Just weeks ago, Malakai Bayoh was a 14-year-old London schoolboy who enjoyed playing on his computer or practicing some basketball while juggling his studies with singing in two choirs.
But now, after moving the judges on Britain’s Got Talent to open-mouthed astonishment, the artist known simply as Malakai has signed a record deal, released his debut album and worked alongside international stars like Bradley Cooper and Andrew Lloyd Webber. “Malakai is an exceptional talent. It’s always great to find such musicality in one so young,” Andrew exclusively told HELLO!
All of this is a dream come true to Malakai, his mother Magdalene and sister Faith, who have been by his side every step of the way. “I am extremely, extremely proud. I just thank God every day,” Magdalene, 51, tells HELLO! in this exclusive interview. Magdalene, an anaesthetist nurse who lives with Malakai and Faith, 18,in Kennington, south London, adds: “His success has been unbelievable. Everyone teases me at work – they call me celebrity mum and always tell me they voted for him in the show.”
© James RobinsonMalakai’s rise to fame came about after he auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year. During his performance of Pie Jesu from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem, he deeply impressed the judges, leading to Simon Cowell declaring he had: “One of the best voice I think I’ve ever heard,” before pressing the show’s famous Golden Buzzer which gave Malakai automatic entry into the final. Simon also said of his audition. Even the young man himself was shocked at the reaction. The whole experience of the show, he says, was: “Really cool to do. I’ll never forget it. I’ve taken most of it in, but it’s still unbelievable to me at times.”
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© Craig GibsonShortly after appearing on the show, he signed a deal with Universal Classics & Jazz, recorded a music video which saw him from the roof of St Paul’s Cathedral and last week released his debut album, Golden. He worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber on one of the tracks, telling HELLO! how he loved the experience. “He was really nice and had a lot of wisdom about everything – he told me how there’s only two types of music: good music and bad music.” And he had an equally positive experience working with Bradley Cooper on the soundtrack for forthcoming Netflix soundtrack Maestro. “He was really fun and easy to work with. He would listen to my singing and sometimes tell me how to make it better. And then when I did it right he would give me a fist bump.”
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