Mereba

Last updated

Mereba
Birth nameMarian Azeb Mereba [1]
Born (1990-09-19) September 19, 1990 (age 32)
Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • rapper
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2013–present
Labels Interscope [2]
Website merebamusic.com

Marian Azeb Mereba (born September 19, 1990), known mononymously as Mereba, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. [3]

Contents

Early life

Mereba was born in Montgomery, Alabama on September 19, 1990,[ citation needed ] and raised in Pennsylvania. She first developed an interest in music at age 4. [3] Starting with singing, Mereba eventually learned to play piano, and then guitar. [4] Mereba's parents moved frequently to accommodate their jobs as university professors. [3] Because of this, she was raised around different people with wide ranges of backgrounds. She began writing songs in elementary school and has said they were "a way to process her feelings of often feeling like an outsider in her environment." Mereba went to high school in Greensboro, North Carolina. [5] [6] She also spent nearly a year living in Ethiopia, her father's home country. [4] [5] Her mother is African-American and was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. [7]

Education

After graduating high school at 17, Mereba continued her education at her parents' insistence, attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [3] She eventually transferred in 2009 to the liberal arts women's college Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, seeking to immerse herself in the legacy of the historically black women's college. [3] [4] Mereba graduated from Spelman in 2011 with an English degree and a Music minor. [3]

Career

2013–2017: Room For Living, Radio Flyer, and Spillage Village

After spending years performing in the indie music scene in Atlanta, Mereba self-released her debut project Room For Living EP, under her full name, on February 14, 2013. [8]

2018–2019: The Jungle Is The Only Way Out

In 2018, Mereba signed to Interscope Records, [9] releasing the singles "Black Truck" and "Planet U", [10] [11] which would go on to appear on her debut album, The Jungle Is The Only Way Out, released February 27, 2019. [12] [13] The album, often acronymed as TJITOWO, was written and produced by Mereba with co-production by Samuel Hoffman, excluding the 9th Wonder-produced track, "Black Truck."

2021: Glock Peaceful

On December 13, 2021, Mereba released Glock Peaceful. The newly released song was featured as a soundtrack on season 5 of the show Insecure produced by Issa Rae on HBO Max. [14] This song was produced by herself along with producers Chris McClenny and Biako.

Her song Glock Peaceful carries the same themes of racial violence and intersectionality as her Album the Jungle is the only way out. Glock Peaceful is a foreshadowing of a country free of gun violence and police brutality. Mereba tells the role of a storyteller in the song as she illustrates a sunny day in LA where there are no cops and guns are peaceful. [15] The Glock Peaceful singer who has a wonderful way of acknowledging black trauma while planting hope ends the song by assuring the listener that a neighborhood free of gun violence is one step away."

Influences

Mereba cites Stevie Wonder as her "fairy Godfather" after meeting him in 2016 and becoming his mentee through the last stretch of finishing of her debut album, The Jungle is the Only Way Out. Wonder specifically encouraged Mereba to continue to produce her own music, comparing her passion for production to his own passion for songwriting early in his career. Both passions were initially discouraged by the people who worked with both Mereba and Wonder. Mereb [16] a performed alongside Wonder at Soho House in Malibu in 2017, where he co-signed and personally introduced her to an intimate audience of listeners. [17]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details
TitleAlbum details
The Jungle Is The Only Way Out
Spilligion (as part of Spillage Village)
  • Released: September 25, 2020
  • Label: Dreamville, Interscope, Sincethe80's
  • Format: CD, LP, Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected details
TitleMixtape details
Room For Living
  • Released: February 14, 2013
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Radio Flyer
  • Unreleased; originally slated for July 2014
  • Label: Red Kotton
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Kotton House, Vol. 1
  • Released: February 10, 2017
  • Label: Jam Solutions, Remote Control Music
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Azeb
  • Released: May 26, 2021
  • Label: Interscope
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

List of singles, with showing year released and album name
TitleYearAlbum(s)
"September"2014Non-album singles
"Radio Flyer"
"Bet"2016
"Black Truck"2018
"Planet U"
"Late Bloomer"
"Sandstorm"2019

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
TitleYearOther performer(s)Album
"UFOs"2013 EarthGang Shallow Graves For Toys
"Ultra Rare"
"Grand Theft Auto" JID Para Tu
"Church"2014Miloh SmithPulp Fiction
"Good Night" Cyhi the Prynce Black Hystori Project
"Lucky Buddha"JID, Money Makin' NiqueLucky Buddha
"Calypso"KharySwim Team
"Fryin'"2015 Spillage Village Bears Like This Too
"Love Child"
"Liquor Sto'"EarthGangStrays With Rabies
"Lady Nectarine"
"Letters"JIDNon-album single [18]
"Off The Lot"2018EarthGangRoyalty
"PTSD"2019 Dreamville Revenge of the Dreamers III
"Myrlie" Rapsody Eve
"Yo Love" Vince Staples, 6lack Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack
"Self"2020Brandon BanksStatic
"Same Boat" Kojey Radical Non-album single
"Like I Feel"Xavier OmarIf You Feel
"Westside" Reason New Beginnings
"End of Daze"Spillage Village Spilligion
"Hapi"
"Pslamsing"
"Golden Pt. 2" Berhana Non-album single

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.grimygoods.com/2021/06/03/mereba-finds-exceptional-strength-and-love-on-azeb-ep/
  2. ↑ https://www.interscope.com/artists/mereba
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Martin, Syreeta (July 22, 2016). "[BLACK, FRESH & 20-SOMETHING]Singer/Songwriter Marian Mereba". EBONY. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "INTERVIEW: Marian Mereba on her musical journey, her tree hugging ways & the Atlanta music scene". AFROPUNK. September 16, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Mereba Is a Musician Who Thrives on Discomfort". www.lofficielusa.com. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Mereba". Spotify. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  7. ↑ Wong Ken, Steph. "Mereba and the Never-Ending Story of the Jungle". She Shreds Media. She Shreds Media. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Room For Living EP, by Marian Mereba". Marian Mereba. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  9. ↑ Kermah, Jonathan. "Mereba, Solange and black women leading the charge in music". Amherst Wire. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  10. ↑ Kim, Michelle (October 1, 2018). ""Planet U" by Mereba (review)". Pitchfork.
  11. ↑ "10 songs you need in your life this week". The FADER. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Mereba Relays Emotionally-Layered Dynamism in 'The Jungle is the Only Way Out'". Hypebeast. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  13. ↑ Lyle, Ashley (February 28, 2019). "Mereba Captivates Her Audience During "The Jungle Is The Only Way Out" Listening". HipHopDX . Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ Inman, DeMicia (November 30, 2021). "Issa Rae Shares 'Insecure' Season 5 Soundtrack Tracklist Featuring Saweetie, Mereba, And More". VIBE.com. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Mereba: AZEB EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  16. ↑ "All of the Music Played During 'Insecure' Season 4". Complex. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  17. ↑ "An Evening with Stevie Wonder & Mereba" . Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  18. ↑ Thomas, Amara. "J.I.D Premieres Reflective New Single, "Letter"". The Fader. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
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