Michael Mayo is an American vocalist, composer, and arranger born on June 1, 1992, in Los Angeles, California. The son of vocalist Valerie Pinkston and saxophonist Scott Mayo, he grew up immersed in music and went on to study at Juilliard, where he recorded a duet with Jon Batiste at age seventeen. Mayo's compositional voice centers on the human voice as a primary instrument, layering vocals into dense, textured arrangements that blend jazz harmony with pop and R&B sensibilities. His debut album Bones, released in 2021 on Mack Avenue Records, features over 250 layered vocal tracks on certain selections and includes original compositions such as Bag of Bones and Frenzy. His sophomore album Fly, released in October 2024 with pianist Shai Maestro, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Nate Smith, further showcases his writing with tunes like Fly and I Wish alongside creative reinterpretations of standards. Mayo has collaborated with Herbie Hancock, Jacob Collier, Kneebody, and Christian Sands, and his work has drawn comparisons to the vocal innovation of Bobby McFerrin. His compositions reflect a writer who treats the voice not as accompaniment but as the foundation of a broader sonic architecture.
