The Mojo of Music featuring Maria and the Coins

Maria and the Coins blend big-picture pop ambition with heartfelt indie rock charm, all with their own personal layer of mojo. Known for frontwoman Maria Coyne’s powerhouse vocals and emotionally rich storytelling, the Minneapolis band carves out a unique space where catchy pop hooks meet alt-rock energy. Influenced heavily by Maria’s roots in pop and country to musical theatre, their debut album Forward showcases their dynamic sound and earned regional acclaim, including airplay across the Midwest and features by The Current and City Pages.

Catching up with the band before their single release of “Call Me When You Get There” at the Icehouse, Maria opened up about their musical and style progressions. When you see the band step on stage, the visual impression hits before a single note is played. There’s confidence in Maria’s look - polished, bold, and undeniably fun - that tells the audience; this band knows exactly who they are. Behind the sparkles, patterned tights, and ever-evolving wardrobe is a deeply personal journey where fashion and music have grown up side-by-side. 

Her love for fashion started early as two year old tutu-clad Maria would strutt up to kindergarten to pick up her older sister in red cowboy boots. She insisted on changing into this outfit for the occasion. Her family are huge theater advocates and just the love of dressing up in general meant always having a huge box of costumes and play clothes. 

Growing up in Atlanta, she was surrounded by a culture that valued dressing up, a place where even everyday wear leaned formal and that “southern preppy.” It wasn’t just the environment, it was Maria’s theatrical upbringing which was an open invitation to play pretend with costumes and characters. For Maria, there was a majestic feeling to knowing it was her personal choice to put on that large tutu and cowboy boots, understanding even as a toddler that fashion wasn’t just about clothes, it was about identity, expression, and autonomy. 

“I am somebody who spends 90% of my time in comfy clothes and leggings, and that's my day to day. But I do really love to really dress up and that's where I always feel like gigs and things related to the music career are always an opportunity to dress up in a way that I wouldn't otherwise maybe have the opportunity for.”

-Maria Coyne

Fast forward to Maria’s post-college years when Maria and the Coins first started gigging. The early days were marked by hesitation, not just in sound, but in style. Maria admits that she really struggled with her identity as an artist. Her background was not based on playing in bands since high school. Her background was entirely different. Being seen as a bubble-gum pop girl, even though she was, was felt as a detriment to being taken seriously as an indie musician. So she took a lot more femininity out of her gig clothes, feeling like the band needed to fit into the scene. This meant simple tops, jeans, muted palettes and dressing down to blend in with the bands they often shared the bills with. 

It wasn’t until post-pandemic, at the age of 30, that Maria reclaimed her sense of style. In the past Maria was afraid of taking up space with the fear that people would think she’s seeking attention, but realized it’s okay to look like you’re the lead singer of a band. It’s okay if the attention is on her during the set. She missed dressing up. She felt more comfortable taking a risk. There was an unapologetic feeling behind not only who they were as a band, but in the music they were making together as well. So she started reaching for sparkle, velvet, and leather to experiment with. 

“I went through a huge Brandi Carlile phase. She’s the queen of pant suits. I was like, I need a blazer. There was a period of two and a half years where I’m in a blazer almost every show and couldn’t get enough of it. I felt like there was such a power in it that I embraced it. It felt like me being bold without feeling inauthentic, and that was such a joy.”

— Maria Coyne

Maria has a varied wealth of musical experience that started playing violin at age two, to graduating from St. Olaf College with a Bachelor of Music degree. She’s toured internationally with the St. Olaf Choir and played leading roles in several operas, even having sung at Carnegie Hall three different times, twice as a soloist. 

She shares that the biggest fashion difference coming from a theater, opera, and choir background is all about either uniformity by all wearing the same thing, or something has been selected for the character she’s playing. Now what makes Maria’s fashion so compelling is that it’s never costume for the sake of performance, it’s character development for the role she plays on stage now, which is herself.

“Now I get to be playing the character of myself, but almost treating this band as its own character. It has allowed me to play with my style a lot more because it doesn't have to feel like, oh, it's walking down the street, Maria. No, this is Singer Maria and she's got her own thing,” shares Maria Coyne.

The band’s look, while coordinated, is never matchy-matchy. There’s an intentional polish and professional vibe that alerts the audience they’re in capable hands. She’s leaned into a lot more of the very feminine features like patterned tights, sparkly boots, wearing more bows, hair clips, little accessories, and some early nostalgia. Maria has been drawn to more of their early 2000’s influences, looking back at people like Hilary Duff and seeing those fashion trends circle back into the mainstream. It triggers memories of being 8 years old and wanting to be a rock star and now at 32, having the green light to wear those same things. 

Style is also about giving yourself permission to be bold, sparkly, feminine, and theatrical. Maria credits Lady Gaga as a major influence because she is so unapologetically bold, weird, and glamorous. Maria attributes that trait back to an article that shared when Lady Gaga was starting out, she only had money to buy one outfit for shows. She spent all her money on a red jumpsuit and wore it to every gig. 

“I remember reading this story and thinking how amazing it was. Because sometimes you’re starting out and you feel almost silly looking like you’re really going for it and trying. People are so quick to accuse someone of trying too hard. I think earlier in my career, I didn’t want to be so obvious that I really want this. Now leaning into more like, yeah, I do want this, and it’s okay to be bold about it.”

— Maria Coyne

For the single release show at Icehouse, Maria channeled a floral and sparkle combination. Her light blue denim jacket is covered in an embroidered floral pattern, that cohesively ties into her blouse and tights. The jacket was a deep dive clearance find at Macy’s. The dark blouse with bright blue embroidering was another clearance find at Anthropology.

Maria had been afraid to wear leather for a long time, eventually purchasing the black leather skirt for a Shania Twain tribute show a few years ago. In her mind, there was a character to play for that show, which gave her an excuse to dive into the leather world. It unlocked a new love for that edgier texture, now owning a second identical skirt in a different color and leather top. 

The patterned floral tights came from Target. Maria is too indecisive to ever get a tattoo, so this is her version of getting to wear body art. Her new boldness in style is most visible in her footwear. A look that began with a hesitant step and now grounds her stage presence, the sparkly boots have become her signature staple. 

A couple years ago for Art-A-Whirl, Maria and the Coins decided to do an early 2000’s inspired set, digging back into the looks of artists like aforementioned Hilary Duff. Preparing and playing that show uncovered 8 year-old Maria, crimping and adding butterfly clips into her hair. This tribute to her inner child is another evolution into having fun and finding the ways that feel authentically personal. 

Maria loves shopping in person when she can, but recently started doing some renting of clothes, which from an environmental and sustainability standpoint make sense. There’s an obvious financial benefit from renting clothes as well. Sometimes they want to wear something special for a show, or are having press photos taken. Renting allows them to expand on their looks for moments without having to break the bank on purchases.  

Free People is one of her favorite brands, often finding cool things in the little boutiques around the 50th and France area or along Grand Avenue in St. Paul. 

Maria and the Coins set at the Icehouse felt like a masterclass in song arrangement. From the opening song “Say It’s Over,” easing the audience into their music, to “Hell of a Ride,” which sparked a huge cheer and injection of energy. 

We were then treated to one of their earliest songs with “Mr. Opportunity,” which features soaring vocals and the pop sensibilities that they continue to lean into. “Standing Still” came after and you can immediately hear the evolution in their music from the early days to their newest release. “Standing Still” feels like it should be on a movie soundtrack as the verses delicately drive you into the dynamic chorus. 

But nothing exemplifies mojo more than how Maria and the Coins can tap into nostalgia by playing the opening notes of “A Thousand Miles.” Watching the audience and band embrace these moments, singing along, reinserts the importance of boldly being yourself. 

“Into the Wild” continues to be that song that always delivers when heard live. It checks all the boxes for being catchy, driving, finely produced, and a cohesive shining spotlight for the band. Looking up on stage and seeing the subtle blend of blue colors on each band member, it signified the importance of longevity. Maria and the Coins is a band that has continued to grow tighter and more united in more than just the way they dress. You can feel the strength in performing together for so long and the confidence in each of their parts. 

Stylistically, the show mirrored a lot of the traits discussed in Maria’s outfit. The cover of Prince’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover” embodies that spirit of fun with the sparkly boots and butterfly clips, while the new single “Call Me When You Get There” channels that warm embrace of reminiscing, like the embroidered shirt and patterned tights.

So what does Maria want your first impression to be of the band when seeing them take the stage?

“A sense that this looks put together in a way that tells me the band has thought about it,” she says. “That they’ve probably rehearsed really well. That they know what they’re doing.”

And she’s right — Maria and the Coins do know what they’re doing. Their music is heartfelt, polished, and confident. And Maria Coyne walks that same line being polished but playful, confident but always curious. With every leather skirt, sparkly boot, and butterfly clip, Maria Coyne is telling a story — not just about her band, but about herself.

A story that sparkles as much as it sings.

Check out the links below for ways to follow Maria and the Coins and all the things we mentioned above.

Maria Coyne Website - Maria and the Coins Website - Instagram - Bandcamp - Spotify - Art-A-Whirl - Free People - Hilary Duff Fashion