An Evening with Mali Music

Mali Music reveres and respects the power of his chosen art form. The singer, songwriter, and producer recognized music’s impact at a very young age, treasuring it as a gift. At only eleven-years-old and without any formal training, he would get behind the keyboard at a local Savannah, GA church and play for hours in front of a packed house every single Sunday. For the young performer, it became about inciting physical, emotional, and spiritual change with nothing more than a beat, a melody, and a smile.

Over the next year, he started playing sold out shows across the country leading up to the release of his sophomore effort The 2econd Coming in 2009. However, 2011 saw underground R&B’s “best kept secret” get out. Delivering a seismic performance at the BET Music Awards on the “Music Matters” stage, Mali effectively got the entire industry talking. He found himself meeting with superstar Akon the next morning as other executives clamored to learn more about this burgeoning phenomenon. He finally found the right home in 2013 though, signing to Mark Pitts’ ByStorm Entertainment label at RCA Records, the home of Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Miguel. After another earthshaking BET Music Awards performance and his Essence Music Festival debut that year, the mainstream
wholeheartedly embraced Mali’s undeniable and uplifting blend of soulful R&B, invigorating hip-hop, and inspiring lyricism.

You’ll get it after one listen to his full-length major label debut, Mali Is... Carried by his impressive vocal range and dynamic production, the album harkens back to what he refers to as “the times of Stevie Wonder and the age of Aretha Franklin.”Mali affirms, “I’m like a refresh button. I’m here to bring the power back to the person with the songs. It’s about quality music, and it has to be distinguished, strong, and absolute.”

The same could be said for the collection’s first single “Beautiful.” Written and co-produced by Mali as well as Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis and Arden Altino, the track glides from an energetic verse into a heavenly refrain that instantly shines and soars—living up to its title. “This song is for those people who never stopped believing and always saw me for who I was,” he reveals. “It’s a letter to the ones in your life who were there when you were nothing, they were there when you became something, and they were there when you lost everything you had again. It’s a tribute to everybody who helped me become who I am. They’re truly beautiful, and I needed to say it.”