Singer Maggie Kubley On Band Breakups, Getting Sober, And Going Solo

maggie kubley
maggie kubley

Singer Maggie Kubley On Band Breakups, Getting Sober, And Going Solo

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Press play above to hear Jenn White’s interview with Kubley from WBEZ’s The Morning Shift.

Bands form, they work on their sound, they rise, they fall and and sometimes… they break up.

After Chicago indie band Celine Neon broke up last summer, singer Maggie Kubley has been redefining her sound as a solo artist.

Her new EP, “Come Over,” is dropping April 10, but first she answered seven questions about everything from her favorite Chicago venue to where she goes to hide in the city.

What song do you listen to when you need motivation?

Kubley: I’m weirdly a huge Aerosmith fan, so if I’m just in my feelings or want to get my swag on, I listen to “Cryin’” by Aerosmith. Or anything off of that Get a Grip album. 


If you could play any one game for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Kubley: Dominoes. Love dominoes. I used to play it with my grandma.

Where’s your favorite place to hide in Chicago?

Kubley: Can I say “my bed” or is that too real? That’s it. My bed. Or King Spa!  

What’s the song you most closely associate with your childhood?

Kubley: It’s a tie between Whitney Houston’s “Wanna Dance With Somebody” and the entire Glass Houses album by Billy Joel.

My dad used to have a Ford Mercury with a tape player and I think Glass Houseswas the only tape he had in there. Also, when I was a really little kid, my family used to have family dancing nights, and my family had the Whitney Houston album, and we have videos of us dancing our hilarious kid dance moves. It makes me cry laughing.

You’re in a Marvel-style fight scene. What song would you listen to to get pumped up?

Kubley: The Beyonce and Jack White collab, “Don’t Hurt Yourself.”


Favorite venue to play in Chicago?

Kubley: I love playing the Green Mill. They have a great piano, everyone pays attention. It’s very intimate and wonderful.

What’s currently in your Netflix queue?
Kubley: I don’t really watch a lot of Netflix. I want to watch Shrill [on HULU]. I‘m currently watching Deadwood on HBO, even though that show went off the air like 10 years ago. If anyone else out there is watching 10-year-old HBO shows, please call me — I want to talk about it.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.