Born in NY, Mal Mace is a singer songwriter who wishes to be among the newer crop of artists helping bring some much needed integrity back to the artform.
"I began writing my first songs (lyrics) in high school during study hall periods. They were very simplistic tunes and something I would probably be embarrassed to show anyone today. lol. But that's how I got started. I was raised in a musical family - my mom had a beautiful singing voice and got a lot of satisfaction singing in her church choir right up until her passing in mid-2006. My dad also sang in a local doo-wop group in his native Pennsylvania (a small coal-mining town called Daisytown). So I guess I 'inherited' the music gene. I never considered myself much of a singer - sure, I always liked to sing, but was very shy about it. Still am. But hopefully I'm getting over it. I always expressed myself much better as a writer and even in school would get praises from teachers who enjoyed reading my essays. I think that's why I started writing first - it was my primary strength - I had always communicated better in writing than verbally. But after my mom's passing and having had a desire to do some work with her that remains unfinished, I decided to go ahead and take the plunge as a singer as well. Hopefully someone will like what I have to offer!"
Mal draws influences from a variety of singers and groups he grew up listening to. Because his family loved music, it was always playing in the home - either via the stereo or radio. "No doubt, I had some favorite singers! I was first drawn to the ladies, because of the emotion in their singing - so people like Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Diana Ross were early favorites. Of course I liked the male singers too - Stevie, Marvin, the Isley Bros - actually too many to mention. I remember when my younger brother and I got our first record player and, later, stereo system as kids: Well my parents had all kinds of records we used to play - and I mean there was a wide variety of stuff -- not only the singers mentioned above, but diverse artists like Elton John, Chicago, Anne Murray...sometimes I used to irritate my brother! ...because his musical palate wasn't as receptive as mine and I didn't care whether the artist was black or white or whether they sang r&b, pop, country - if I liked it, I liked it. So I think my writing style and even my singing reflects those early influences even though I gravitated towards mainstream r&b.
Later, Mal drew on gospel music as a source of inspiration and influence. "I think when I joined my first youth choir and especially later in my early 20's is when I developed the ability to do 'runs' and adlib. Before church, I couldn't adlib to save my life!" I just would sing the melody straight, with no variation." Even though Mal was frequently called upon to sing lead solos, he tended to shy away from the spotlight - "I was really uncomfortable singing in front of people!" But encouragement from the choir director and congregation gave him the confidence to continue. "Church really is a good place to learn how to sing."
As far as the present is concerned, the somewhat introverted singer enjoys listening to a variety of artists. "I still listen to those from my childhood - Natalie, Chaka, Cheryl Lynn, Jeffrey Osborne and James Ingram will always remain my all-time favorites. But I do listen to new music too! I love Rahsaan Patterson, Rachelle Ferrell, Angie Stone, Stephen Simmonds... there are a lot of newer artists that I really enjoy and hope to work with someday either as a vocalist or writer." Currently, Mal is working on new material that he hopes to have completed soon.
With all the independent artists already on the market, does Mal feel intimidated in any way? Always the optimist, the artist has these final words to say: "Even though I think there are a lot of talented people out there already, I think there is room for everyone ...as my former pastor used to say, your gift will make room for itself."
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