Michael Mayo
Voice
33 age
June 1, 1992 Birthday
Los Angeles, California, U.S. Birthplace
www.michaelmayomusic.com Website
Social
Shows
About
Michael Mayo is a vocalist, composer, and arranger whose work blends jazz vocal tradition with neo-soul, R&B, and experimental vocal techniques. The son of saxophonist Scott Mayo and vocalist Valerie Pinkston, he grew up immersed in professional music in Los Angeles. He was the third vocalist ever accepted into the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz at UCLA, where he studied with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Dianne Reeves. His debut album Bones (2021) featured over 250 layered vocal tracks on a single song and earned him the International Artist of the Year award at the Deutscher Jazzpreis. His sophomore album Fly (2024), recorded in two days with Shai Maestro, Linda May Han Oh, and Nate Smith, received Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Jazz Performance. He was named DownBeat Rising Star Male Vocalist of the Year in 2025.
Trivia
Mayo is an active competitor in the Super Smash Bros. Melee esports community under the gamertag "MichaeltheFresh," competing in tournaments and posting combo videos on YouTube. He has a Twitch channel where he streams gameplay. His debut album Bones was partly a personal statement about living authentically as a bisexual artist, which he has discussed openly in interviews.
Early Life
Born on June 1, 1992, in Los Angeles, Michael Mayo grew up in the Van Nuys neighborhood surrounded by professional music. His father, Scott Mayo, is a saxophonist who toured with Earth, Wind & Fire and served as musical director for Sergio Mendes. His mother, Valerie Pinkston, is a background vocalist who has sung with Diana Ross, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, and Beyonce. Mayo attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where he chose jazz over opera and was inspired by a visit from vocalist Gretchen Parlato. He earned a bachelor's degree in jazz vocal performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and was then accepted into the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz at UCLA, becoming only the third vocalist in the program's history.
Michael Mayo Solos
2024
Voice solo - Just Friends - 2024
4/4 funk in G major at 169 BPM
Voice solo - I Didn't Know What Time It Was - 2024
4/4 swing in F major at 161 BPM
Voice solo - It Could Happen To You - 2024
4/4 swing in F major at 201 BPM
Voice solo - Four - 2024
4/4 funk in E♭ major at 175 BPM