After years in musical theater and with Chicago-based band Bumpus, live performances should come easy to Rachael Yamagata.

But now, Yamagata faces her first solo tour, something which has weighed heavily on her.

“There’s a loneliness factor — you’re still surrounded by all these people, but now you’re spearheading all the decisions,” she says. “You just wear so many more hats, and the pressure is much more overwhelming.”

That isn’t to say Yamagata regrets her decision to pursue her own path; her solo career has given her creative freedom she desired during her time with Bumpus.

“I [had written] songs that didn’t have a place in Bumpus,” she says. “There came a point where I felt an urge to try these songs and to challenge myself over the fear of playing solo.”

Fortunately, her solo career jump-started almost immediately. Only a day after leaving her band, she signed a solo record deal.

“I guess there’s a reason for everything,” she says.

Although her sound has changed since she left Bumpus, Yamagata applied things she learned with the band to her solo show.

“It’s the experience,” she says. “How to play a crowd, to pick out a set and weave through it and knowing how the audience changes.”

Now Yamagata is bringing her brand of alternative pop to the M-Shop. Her emotional, piano-driven tunes have been compared to the likes of female solo artists like Fiona Apple and Sarah McLachlan. Yamagata says the comparisons are complementary yet don’t scratch the surface.

“I love those women as artists — association is never a bad thing,” she says. “But you have to sit down, see the show or listen to my music to understand.”

Yamagata has toured through many different venues — from small nightclubs to large festivals. The Maintenance Shop is an example of her love of small venues, which allow her to perform songs that resonate strongly with the audience.

“[Small venues] are more intimate, and you know the people are there to listen,” Yamagata says. “You can get away with more intimate songs, tell stories, and really work the crowd because they’re so close physically.” Past relationships have been subject and inspiration; confronting these emotions and trying to create something out of it has been therapeutic for her.

“The writing is really where I feel justified,” Yamagata says. “If I can translate these feelings into songs, it’s therapy.”

On tour, that demands constant attention. Yamagata says it’s hard to keep channeling those feelings.

“It’s the emotion fueling the song,” she says. “So, whatever I’m going through, I’m using that to fuel my lyrics.”