Major (American musician)

Last updated
MAJOR.
Birth nameMajor R. Johnson Finley
Born (1984-03-10) March 10, 1984 (age 39)
Denton, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • singer-songwriter
  • vocal producer
  • stage performance coach
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1995–present
Labels BOE Music Group, EMPIRE
Website www.nowthatsmajor.com

Major R. Johnson Finley (born March 10, 1984), professionally known by his stage name Major (stylized: MAJOR.) is an American pop soul musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and stage performance coach. He is known for his 2016 single "Why I Love You". At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, he received nomination for a Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Honest". [1]

Contents

Early life

Born in Denton, Texas and raised in Houston, Texas, in a blended-family household of 10 siblings (13 total), MAJOR. began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown and abroad throughout his childhood. He graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, [2] received intensive classical training from Professor Steve Smith of The Juilliard School and Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio. He then attended the Berklee College of Music, [3] serving as student body president, and after graduating, moved to Los Angeles to pursue an entertainment career.

Career

After parting ways with Malibu-based Star Club Entertainment where he generated viral success via YouTube, MAJOR. then entered a production/recording relationship with B.O.E. Music Group in partnership with UK producer Harmony Samuels in early 2014. MAJOR. attributes finding his truest sound to his musical partnership with Samuels. [4]

MAJOR. is highly regarded for his powerful live show experiences including 2 sold-out shows at the historic Troubadour (Santa Monica), World Arts (Culver City), Hotel Cafe (Hollywood), Barclays Center (Brooklyn). [5]

MAJOR. has released an EP (i am MAJOR.) which features 2 singles and 2 music videos: "Why I Love You" [6] and "Keep On", [4] with over 126 million combined views on YouTube. [7] Stevie Wonder described "Why I Love You" as "the wedding song of the year". [8] The song has also reached Top 5 on the Adult R&B Billboard charts [9] and certified Platinum by RIAA. [10] Freelance journalist, Billy Johnson Jr., credited MAJOR. as being the "Hope-Dealer" of mainstream music in a Yahoo! Music article feature published in 2015. [3]

Major's debut album, Even More, was released on September 7, 2018. [11]

In 2019, Major had the recurring role on Fox musical drama series, Star . [12] In 2021, he appeared as Curtis Mayfield in two episodes of Genius: Aretha .

Discography

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013 Masters of Sex SingerEpisode: "Asterion"
2015 Legend Singer
2019 Star Cousin Rashad4 episodes, season 3
Nominated NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series
2019Dear Santa, I Need a DateMarkTV film
2021 Genius Curtis Mayfield 2 episodes, season 3
2022Deitrick Haddon's the FallenDallas Love

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Evans</span> American singer

Faith Renée Evans is an American R&B singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. She first performed as a backing vocalist for R&B singers Al B. Sure! and Christopher Williams, and by the age of 20, she signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records as the label's first female artist in 1994. Following her collaborations with labelmates including 112 and Carl Thomas, she released her debut studio album, Faith (1995) to critical acclaim and moderate commercial reception. Evans then guest performed alongside 112 on label boss Puff Daddy's 1997 single "I'll Be Missing You," which received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and became the first hip hop song to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. Her second and third albums, Keep the Faith (1998) and Faithfully (2001) peaked at numbers six and 14 respectively on the Billboard 200 and saw further positive reception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amerie</span> American singer

Amerie Mi Marie Nicholson is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and writer. She has released four studio albums to date: All I Have (2002), Touch (2005), Because I Love It (2007), In Love & War (2009). She is best known for her 2005 single "1 Thing".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India Arie</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1975)

India Arie Simpson, also known as India Arie, is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut album, Acoustic Soul, was released in 2001, and she has since released six more studio albums. Arie has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide, and has won four Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, including Best R&B Album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario (singer)</span> American R&B singer (born 1986)

Mario Dewar Barrett, known mononymously as Mario, is an American R&B singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Baltimore, he signed a record deal with J Records at the age of fourteen, and released his self-titled debut album in 2002. It contained the Billboard Hot 100 top five single, "Just a Friend 2002." His second album, Turning Point (2004), was preceded by his first single to peak at number one on the chart: "Let Me Love You," which received two Billboard Music Awards, a Grammy Award nomination, and remains his most commercially successful release to date.

Kim Lamont Owens, better known by his stage name Kem, is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter and producer. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Kem was raised in Pontiac, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Just Called to Say I Love You</span> 1984 song by Stevie Wonder

"I Just Called to Say I Love You" is a ballad written, produced, and performed by American R&B singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was a major international hit, and remains Wonder's best-selling single to date, having topped a record 19 charts.

"(At Your Best) You Are Love" is a song by R&B group the Isley Brothers. It was originally released on their album Harvest for the World. The song was dedicated to their mother, Sally. Although not a single, the song was a radio hit in 1976, and later became a hit for R&B singer Aaliyah in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Fisher</span> American actor and singer

Jordan William Fisher is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He began his career with recurring roles on several television series, including The Secret Life of the American Teenager in 2012 and Liv and Maddie from 2015 to 2017. He also had supporting roles in the television films Teen Beach Movie (2013), Teen Beach 2 (2015) and Grease Live (2016), The Flash (2021-2022) and starred in Rent: Live (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jhené Aiko</span> American R&B singer and rapper (born 1988)

Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo is an American R&B singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by their record label, The Ultimate Group that same year and was marketed as the "cousin" of B2K member Lil' Fizz to cultivate her own following, although they are not related. Her debut album, slated for a 2003 release through the label with Epic Records, was shelved due to Aiko instead further pursuing her education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Stone</span> American musician (born 1987)

Allen Stone is an American soul and R&B singer and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Mahone</span> American pop singer and songwriter (born 1996)

Austin Harris Mahone is an American pop singer and songwriter. He gained popularity performing covers of pop songs on YouTube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASAP Rocky discography</span>

The discography of American rapper ASAP Rocky consists of three studio albums, one mixtape, 42 singles, eight promotional singles and 31 music videos.

The discography of K. Michelle, an American R&B recording artist, consists of six studio albums, 24 singles, five mixtapes, six guest appearances, and eighteen music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Collier</span> English singer, composer and producer (born 1994)

Jacob Collier (; is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and educator. His music incorporates a combination of jazz with elements from many other musical genres, and often features extensive use of reharmonisations and close harmony. He is known for his energetic live performances, in which he often conducts the audience to sing harmony or percussion parts. Collier demonstrates his harmonic expertise in lectures and master classes, particularly with his detailed analyses of songs like Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" and his own music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Brian</span> Indonesian rapper and singer (born 1999)

Brian Imanuel Soewarno, known professionally as Rich Brian (formerly Rich Chigga), is an Indonesian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his viral debut single "Dat $tick", which was first released in March 2016 on SoundCloud. The single was later certified gold by RIAA. His debut studio album, Amen, was released in 2018 and peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200. Brian's second studio album, The Sailor, was released in 2019. He released an EP titled 1999 in 2020. He released another EP titled Brightside in January 2022. Brian has collaborated with many artists from China and South Korea such as Chungha, Keith Ape, Jackson Wang, and Jae Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joji (musician)</span> Japanese musician and entertainer (born 1992)

George Kusunoki Miller, known professionally as Joji and formerly for playing the characters Filthy Frank and Pink Guy, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, rapper, internet personality, and record producer. Miller's music has been described as a mix between R&B, lo-fi, and trip hop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabrina Claudio</span> American singer and songwriter

Sabrina Claudio is an American singer and songwriter. In late 2016, Claudio uploaded several songs to SoundCloud, before compiling a select collection as part of her debut extended play, Confidently Lost, which was released independently in March 2017. Her single "Unravel Me" peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists chart, and her single "Belong to You" peaked at number two on the same chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Her debut mixtape, About Time was released on October 5, 2017. It peaked at number 13 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get You (Daniel Caesar song)</span> 2016 single by Daniel Caesar featuring Kali Uchis

"Get You" is a song by Canadian singer and songwriter Daniel Caesar, featuring Colombian-American singer and songwriter Kali Uchis. It was released on October 20, 2016, as the lead single from Caesar's debut studio album, Freudian (2017), with the b-side, "Japanese Denim". "Get You" was written by Caesar and Uchis, with production of both tracks handled by Jordan Evans and Matthew Burnett in collaboration with BadBadNotGood.

<i>Bluebird of Happiness</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Tamar Braxton

Bluebird of Happiness is the fifth studio album by the American R&B singer Tamar Braxton, released on September 29, 2017, by LoganLand Records and Entertainment One. The album was preceded by the release of two singles: "My Man" followed by "Blind".

Josh Xantus, known professionally as Josh X, is a Haitian-American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his single Heaven on My Mind.

References

  1. ↑ Lynch, Joe (November 28, 2017). "Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees".
  2. ↑ "MAJOR. Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
  3. 1 2 Johnson, Billy Jr. (13 April 2015). "Hear It First: Hope-Dealer MAJOR. Tells Trouble to 'Hit the Road'". Yahoo! Music . Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 Samuels, Keithan (25 May 2016). "Producer Harmony Samuels' New Artist MAJOR. Drops Two New Singles". Rated R&B. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  5. ↑ Carson, Dominique (17 May 2017). "Mother's Day is Celebrated at the Barclays Center – R&B News". Singersroom.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  6. ↑ Mitchell, Gail (14 November 2016). "MAJOR. Talks Hit 'Why I Love You' and Being Co-Signed by Patti LaBelle, Releases New 'Spend Christmas With You'". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  7. ↑ YouTube views for "MAJOR. – Why I Love You" and "MAJOR. – Keep On" on MAJOR.VEVO, MAJOR.'s official YouTube channel. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  8. ↑ Cohen, Sari (31 January 2017). "The 48th NAACP Image Awards: AXS chats with this year's nominees". AXS. Retrieved 3 August 2017. His song 'Why I love You,' has been sweeping the nation and was dubbed 'the wedding song of the year' by Stevie Wonder.
  9. ↑ Song overview on Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "American certifications – Major". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "MAJOR. Announces His Debut Album 'Even More': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  12. ↑ Yang, Rachel (January 16, 2019). "R&B Artist MAJOR. Lands Recurring Role on Fox's 'Star'". Variety.
  13. ↑ "I Am MAJOR. by MAJOR. on Apple Music". July 22, 2016 – via music.apple.com.
  14. ↑ "Even More by MAJOR. on Apple Music". September 7, 2018 – via music.apple.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.