Michael Mayo
Interview
Michael Mayo! A young voice that is already widely recognized worldwide. His undeniable talent leaves anyone who listens to him in awe. Precision, sensitivity, control, spirit, grit… this young singer and composer has it all, and he proved it to us a few months ago at Café Berlín. Shortly after, he was acclaimed by the entire world after being awarded Best Jazz Vocal Album of 2025 for his latest release, Fly. And as if that weren’t enough, he also received the award for Best Vocal Performance for his performance and arrangement of the iconic standard Four (also featured on the album).
For all these reasons, we couldn’t miss the chance to sit down and talk with him for a while. He shared with us some fascinating insights into his music, from its deeper meaning to more technical aspects. We hope you enjoy the interview, which—as always—is available in two formats: written and podcast!
In&OutJazz Magazine: So nice to see you, Michael.
Michael Mayo: Nice to see you.
Thank you so much for tuning in. It’s so great, so great to have you.
Glad to be here.
It’s a real honor, man. Thank you so much. It’s an honor for me, myself, but an honor for In&OutJazz. I think you got the chance to meet some of us in the gig here in Cafe Berlin, right?
Yeah, yeah, I met some folks after the show.
That’s awesome. People never stopped sending great messages about your gig, man. Everyone was excited before and after. So, congratulations for that. You guys are carrying good music with yourselves and that makes us happy. So, thank you so much for joining us. As you know, we’re a jazz journal, but we really try to cover as much music as possible. And your name has been standing out significantly lately, not only for your recent nominations for the Grammys, I know you’ve been excited for that too, congratulations. We’re talking about a nomination for the best jazz vocal album for Fly and the best jazz performance for Four. It’s amazing, really. I personally have been checking you out for years now. I remember seeing you performing with Kneebody, who, by the way, I actually met in person back in Cologne Jazz Week Festival a couple of months ago. I really appreciated the time with them. And anyways, I’ve been following you for a long time and we’re really honored to have you and to host you today with us. It’s gonna be a brief interview, but I’d like to know, man, how are you feeling? How are things going?
Yeah, it’s been a whirlwind. I got off that Europe tour, which was amazing. And then I only had about four days back home in LA. And then I went to Paris to do some teaching. And then I went to Denmark to sing with the Big Band out there. And while I was on that trip was when I found out about the Grammys. So, it’s just been like a crazy, nonstop, action-packed month, I would say.
Man, you’re really burning every step you take and that’s awesome.
Yeah, I’m trying, hahaha.
It’s cool. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about the band members that have been playing with you for years now? But really in the Fly record that you put out. We’re talking about Shai Maestro on the piano, Linda May Han Oh on the bass, and the great Nate Smith on the drums. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about them? What do you learn from them? And if you want, what do they learn from you and from your music?
Yeah, I mean, I’ve had the privilege to get to make music with each of them for years now, never in that exact grouping. So, I think I first played with Linda, with Terry Lyne Carrington, probably in either 2019 or 2021, my brain can’t remember if it was pre or post pandemic. It was somewhere in that general time period. And I had been a fan of hers for a long time, but to get to play with her was something really special because she, outside of just being an incredible bass player with a flawless feel and the ability to play in a lot of different rhythms and play upright and electric, she’s also just an incredible human being. And that’s something that I really value. And I think that everyone on this record, Shai, Linda, Nate, all have that in common, that they’re both insanely technically, musically, rhythmically proficient, but they also are just like really great humans who are good to be around. And if I’ve learned anything over the past, however many years I’ve been doing this, it’s that the people that I think leave the biggest mark on me are those who are just great people. And the process of making an album can be quite stressful, and so when I’m in that high stress or high stakes environment, to be surrounded by people who are like super chill, very pro and really just like good vibes… it was so great to get to go through that process with them.
That’s right. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about your writing process? I mean, you’re a talented musician, no words for your beautiful voice and your potential, man. It’s always incredible to hear your voice singing and your soul through your voice. But how do you come to write? How does it happen?
Yeah, I mean, I have a few different ways of going about writing. It kind of also depends on the song, depends on the project. So, by comparison, my first album, Bones, which came out in 2021, was a lot more writing into music software. So, coming up with the sort of like drum percussion groove and then adding a progression and then coming up with the melody. Whereas with Fly, it was more sitting at the piano and writing. And I think for whatever reason for the Fly project, it felt a lot more tethered to the instrument of the piano. And rather than thinking about production right away, I was really focusing more on the songwriting. And yeah, I think typically lyrics tend to be last for me, which is funny, because I know for a lot of songwriters, that’s like the first thing.
That’s usually the first thing, yeah.
Then the reason it is, is because I really like to create a sonic world, like a sonic universe.
I get it.
And let the lyric be inspired by what the chords feel like emotionally.
And so, there’s a song on Fly called Silence. And the first lyric is cold as a fire, soft as a rock. And it feels like these two, almost contradictory forces. And the reason I did that is because I came up with the piano pattern that you hear at the beginning of the song. And the first chord feels very sort of cold, and then the section ends with a chord that to me feels very sort of bright and warm. And that ended up being what informed the lyrics of the song. So, the first lyric, cold as a fire, literally came directly from that. So yeah, my songwriting tends to be very like, create the sonic world and let the lyrics spring forth from there.
It’s amazing, really, cause people would think that music is in service of the lyrics, right? But doing it the other way around, not really like that, but as you were saying, waiting till you really feel the vibes of the music to then write the lyrics…, that’s amazing.
And what’s funny about that is actually like, that’s not always what I do. That’s usually what I do. But with a song like Bag of Bones, for example, it actually was flipped. So, it started as kind of a journal entry and I had a little kind of melody-ish for a part. And there’s this part that’s like [he sings the part: but as you grow, you eat, you sleep, you know the ground way down below is where you will return this bag of bones]. I had that, but I didn’t really have any chords. And so that song was actually backwards for me where I came up with the lyrics first and then the melody and then the harmony. So, it totally depends.
Crazy, man. You treat your voice as if it were an instrument. And what I mean by that is you really try to cover as much range as possible as if you were a piano. You really try to hit in the notes with accuracy and precision. You’re not just singing from the soul, but you’re singing quite precisely, and this is something that really stands out for whoever that listens to your music for the first time. I know this will be kind of rough question to answer maybe, but here it goes. What have been your one or two must-do exercises? Vocal exercises that you would never give up, that you will get them to your grave. You know, it’s like “I love to do these exercises”. Now that you’re also teaching, what are these?
Yeah, I mean, it’s funny because there’s actually so many. I think in general, I’ve done a lot of practice with like intervals and singing difficult, or not that they have to be difficult, but singing melodies that have wider intervals or more difficult to hear intervals because on one hand I just like it because it’s fun and I like a challenge and it helps me hear deeper into the melody. So, I’ll do it a lot with like Charlie Parker melodies, like Donna Lee, for example, taking that melody and slowing it way down and really focusing on tuning every single note.
Oh yeah.
[Sings it as example] You know what I mean? Like, really hearing every single note because I do think that those melodies really deserve to be heard for what and who they are, and how they make us feel. And then on top of that, I think it really helps me to just, because I’m trying to think as little as possible when I’m making music, like when I’m improvising, I’m not actually trying to be in my head and I find it easier to just release into the music when I spend time in the practice room thinking about stuff. So, it’s sort of like, I like to think so that I don’t have to think. And that way when I show up to the gig, the jam session, the recording session, whatever it is, I feel like I am way more comfortable because I have spent the time working on this specific granular little stuff.
Yeah, sure. It’s amazing. I actually think I saw a video from you singing Dona Lee by Charlie Parker.
Oh, sure. Super slow, super slow.
And I was thrilled, man. And I was like, wow, this is too difficult. Like we all go [sings melody fast]. “Yeah, that tune, let’s go, let’s go play it!”.
And the funny thing about that is that like, I think that, a lot of people when we’re learning like bebop heads or whatever, we focus on the gesture of the melody. Like this is generally what it sounds like. And I actually think that that’s good. And in fact, when I have students that are focusing too much on individual notes, I’m like “forget the notes, focus on the gesture, like, what’s the idea?”. But I think that when we’re focusing so much on the gesture that we forget that the melody has like real notes that matter, then we’re on the opposite extreme. So, I love to get the whole, the macro and the micro of it all.
Yeah, you haven’t mentioned the rhythmic realm yet, but how do you work on that? Or how important is it in your music? How do you take the rhythmical decisions when it comes to your music?
Yeah, yeah, I would say that I’m a pretty rhythmically led person. I think for me, typically like rhythm and harmony tend to come first and not one, they both kind of have equal priority for me. And yeah, when it comes to like rhythmic decisions, I’m very sort of vibes based. Like I go through, if I come up with a groove that I really like, or I am working on like a drum loop, I’ll like listen to it for 30-45 minutes to an hour to just like really get into what it is. And I like to sort of meditate on a feeling. And so, when it comes to rhythmic stuff, I don’t know, it’s like, it’s an interesting mix. It’s like, there’s a dance. I feel like every groove should dance, even if the dance is like slow or not in time. I think that there’s an underlying dance to any sort of music, to any sort of groove. And so, my main priority when it comes to that is to like really find what the dance is. Because if I find the dance and I know that, I know what the feel is.
Yeah, in fact, I mean, maybe this is too obvious choice that I’m making, but when I heard your arrangement for Four, that rhythmic decision you made for the head, it’s like very, I mean, someone would say “I could expect it”, but the reason why I like it so much is because you’re actually dancing to it. I mean, it really feels like that. It doesn’t feel like an exercise, something that you would study at college. Like “let’s loop the dotted quarter”. No, no, no, we’re dancing to it. And it sounds amazing. I mean, it has a flow that I love. And it was like, “wow, I thought this was something that I would never hear again, or something that went on back in those ages when they were trying to noodle around with all those figures and stuff”. But you nailed it! And I was like, “oh man, that is…!”. I mean, I get it, it’s not that difficult, but at the same time, wow, that’s vibing, you know? So, it’s beautiful and I get it now that you are explaining it. And I really like it.
Man, is there any pursue, or any research, or any intention behind, or beyond the music itself? Behind your art, behind your compositions, is there any spiritual research, any political intention, anything you are aiming towards that has to do with life itself? I know I’m turning to another side of the conversation. We were just talking about quarter notes…, but I would really like to know what the engine of your being an artist is, you know?
Yeah, yeah, I mean, I think for me, music, I always had a love and passion for music, and I always knew as a kid that it was what I wanted to do. But I didn’t necessarily know the function of it in my life until I got a little bit older. And eventually I realized that, for me, authenticity is extremely important. And, you know, exploration, and play, and love, and community, and all these things that, you know, I think sometimes we talk about as these sort of, you know, in-the-clouds ideas, but I think that, especially now in the world that we live in, are increasingly important to hold onto. And so, you know, I try to use music as a vehicle for, you know, if someone needs to find that place of calm within, like, to help them get through something, or as a vehicle for, you know, just as a black queer person living in the United States. Like, I didn’t really have very many examples growing up of people who looked like me who were doing the sort of things that I’m doing. And so, I think that that visibility is something that I really treasure, and I think it’s really important to sort of just wear very vulnerably and visibly. And yeah, I think any specific political statement would depend on, like, the particular project that we’re talking about.
Yeah, that’s right. That’s totally true.
But, like, in general, I think that music and art at large is just a device to… There’s a phrase, and I forget who’s saying it is, but it’s, like, “art it’s supposed to make the chaotic mind calm and make the calm mind chaotic”. It’s sort of one of the functions of art, and that’s kind of the way that I see it.
Very good, yeah. Deep words, man. Thanks for sharing, because it’s good to always know that part of the artist, you know, and see what’s in there, which sometimes is very obvious, you know, and you guys show it, but I like it to hear from you directly.
What projects are coming next, man? What projects under your name? You are really having success with this last album, but maybe you’re already thinking about next things.
Yeah, I mean, I’m thinking, I can’t, like, share specifics, but I am already thinking about the next project. You know, it’s funny, because right now it’s in a bit of an incubator stage.
Okay.
And so, I’m kind of right now where I was, probably in late 2023, when I started writing and arranging for Fly. It’s, like, a very similar period now. And so, I’m really excited for it, but there’s not really much I can give you more than just that.
I like it.
Yeah, and then beyond that, yeah, I mean, I have a couple of little things here or there but some of it is kind of under-wrapped, so I feel like I can’t, I can’t dive too deeply into it, unfortunately.
Yeah, and I’ll be honest, I’m asking this being conscious about the time you’re living right now. And, you know, you’re in the peak of the mountain with Fly, you also put out the Fly Deluxe. So, people are, I mean, we’re really enjoying your music right now. But it’s always good to know how you’re working.
Yeah, things are cooking.
Yeah, there you go. There you go. Well, Michael, I would stay here forever. It’s been lovely to talk to you. It’s been lovely to hear you share your thoughts on your music, on your colleagues, on your techniques. It was really, really good to hear you and really inspiring. Thank you so much. We’re very honored to have you as In&OutJazz Magazine. Also, for me personally, it was, it’s a real dream to be talking to you right now. And we hope to see you soon too. We’ll be following you as always. And we hope to see you again, man, and stepping into some clubs here in Spain and Madrid.
Yeah. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.
So great. Have a nice day and keep going, man. Congratulations for what you have achieved already. You’ll be for sure growing as you’ve been growing so far. And we’re really, really grateful to be following you and to be witnessing it all.
Well, thank you so much. Thank you for having me, I appreciate it all.
Awesome. Have a nice day, Michael.
All right, you too.
Bye.
