Malaya Tina Bandico Watson (born September 24, 1997) is an American singer from Southfield, Michigan, who finished in eighth place on the thirteenth season of American Idol.
Malaya Watson | |
|---|---|
 Watson in March 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Malaya Tina Bandico Watson |
| Born | September 24, 1997[1] Southfield, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Soul, R&B |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, tuba |
| Years active | 2014–present |
Early life
editWatson is of half-Filipino American and half-African-American descent, the daughter of Ronald Watson, a professional guitar player, and Marian Bandico Watson, a nurse who hails from Manila, Philippines.[2] In high school, she played the tuba in Southfield High School marching band. She is an alumna of the Mosaic Youth Theater of Detroit,[3] where she sang in Singsation and Hasting Street. She is also an alumna of the Michigan Opera Theatre Children's Chorus.,[4] where she starred in Carmen, Tosca, Pied Piper of Hamlin, The Very Last Green Thing and The Nut Cracker.
Musical influences
editShe cites her two grandfathers and her father as her personal musical influences. She described her style in singing from Sly Stone and Beyoncé.[5]
Career
edit2014: American Idol
editAt 15, Watson auditioned in Detroit with Aretha Franklin's "Ain't No Way." She is the third youngest contestant in American Idol's history to reach the live finals after Lauren Alaina and Daniel Seavey.[6]
After being deemed as a front-runner to win by judge Jennifer Lopez and fans, Watson was announced as the act with lowest number of votes for Top 8 reveal night. With the Judges save gone, Malaya was eliminated from the competition. She sang "I Am Changing" as her farewell song. After her final performance Watson received a final standing ovation from all three judges.
Performances on American Idol
edit| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Ain't No Way" | Aretha Franklin | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | A Capella | "Brand New Me" | Alicia Keys | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "I Want You Back" with Christina Collins, Olivia Diamond, and Queen Bulls |
The Jackson 5 | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, part 3 | Solo | "I Believe" | Fantasia Barrino | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 20 (10 Women) | Personal Choice | "Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)" | Ray Charles | 10 | Advanced |
| Top 13 | This Is Me | "Runaway Baby" | Bruno Mars | 2 | Bottom 3[a] |
| Top 12 | Home | "Take Me to the King" | Tamela Mann | 10 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Songs from the Cinema | "I Am Changing" | Jennifer Holliday | 11 | Safe |
| Top 10 | Billboard Top 10 | "When I Was Your Man" | Bruno Mars | 5 | Safe |
| Top 9 | I'm with the Band! | "The Long and Winding Road" | The Beatles | 4 | Safe |
| Top 8 | Back to the Start | Solo "Ain't No Way" | Aretha Franklin | 6 | Bottom 3[b] |
| Duet "Lucky" with Sam Woolf |
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat | 8 | |||
| Top 8[c] | Songs from the 1980s | Solo "Through the Fire" | Chaka Khan | 4 | Eliminated |
| Duet "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" with C.J. Harris |
Aretha Franklin & George Michael | 8 |
- ^ When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Watson was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe second, as Kristen O'Connor was eliminated.
- ^ When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Watson was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe, as Sam Woolf was saved by the judges.
- ^ Due to the judges using their one save on Sam Woolf, the top 8 remained intact for another week.
Post Idol
editWatson took part in the American Idols Live! Tour 2014 from June 24 through August 24, 2014. Throughout the duration of tour and to date, she worked on her debut EP, My Diary, and her unnamed album.
Watson sang the U.S. national anthem at the Detroit Lions versus New Orleans Saints game at Ford Field in Detroit on October 19, 2014.[7]
In 2018, Watson released her debut single, "Time.",[8] and released her second single "Worry About Myself" two years later in 2020.[9] Later in the year, she appeared on Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Kamasi Washington's collaborative EP Dinner Party: Dessert, contributing guest vocals to the song "Love You Bad" with Phoelix.
On December 4, 2020, Watson released her debut EP, My Diary: The Prelude..[10] This was followed by her second EP, Father's Law, which was released the following year. Later that same year, Malaya would appear on the Terrace Martin album Drones, contributing vocals to "Evil Eye" with rapper YG. She also appeared on two tracks from Snoop Dogg's compilation Algorithm.
In 2022, Malaya was featured on the track "Joint 3" with Cisco Swank and Luke Titus, which was named by NPR as one of the year's best songs.[11]
Discography
editEPs
edit- My Diary: The Prelude (2020)
- Father's Law (2021)
Digital singles (American Idol)
edit| Year | Song |
|---|---|
| 2014 | "When I Was Your Man" |
| "The Long and Winding Road" | |
| "Ain't No Way" | |
| "Through the Fire" |
Singles
edit| Year | Song |
|---|---|
| 2018 | "Time" |
| 2020 | "Worry About Myself" |
Guest appearances
edit| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Love You Bad" | 2020 | Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, Kamasi Washington, Phoelix | Dinner Party: Dessert |
| "Happy Feet (for dancers)" | 2021 | Theo Croker | BLK2LIFE // A FUTURE PAST |
| "Runnin Away" | Tall Black Guy, Ozay Moore | Of Progress and Progression | |
| "Evil Eyes" | Terrace Martin, YG | DRONES | |
| "Anxiety" | — | Algorithm | |
| "Inspiration" |
References
edit- ^ 'American Idol' Season 13: Malaya Watson Is the Youngest Finalist in Series History – Hollywood Reporter
- ^ RAWatson – Rock, Blues, R & B, Inspirational and Jazz Music *THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE*
- ^ Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit – History Archived March 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Michigan Opera Theatre Children's Chorus
- ^ Road to Hollywood: Malaya Watson
- ^ Fred Bronson (March 20, 2014). "'American Idol' Season 13: Malaya Watson Is the Youngest Finalist in Series History behind Daniel Seavey". Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Lions 24, Saints 23: Corey Fuller catches winning TD in dramatic comeback for Detroit". October 20, 2014.
- ^ "Time - Single by Malaya on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ "Worry About Myself - Single by Malaya on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ "My Diary: The Prelude by MALAYA". DistroKid. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ Pointer, Ashley (June 27, 2022). "NPR Music's 36 Favorite Songs of 2022 (So Far)". NPR.