released her first album Today in 2003 on Mother Tongues, the first ever label dedicated solely to women in hip-hop. She later performed with Latin Jazz band Son Veneno, formed a group called Foreign Heights, hosted several hip-hop radio shows including the Ausralian National ‘triple j’s hip hop show’ and was a VJ for Channel [V].
Currently Maya presents and produces the “Black Beans, Brown Rice” Radio show on www.radiosombra.org

Maya shared her passion for hip hop by running workshops with at-risk youth in Sydney’s south and west. In Los Angeles she volunteered as a mentor with Peace Over Violence’s Youth Over Violence Summer Institute, facilitating a song writing and recording internship around songs that discussed healthy relationships.
Maya also volunteers with Tiyya as a writing instructor for the Storytellers writing course dedicated to refugees and first and second generation immigrants of Los Angeles.

In 2011 Maya opened for Aloe Blacc on his North American, European, UK, Australian and New Zealand tours.
Today, Maya Jupiter remains an independent artist and recently teamed up with Quetzal Flores and Martha Gonzalez of Grammy Award winning, East Los rock band Quetzal and Aloe Blacc to produce her second solo album, which is self-titled and available now on iTunes. The album is inspired by Son Jarocho and stays true to Maya’s blend of soul, dancehall, and hip-hop. Made up almost entirely of live instrumentation, including Mexican harps, tarimas, and jaranas, the album is a welcome relief from today’s over-processed sound. Maya’s lyrics are powerful, vibrant, and uplifting. Think Ms. Dynamite meets M.I.A.
On stage Maya performs with a powerhouse band featuring Quetzal Flores on Guitar and Jarana, Juan “El Unico” Perez on Bass, Evan Greer on Drums, Percussionist Nikki Campbell and Walter Miranda on Keys. Special guests have included Martha Gonzalez and Aloe Blacc.