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Malay (record producer)
American record producer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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James Ryan Ho, known professionally as Malay, is an American record producer, songwriter, and audio engineer.[1] He won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards for his work on Frank Ocean's Channel Orange (2012).[2][3]
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Early life and career
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His father is Malaysian.[4][5] Malay grew up in Bellingham, Washington where he was introduced to classic rock at an early age by his father. Both Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd sparked his interest in music. While he wrestled in school and showed great potential, he eventually quit the sport to pursue his career in music.
He began to teach himself guitar and piano while making money with a local band in Bellingham. During this period he would go on to build a recording studio in his home. He adopted the producer name 'Maylay' during the 1990s, derived from his best friend's native language's word for 'mountain'. Its spelling may have been changed to avoid confusion with another musical artist, Young Maylay, with whom he bears no relation.[6]
In the mid-2000s, his skills were noticed and Jake One, a hip-hop producer who recruited him to help with the productions on releases for G-Unit. After working closely with Jake One, Malay moved to New York City where he got a job producing for MTV's Making the Band. Afterwards, Malay moved once more to Atlanta before ultimately settling in Los Angeles in 2010.
Malay has produced for a number of artists. He was producer for John Legend's album Evolver (2008), and Frank Ocean's channel ORANGE (2012); the latter won a number of accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album, as well as 2013 Grammy Award nominations for Album of the Year, Best New Artist, and Record of the Year for "Thinkin Bout You".[7] He also co-produced Zayn's debut album Mind of Mine (2016).
Malay co-founded Britannia Row Recordings in 2016, in partnership with BMG. In 2018, the label signed The Parlor Mob, a rock band based in New Jersey.
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