Pop culture extraordinaire Maya Abrahamsson has been interviewing your favorite celebrities for years.
She has spoken with celebrities like Grant Gustin, Joshua Bassett, Zachary Levi, Emily Blunt, Jesse Eisenberg, Why Don’t We, and countless others.
But just how did Maya get started on this path? The 20-year-old media enthusiast began her celebrity talk show at the Seacrest Studios at The Children’s Hospital in Colorado where she was a patient since the age of 4 battling brain cancer.
Maya’s show was an escape for her and became a place where she could focus on something she was passionate about. That passion turned into a full fledged show that brought people together and created a place full of happiness, joy, and of course, pop culture news. Now, Maya is preparing to wrap up her 300th interview with Ryan Seacrest himself, and begin a new venture, and we sat down to hear all about what’s next.
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Celeb Secrets: Hi Maya, it’s great to speak with you! Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself for our readers?
Maya Abrahamsson: “I’m a metastasized brain tumor survivor and have been a patient at Children’s Hospital Colorado for 17 years. I have had 26 brain surgeries and two and a half years of chemotherapy. Two years ago I was diagnosed with recurrence and I had six weeks of radiation. I am an ongoing neuro oncology patient. I think the biggest thing for people to know about me is that I love all things pop culture, and that’s what inspired me to start my show.”
CS: You started your show at the age of 13 while being a patient at the Children’s Hospital Colorado. What inspired you to get started and what did it mean to you to have that outlet?
MA: “Before the Seacrest Studio opened, I had already been going to the hospital for ten years, and I was at the hospital multiple times a week. I was really tired of doctor’s appointments, procedures and always being at the hospital. When the studio opened, I would always wander in before or after my appointments and it became the one place in the hospital that wasn’t about my illness. It became a place I could go and just escape and just be Maya, not Maya the patient. I loved that feeling and wanted to spend as much time as I could at the Seacrest Studios so it was a natural progression to do my own show – which of course was all about pop culture!”
CS: When you first started doing interviews, were you ever nervous? How did you get through the nerves?
MA: “Yes, I was really nervous but I was also just so excited to be talking with the person and so interested in what they had to say that once I got through the first question, the nerves went away.”
CS: I know this is probably a tough one, but if you could pick, which interview that you’ve done has been your favorite?
MA: “That’s a really hard question. I think that my favorite interview is whomever I am interviewing at the time. I get so lost in our conversation and in connecting with them that I always leave the interview feeling like I have a new best friend.”
CS: Who is still on your dream interview list?
MA: “There are so many! Some of the people I have always wanted to interview are Reese Witherspoon, Ben Platt, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ryan Gosling.”
CS: You have conducted over 300 interviews. That is amazing, congratulations! What can your followers expect after that?
MA: “Thank you so much! I’m working on rebranding and launching a brand new show where I will continue to do interviews, because that’s what I’m passionate about.”
CS: Lastly, we are Celeb Secrets. Can you share a secret talent of yours, or secret favorite TV show?
MA: “I have always loved writing songs. It’s always been a way for me to express myself. I recently wrote a couple songs for a musician named Anika Erickson, and we have two songs out on SoundCloud right now: “I Wish It Was Me (Last Dance)” and “Crying In A Taxi”. Watching those songs come to life has been a dream come true! As for a secret favorite TV show, well, it’s not much of a secret, but one of my all time favorite shows is “The Rookie”!”
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