Marla Maples

Marla Maples

Marla Maples is a woman who certainly needs no introduction. Best known for her marriage to Donald Trump (and mother to their daughter Tiffany), she is also an actress, writer, radio show host, and musical artist. Her latest EP One World of Love is out now. The album will benefit organizations that strive to bring peace, unity, healing, and love to each other and our planet.

Each download of the title song “One World of Love” benefits Success For Kids. SFK works to help “at risk children and teens” to improve their interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, problem solving skills and self-sufficiency. You can download the title track and learn more at SFK.org. Also on the EP is “The Touch,” which benefits Beauty through Cancer and can be downloaded at Beautythroughcancer.org.

Maximum Ink: What was it like growing up in Georgia? What are your fondest memories from back then? Do you get back to Georgia very much?
Marla Maples: Life was simple in many ways but very full of adventure and friendships. I recall climbing trees, wading through streams, chasing cattle through the pastures and being bucked off a few old paint horses. It was a very healthy and earthy lifestyle. Sports, family, and church were the center of my life in Georgia. I had a musical father who had a band in high school. He went on to do Opera and musical theater in Atlanta. I recall going with my mom to see him perform as the lead in an opera of King Arthur, and I was awe struck. He then became musical director at our Baptist church and chose a different path so he wouldn’t have to be away from me and my beautiful mother. I still have a lot of the same friends I had in school. I just love to visit my 92 year old granddad, my little sister Danielle, my dad, aunts, uncles and a lot of cute cousins in Georgia.

MI: What is one little known fact about yourself that people would be surprised to know?
MM: I can turn a mean back flip on the trampoline.

MI: Did you ever imagine you would have done all that you have in your life and career?
MM: In many ways I feel like my life is just beginning. I do my best to live in the present and make each moment new and expansive. But yes, I was born a dreamer, indeed. Plus my parents gave me as many opportunities as they could to help me find my path. Even though I was from a small town of 500 people, I learned to dance, play clarinet, and play trumpet, all while playing every sport I was allowed to as a southern-born tomboy. I believed if you could dream it you could become it, so I didn’t see life as having any limitations. I was blessed.

MI: You are also an actress. What led you to try your hand at that?
MM: I am sure it was always in my genes as my dad did a lot of musical theater, even performing at Theater Under the Stars in Atlanta. There were so many roles I wanted to play in life, so much I wanted to do, and acting was a way I could tap into so many different characters while being able to experience a world outside of my small town.

MI: What is Tiffany up to these days? Does she share your love of acting and music?
MM: Tiffany is an excellent student and even though she has many talents as a songwriter and performer herself, she is focused on her education and working hard to get into the college she desires. At this point, we are still trying to figure out what University that will be while trusting it will all unfold the way it’s meant to be. I would love to see her integrate her creative talents into whatever her career choice becomes. But I do have one song to share of Tiffany’s that I bet you will love. It’s called “Like a Bird” and can be downloaded on my site.

MI: How did you first become involved in music?
MM: As a child I sang in my dad’s choir at church, performed a Crystal Gayle song in Miss Georgia Teen, and then years later, I got the opportunity to sing and dance on Broadway in the Will Roger’s Follies. During that run I became pregnant with my beautiful daughter Tiffany and dedicated the next 16 years to being the best mom I could be: Duty called. Recently the gift of songwriting came to me with the support of my friend Joanne Perica who asked me to write a song with her. That led to “One World of Love,” and the songs have just continued flowing since then.

MI: Can you tell us a little about the EP?
MM: The title of the album, One World of Love, was a phrase that came to me in my early waking hours the day Joanne was coming to write. I had this dream of what it would take for our world to be filled with love and non-judgment. What if we could all live in Unity? So the dream with the album was to share inspirational music that would create an opening to bring us all closer despite whatever differences we may share. “Intentions” on the EP really lays out the vision.

MI: Why do you feel the importance to donate part of your earnings from the title track to SFK? Can you tell us more about them?
MM: I had an opportunity to visit the Spirituality for Kids Teens program at juvenile court in lower Manhattan at the same time we were writing “One World of Love.” I was inspired. There were gang members from all the bureaus. There were Chinese, Latinos, and African-Americans together learning skills that we had begun by teaching our own kids:  tolerance, human dignity, cause and effect, how to break out of victim mentality, and how to become a positive light in the world. I have supported SFK since its inception and understand how important it is to share our blessings with others. After all, by helping another we are truly helping ourselves too.

MI: What projects are you currently working on?
MM: I am just back from Antigua, West Indies where I completed a new chill-out album with producer Torsten Stenzel. We also shot a music video using some of the most magical and beautiful locations of the island that I can’t wait to share. I’m taking Tiffany to Malawi this June to visit and also to work on an orphanage through the Force of Good Foundation and Nourish the Children. This July, we are off to New York City where I will be opening in the Nora and Delia Ephron play Love, Loss, and What I Wore.

To learn more about the music, radio show, and the wonderful foundations that could really use support, visit Marla Maples’ website. Make sure to leave a note at Marla’s website or follow her on Twitter.

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