From the world’s most photographed runways to the underground clubs of Miami, Mara Guard’s journey into electronic music is anything but linear. Before commanding dance floors, she built an international career in fashion and modeling, where discipline, style, and self-expression became second nature. But her true voice emerged not in front of a camera, but in the stillness of recovery from a health battle. During that time, she discovered music not just as a companion but as an identity. “I didn’t just want to be seen through images, I wanted to be heard, and music became my voice,” she recalls.
Photo Credit: Mara Guard – Official
That realization marked the shift from visual icon to sonic storyteller. Today, Guard balances her dual legacies of fashion and music, fusing them into one unmistakable aesthetic. Her monochrome wardrobe and refined sense of form are as deliberate as the layers in her sets, creating a dialogue between what the audience sees and what they hear. For her, the two are inseparable. “Certain electronic sounds feel like a wardrobe,” she explains. “Just as I can style a black dress with a leather jacket, I can layer genres to create something that feels authentic.”
“Music is more than sound; it’s dimensions of rhythm distilled into movement”
Born between the energy of global fashion capitals and the pulse of underground culture, Guard now divides her time between Miami, Los Angeles, New York, and Paris. Each city leaves its mark: Miami’s house-driven heat, Los Angeles’s California precision, New York’s intensity rooted in jazz and blues, and Paris’s blend of gothic and minimal. These influences form the DNA of her music, shaping sets that are as dynamic as the places she calls home.
Her approach in the studio reflects the same philosophy. Analog machines bring warmth and imperfection, modern synths add clarity and strength, and digital tools refine every detail. The result is music that can feel intimate one moment and larger than life the next. Her track ‘SATORI,’ inspired by Japanese minimalism, stands as a fan favorite, embodying the contrast she seeks between human and mechanical, raw and polished.
Precision is a hallmark of her performances. She views rhythm as architecture, arranging layers with the same care a designer applies to fabric. Vulnerability also plays a central role. “Vulnerability is strength,” she says, “because it forces you to be honest about how you feel in a specific moment, and then grow from it.” That honesty transforms into music that uplifts both her and her audience, shaping experiences that are as emotional as they are refined.
Beyond her own career, Guard is laying foundations for the future through MMG EGM Records, a label designed to merge fashion, art, and underground sound. She envisions it as more than a catalog, but as a platform where contemporary culture can be curated with the precision of a gallery or runway.
With a new release due later this year, teased through her recent sets, Mara promises a track that feels both familiar and entirely new, built from Miami’s late-night energy. “It’s the kind of song that feels like you’ve always known it, but every time you hear it, it’s the first time,” she says.
Her story is one of transformation, but also of intention. From fashion’s bright lights to music’s deeper pulse, Mara Guard has built a career on creating experiences that go beyond trend, style, or sound. Years from now, she hopes to be remembered as an artist who gave people freedom through her work. “Not just sound for the moment, but something that felt precise and enduring,” she says. “If my music and my vision allow people to be more themselves, then I’ve achieved one of my biggest dreams.”
Follow Mara Guard: Website I Instagram I Soundcloud I Spotify I TikTok I YouTube
