Fresh off Grammy nom, Mali Music hits the road
Many music fans scratched their heads when the Grammy nominees for urban contemporary album were revealed in December. Who, exactly, was Mali Music, and how did he land a nomination alongside Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Jhené Aiko and (eventual winner) Pharrell Williams?
For those still unfamiliar with him, Mali Music (real name: Kortney Pollard) is a 27-year-old R&B/gospel artist, born and raised in Savannah, Ga. After developing an online fan base with independent releases and playing Essence Festival in summer 2013, Mali released major-label debut Mali Is... last spring, which earned him his first Grammy nod.
With the added boost of Grammy notoriety, he kicked off a U.S. tour the Monday after the awards show — stopping next at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles this Thursday before wrapping in Oakland March 2.
Before his Chicago concert last week, USA TODAY caught up with Mali to chat about life on the road:
Q: What's one essential thing you always bring with you on tour?
A: Before this tour, it'd normally be my black-and-white scarf, which haunts most of my pictures. But definitely my book bag with (my phone, laptop and chargers). And I guess this was the first tour I traveled with my Les Paul electric guitar instead of my acoustic, so I'm really excited about that.
Q: How do you do to keep your voice healthy and stay in shape on the road?
A: I make sure I get as much rest as a I can. If it ever seems like my body's getting tired, I don't shut it up, I try to find a way to lay down, get comfortable and (drink) a constant flow of hot liquid. Definitely tea and water. (And) I find ways to move around. Thirty to 45 minutes of cardio — running, walking, the treadmill. Normally the hotel's going to have a fitness center, so you just go and knock that out.
Q: What's the first thing you do when you arrive at a venue?
A: I used to always go on the stage. I always wanted to see the seats before people came in, to really see the magnitude of the opportunity. ... This is the first (tour) I've done with a set list. I used to just wait until I got onstage and sing the songs I'd feel would be best, so that would kind of have my musicians and DJs and light people on edge, like, "What's the next song? Nobody knows." But now it's good. I have a production director and creative director, which helps me relax.
Q: During your sets, which song are you most surprised to see fans sing back to you?
A:Johnny and Donna. It's such a ballad, just a voice and piano, and they're singing it in full voice. I'm just really blessed to have a thorough fan base that likes my work, top to bottom. I could sing any B-side from any album, and there'll be a plethora of people that know it. Once (Mali Is...) got nominated, that's when I knew people took to so many more songs than I could ever expect.
Q: How do you kill time on the tour bus?
A: I play my Xbox One — Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. I go back and forth with Titanfall because that never gets old. If I get a little bored, I'll play Far Cry or some type of adventure game. Then at the end, I watch a ton of sports. I know all the ladies on the bus are like, 'Oh, goodness,' because I have them watching the Three-Point Contest, the All-Star Game. (Watching and playing) sports, it really just keeps me out of trouble. I really love competition and competitiveness and athleticism.
Q: What's the coolest gift you've gotten from a fan?
A: There was this dope hoodie that I got — I love hoodies. And a lot of people have these strong brands and visions and missions, different things that they do, whether it's a church group or a social group, (and) are really inspired by the songs. Many of my fans will make videos to them, it's really cool to see. They're really creative. It's not a brand of people that just wants to buy stuff, they want to share as well, so I love that.
Q: Do you remember the first show you ever played?
A: Yes. Feb. 23, 2009. I played several church events before that, but that was the first concert format I ever did. My mom was my manager at the time, and she planned it. I was getting ready to (release EP The Coming), and over 2,000 people came and that was just from all the work I had been doing on Myspace. By the time we did the concert in (my hometown of) Savannah, Ga., buses started showing up, and people were coming from the left and right. My dad started asking where these people were from — some of them were from the Carolinas, some drove hours from New York, some people flew in from Texas and Florida. It was the most amazing thing. That's when I knew the gift that I had was for the world and it was going to be so much bigger than I ever thought.