By Scarlett Tarango
Lead singer of the popular band The Marías, Maria Zardoya, recently released her very first solo album, Melt, under the name Not for Radio.
While reassuring fans that this project didn’t signify the end of The Marías, Maria stated she wanted to work on some music that really resonated with herself in a new and different way. She took the name Not for Radio, meaning simply, she wanted to make the music a lot less poppy and radio friendly.
After teasing her upcoming album for a few months, Melt was released on October 10th, 2025. The album appeared a lot more thematic in comparison to anything she’d ever released before. The album used a lot of nature-like imagery with titles to represent that theme. Tracks like ‘Puddles’, ‘Water On Your Nose’, and even ‘Swan’ carry the theme.
Besides from the album’s physical theme, the idea of the album surrounds the central theme of love and the pain that comes with it. She teased the album with the phrase, “Is love worth the pain?” She even repeats it in Puddles’ lyrics, “Don’t think that love is worth all of the pain.”
“My intention with this project was to make music for the love of experimenting, far from home, fully in the moment, open to whatever stream of consciousness unfolded around us,” Maria said in an instagram post in regard to Melt, “And that’s exactly what we did in the snowy woods, tucked away, as ice melted beneath our feet and as we melted into the songs.”
Around a month after releasing Melt, María announced the very first Not for Radio tour on November 3. The tour would begin in January. “I wanted you to experience the music live in a beautiful theatre,” she wrote in her Instagram caption announcing the tour, “Seated and comfortable, where you can see the stage and have an intimate night with the music.”
Unlike traditional concerts, Not for Radio would be a traditional theater experience, and seats would be provided for every audience member, even in venues that are usually standing only.
Maria began her tour in Oakland at Fox Theater on January 5. She stayed true to her promise of making it a traditional theater experience, even providing programs listing each act of the show.
From the opening band of strings to the nature decor of the set, Maria truly brought her album to life and provided fans with a unique and intimate concert experience that highlights the dreamy and soft vibe of the songs.
For the first time in a long time we’re seeing an artist not just create music, but portray art and create a performance out of it. It’s so rare to see an artist so truly passionate thats not afraid to conceptualize and try new things.
Not for Radio’s success hopefully means we’ll get more music from Maria in the future as well as more unique projects and performances. If you haven’t checked out Melt yet the album is definitely worth a listen.
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