British jazz vocalist Malia was born into a family of mixed African and
English heritage in the small East African country of Malawi, which
borders Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. Growing up with only the two
local radio stations (one in the native tongue, the other in English)
and her father’s Beatles-heavy record collection, Malia was not exposed
to a large variety of music. She did not develop the intense desire to
sing and create music until her early teens, when for political reasons
her family was forced to relocate to London. In this new land of plenty,
Malia took great interest in the rich musical landscape that surrounded
her, immersing herself in the dance-oriented new wave style that
dominated the English music scene. Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday soon
came into her world and transformed her life and world view,
encountering influential black voices for the first time. She set her
mind to becoming one of them one day. After finishing school Malia took
work as a waitress while she organized a band to accompany her, singing
ballads and jazz standards in bars and clubs around London. She came to a
stylistic turning point in a New York café when she heard a pop-jazz
track sung in French that had been produced by Berklee School of Music
graduate Andre Manoukian. Malia was so entranced by the enticing mix of
pop and jazz sensibilities that she contacted Manoukian to solicit his
help. The pair fell in love with each other’s musical ideas and
potential, and set to work on Malia’s debut album, Yellow Daffodils.
Though the release features English lyrics, Malia gained enormous
notoriety among French audiences. Her subsequent releases, Echoes of
Dreams (2004) and Young Bones (2007), found favor among jazz fans across
Europe thanks to Malia’s unique, smoky vocal timbre and sensitive
interpretation. Her records have climbed international soul and jazz
charts as she maintains a busy touring schedule, appearing on some of
the continent’s most important stages.
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