Mayila is a recording artist and songwriter based in Los Angeles, CA; a native of Columbus, OH, Mayila has been cultivating a dogged commitment to her craft from an early age, training in various disciplines like dance, acting and music, until ultimately finding her calling in writing and performing her own songs; she then moved to Washington, D.C., attending the Duke Ellington School of the Arts to become a classically trained vocalist, and, as a student there, found herself performing with legendary acts like Patti LaBelle, Adam Levine, Earth, Wind & Fire, and many others; shortly thereafter, she transplanted herself to New York to intern at Atlantic Records, and this stint served as her break into the professional music industry; the A&R staff at Atlantic quickly took notice of her vocal abilities and storytelling prowess, and eventually convinced and helped her to make the transition to L.A.; since moving west, she has proven herself to be a creative and prolific force in the hip-hop and R&B scene, writing for a slew of industry heavy hitters like Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland, Ty Dolla $ign, and Jeremih, among others; this past year she found herself crossing the Pacific to Korea to co-write a track for the South Korean boy NCT 127, an assignment that she hopes will help establish her skills as a global commodity; the space within the music world that Mayila occupies is an inimitable one, defined by a duality of selflessness and self-love, wherein she shifts seamlessly between sprinkling her magic on others and weaving some for herself; when she is not busy working with and for other R&B artists, or conducting workshops for aspiring songwriters and producers, she is writing and recording her own songs; her debut EP …Loading, released in January of 2018, not only showcased her exceptional writing skills, but revealed her vocal chops, as well; but it wasn’t until she dropped a cadre of new singles in 2019—”Me + Me” in January, “Receipts” in July (a two-way split between her and her peer Allyn), and “Energy” in October—that she garnered widespread attention, thanks to her magic formula that combines her sultry, seductive vocal stylings, her astute lyricism, and ’90s-tinged R&B flavor; visit her Spotify page to listen to her latest releases (including the deliciously boppable “Bonnie and Clyde,” released two months ago), or her Soundcloud to check out her earlier work; follow @mayilamusic on Instagram for updates on upcoming releases, workshops, live streams, and shows

Photographed by Angelo Kangleon in Los Angeles, CA, on November 17, 2019; some of these photos appeared in 1.11VEN Magazine