Mayaeni
Birth nameMayaeni Strauss
BornDetroit, Michigan
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • Actress
  • Model
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Labels
WebsiteOfficial Mayaeni website

Mayaeni (pronounced Mah-yay-knee) is a singer-songwriter from Detroit, Michigan.

Early life

Mayaeni was born in Detroit, the daughter of a Sierra Leone mother and a Jewish father.[1][2] Her father was a guitar player himself, who has worked with Carl Carlton and Jimmy Ruffin among others.[3] Mayaeni has a brother, musician D. Alie of the hip-hop band United States of Mind.[4] Through her father Mayaeni came in contact with a wide variety of music ranging from reggae to Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.[5] She started recording her songs by the age of twelve and after finishing high school she moved to the United Kingdom and lived in a youth hostel while studying dance and working under the table at clothes markets in Camden.[5]

Career

Following her stint in London, she moved to New York where she started performing in open mics,[5] recorded demos for other artists, and recorded a self-titled album with producer Shaun Fisher.[6] While touring in Japan for her album she also gained herself an endorsement contract for Glad News Clothing, a local designer brand.[5] In early 2008 she co-wrote 5 songs with Toby Gad, while later in the year she signed a development deal with Custard Records.[7] She was featured in the Target/Converse "One Star" Ad-Campaign of 2010.[5] In early 2011 she co-produced her EP "Cold Love" with guitarist Steve Caldwell[8] while in September her song "Broken Glass" was prominently featured in the CBS smash hit Hawaii Five-0, (Season 2, Episode 2).[9]

In late 2011 she signed a contract with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Her song "Nothing Inside" with DJ Sander Van Doorn (co-written with Justin Parker of Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" fame) hit No. 1 on Cool Cuts, the DMC Buzz Chart, and the Beatport Overall Chart in June 2012.[6] Performed for the first time at Ultra in Miami in March in front of over 20,000 people,[3] "Nothing Inside" became a breakout 2012 summer hit in numerous countries, including the Netherlands Top 40.[10] BBC Radio 2 added "Nothing Inside" to its playlist in June. In late 2012 Mayaeni signed a contract with Jay Z's label Roc Nation.[11]

She made "Black Jeans", a Pepsi/Complex Media release, in late 2014.[12] The song was selected as part of Pepsi's Pulse Artist Spotlight Program.[13]

In early 2016 Mayaeni released her "Basement Kid" mixtape Vol 1, covering songs of J. Cole and Jay Electronica.[14] She described the project as an effort to honour her past, when she recorded her own songs over other artists' instrumental tracks.[15]

Discography

  • "Mayaeni" EP (2005)
  • "Mayaeni" (2007)
  • "Hesitation" (2008)
  • "The Right Way" (2010)
  • "Cold Love" (2011)
  • "Basement Kid" (2016)

References

  1. ↑ "The Official Mayaeni Site". Mayaeni.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  2. ↑ Kingo, Lola. "Unplugged Soul (Part 1)". MIMI Magazine. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Mayaeni". Roc Nation. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  4. ↑ Kurlyandchik, Mark (September 26, 2011). "Local Songwriter Mayaeni's High Hopes". Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Callwood, Brett (September 29, 2010). "Hippie chic". Metro Times. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Mayaeni". Detroit Music TV. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Emily Scott + Good Weather Girl + Robert CArey + Mayaeni". remotegoat.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Mayaeni: Cold Love". Sonic Hits. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Hawaii Five-0: Staffel 2 – Die Tracklist" (in German). musikradar.de. May 29, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Nothing Inside". acharts.co. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  11. ↑ Morris, Jessie (August 19, 2015). "Premiere: Watch Roc Nation's Mayaeni Cover A$AP Rocky's "L$D"". complex.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  12. ↑ White, Caitlin (November 8, 2014). "Watch Roc Nation's Mayaeni Channel Detroit Soul In Her 'Black Jeans' Video". MTV. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  13. ↑ Hampp, Andrew (November 4, 2014). "Pepsi Debuts New Music Videos From Sebastian Mikael, Mayaeni For Artist Spotlight Program". Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  14. ↑ Cuevas, Jasmina (February 7, 2016). "Mayaeni Makes Roc Nation Proud With New Mixtape 'Basement Kid'". Music Times. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  15. ↑ McKinney, Jessica (February 26, 2016). "Roc Nation's Mayaeni Premieres Soulful Mixtape 'Basement Kid'". Vibe. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
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