Malina Moye has been on the charts long before her solo debut. She served time on Sony’s writing team for about two years and has worked with such Grammy award winning greats as Prince, Sounds of Blackness, Kelis and R. Kelly. Moye was nominated for Los Angeles Music Award’s “Best R&B Artist of The Year” and went on to win “Best R&B Video of the Year.” She also garnered eligibility for eight Soul Train and Lady of Soul Train Music Awards. An Alicia Keys with an electric guitar, Malina is the first African American left-handed, female guitarist endorsee to join the Fender Guitar stable, joining the ranks of Eric Clapton and John Mayer. She is featured in the soon-to-be-released UK documentary “Stratmaster: The Greatest Guitar Story Ever Told” and has recently been recruited by Prince Charles as a UK ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. Following her daddy’s advice to “work the stage like a man”, Malina has paved a niche for herself as an energetic entertainer who goes all out at shows and is known for her dynamic stage presence. Her debut album “Portrait of a Woman” is set to be released on her own label WCE Records. WCE stands for “walking, commodity, entertainment” and basically this means that she can be branded not only as a musician but a writer, actress and model. Yes this sister raised a pretty penny by putting out a calendar of herself to finance her musical endeavors. Not bad for a woman who arrived in LA practically penniless and had to survive off of two tacos a day.

Just speaking with this artist takes a lot of stamina. She confesses that she didn’t even like playing the electric guitar at first and the love of it came later. But once she picked it up and began playing it upside down, things fell into place for her. Some of the best advice she was given about being in this industry came from her father, a bass player, who told her to, “...play like a man, move like a man and surround yourself with people who are better than you.” Malina says that she takes this to heart even to this day and that playing and being around artists who are better push her to greater heights creatively. Right now her plans are to stay independent because she says, “...there’s no way an artist can’t make a way for themselves in this day and age with the technology available.” This album will contain songs that are of course based off her own life experiences and of those close to her. Guest appearances will include artists from all walks of life. Her single girlfriend features Lazyie Bone and Juvenile and “Need Your Lovin” just might see a guest appearance from the legendary Teena Marie herself. So just like other publications, we at Just Soul have dubbed Malina Moye as an “Artist to Watch”.

Mut Asheru [Just Soul]