Michael Mayo is already one of the most acclaimed and versatile voices in modern day music. And for good reason: this 28-year-old prodigy composes solo songs that sometimes contain up to 250 layers of vocals and easily mixes aspects of all kinds of different genres of music. On Wednesday 12 April he will be in BIRD!
A gifted child of two first-call LA session musicians, he was literally born into the business and had the opportunity to learn in his youth from the greatest musical artists of the 20th century, all friends of the family. His father, Scott Mayo, was a saxophonist with Earth, Wind & Fire and his mother, Valerie Pinkston, is a backing vocalist for Diana Ross. She also sang with Beyoncé and Whitney Houston. Mayo grew up in Los Angeles. He was chosen as one of three vocalists to study at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute, where he was taught by Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. He is now an experienced performer, with performances in the White House and at the Monterey Jazz Festival as highlights. He has also collaborated with Jacob Collier, Kneebody, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens, among others. Michael Mayo has been living in New York for five years, where he recorded his debut album Bones in 2021 with producer Eli Wolf (known for Norah Jones, Al Green and The Roots).
Similar artists:
Jacob Collier, Hiatus Kaiyote, Nate Smith, Gregory Porter, Jose James