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 Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

mother and a Jewish father. Her father was a guitar player himself, who has worked with

Carl Carlton Carl Carlton (born May 21, 1953) is an American R&B, soul, and funk singer-songwriter, best known for his hits "Everlasting Love" and " She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)". Career Carlton was born in Detroit, Michigan, and beg ...

and

Jimmy Ruffin Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...

among others. Mayaeni has a brother, musician D. Alie of the hip-hop band United States of Mind. Through her father Mayaeni came in contact with a wide variety of music ranging from

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and Jimi Hendrix. 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.

Career

Following her stint in London, she moved to New York where she started performing in

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s, recorded demos for other artists, and recorded a self-titled album with producer Shaun Fisher. While touring in Japan for her album she also gained herself an endorsement contract for Glad News Clothing, a local designer brand. In early 2008 she co-wrote 5 songs with

Toby Gad Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and produc ...

, while later in the year she signed a development deal with Custard Records. She was featured in the Target/Converse "One Star" Ad-Campaign of 2010. In early 2011 she co-produced her EP "Cold Love" with guitarist Steve Caldwell while in September her song "Broken Glass" was prominently featured in the CBS smash hit

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, (

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, Episode 2). In late 2011 she signed a contract with

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. Her song "Nothing Inside" with DJ Sander Van Doorn (co-written with

Justin Parker Justin Parker is an English songwriter and record producer best known for his work with female singer-songwriters such as Lana Del Rey, Bat for Lashes, and Banks. Career Parker began writing music when he was 17, but his career breakthrough ...

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...

's "

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" fame) hit No. 1 on Cool Cuts, the DMC Buzz Chart, and the

Beatport Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that can be u ...

Overall Chart in June 2012. Performed for the first time at

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in Miami in March in front of over 20,000 people, "Nothing Inside" became a breakout 2012 summer hit in numerous countries, including the

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Top 40. BBC Radio 2 added "Nothing Inside" to its playlist in June. In late 2012 Mayaeni signed a contract with Jay Z's label

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. She made "Black Jeans", a

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release, in late 2014. The song was selected as part of Pepsi's Pulse Artist Spotlight Program. In early 2016 Mayaeni released her "Basement Kid" mixtape Vol 1, covering songs of J. Cole and

Jay Electronica Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he ...

. She described the project as an effort to honour her past, when she recorded her own songs over other artists' instrumental tracks.

Discography

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

References

External links

Official Mayaeni Site
* {{authority control Actresses from Michigan Jewish American musicians Musicians from Detroit