Born in Arizona and raised in Savannah, GA, the prolific singer-songwriter and producer grew up in a strict, Christian household, with his first memories of music heavily influenced by religion. At only 12-years-old, Mali created and arranged his own material as his church’s minister of music.
Despite exhibiting such talent at a young age, Mali faced challenges expanding and adjusting to music beyond traditional gospel, the older he became. “It was hard because my gift was ready, but I wasn’t,” he reflected. As a teenager he worked even harder to share his gift, posting music on his MySpace page and experimenting with different ideas. Mali’s perseverance later resulted in being discovered by people he still holds in high regard today, and intentionally transforming into a professional recording artist.
With his new album, The Transition of Mali released on Bystorm Entertainment/RCA Records on June 2nd, Mali Music demonstrates his evolution as an artist expanding outside of his gospel roots while maintaining his R&B core.
Undeniably, Mali has managed to successfully bridge a gap between the secular and sanctified, a point undeniably made with the success of his last album Mali Is… (Bystorm Entertainment/RCA Records). In 2015, the singer reached a major landmark in his career receiving GRAMMY nominations for Best Gospel Performance/Song for “Beautiful,” the lead single from Mali Is…, and Urban Contemporary Album for the album. “Beautiful” touched the Billboard charts in the top 10 and pushed Mali into the mainstream.
