At just 22, maryjo has emerged as a standout in the rising pop scene. Known for her powerhouse vocals and beloved appearance on Season 19 of American Idol, the Cleveland native overcame her childhood fear of singing in public to seize her big break on the show.
Mitch Holson/Atlantic Records
Imagine a scared, young girl posting singing videos to social media, terrified of actually being on stage. Now imagine that same girl embarking on her first national tour.
That is the story of 22 year old singer-songwriter Maryjo. Her music journey started out back in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where she says she had horrible stage fright and was terrified to sing in front of people. But she liked to sing, so she decided to start posting singing videos on social media.
We got to sit down with Maryjo to talk about her journey and the exciting projects she’s created along the way.
“It didn’t really feel like singing in front of people,” she explained about why she started posting videos. She had no idea those videos would lead her to becoming a fan-favorite contestant on season 19 of American Idol. That same support from viewers of the show is what helped her become the performer she is now. “It gave me confidence.”
As a songwriter, she told us that getting the emotion across is the most important thing for her when she’s writing. “Once you get the emotion across, people start to listen.”
And that they do. Not only does Maryjo have 146K monthly listeners on Spotify, she also has 1.3 million followers on TikTok and 27.6 million likes.
Sarah Rodriguez/Atlantic Records
Her newest single “Drunk Tattoo” tells the story about how sometimes you fall for the wrong people and you hit a realization point and start to question why you ever liked them. Many of her songs come from her own personal life experiences. We asked her what it meant to her that so many fans can listen to and resonate with her songs. “It makes me feel like I’m doing my job right,” she told us. “I want to send a message for them to relate to it or connect to it, and that’s exactly what they’re doing.” With a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes, she added “And that makes me happy.”
After signing with Atlantic record in the fall of 2022, she released her single “Love Fools”, alongside a music video filmed through her home security camera – an idea her manager Kelly gave her. The ballad features a backing from GRAMMY® Award-nominated, 2x ACM Award-winning blind piano virtuoso Gordon Mote.
Many great producers and musicians have lent a hand in her song-writing and producing. She absolutely lit up when asked her about her experience with these amazing artists. “It’s so fun,” she boasted excitedly. “It’s nice because now I can feel comfy in the {recording studio} – because once you find your people you’re like, ‘Oh. There ya go’.”
Starting January 30th, Maryjo is headed on tour with musical artist Knox. “This is my first {tour} with a band and the road and the sprinter van… and the early morning wake-up calls,” she exclaimed with a bright smile on her face. From Chicago, Illinois to Atlanta, Georgia spanning a little less than two weeks, it’s hard work but nothing about it seems to beat her down. “I’m so excited,” she told us simply.
This is just the beginning for Maryjo and we are so excited to see what she has in store.
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Knox is a talented singer-songwriter rapidly ascending within the music industry. Within the last year and a half, he has signed to Atlantic Records and built a strong fanbase via TikTok, with one of his videos featuring his hit track “Sneakers” reaching nearly 2 million views overnight. “Sneakers” now has over 23 million streams across streaming platforms.
This past Friday, R&B/pop singer-songwriter, Alicia Creti released her first standalone single, “Strange”. Born in Montreal, Canada, Creti has recently been signed to Atlantic Records and since then has been on a roll of releasing powerful music.
SK8 recently released his single titled “Pages,” which features Machine Gun Kellys lead drummer, Rook.
For so many, going to concerts is an escape, an incredible experience that was taken away like so many things this year. With the pandemic going on, it’s hard to say when concerts will be back again and for so many avid concert goers and performers alike, this is heartbreaking. This year, multi-platinum pop phenomenon Melanie Martinez was set to launch the biggest world tour of her career, exciting fans worldwide at the chance to see her perform. In light of circumstances, on Thursday Martinez launched a one of a kind virtual streaming event that celebrated her internationally acclaimed album and accompanying full-length feature film “K-12.”
Everything Martinez does is so beautifully unique while being incredible true to herself and her style, which is what sets the young artist apart from so many others. The virtual concert was a totally unique event in itself, from the costumes and visuals that came with it, to the nature of interaction with fans that the event allowed, having a sidebar that gave adoring fans the chance to talk to each other and share excitement and opinions. In these times, virtual interaction is sometimes the only form of interaction, and incorporating this into the stream was such a brilliantly creative addition to the overall experience.
The concert consisted of 12 songs, each being performed with Martinez putting on an individual show for each. The visuals in the performances were stunning and each told a story. From giant cakes to traveling in between different dollhouses, she truly did her part in making sure that the experience was as true to an in person concert as possible. The immersive visuals created an experience unlike any other.
Kicking off the concert with her fan favorite song “Play Date,” Melanie created a world full of color, bright costumes and visually stunning scenes for worldwide fans. The event truly captured the meaning of coming together to share a common love of an artist, allowing fans to have the concert experience from the safety and comfort of their homes.
Issa Rae has officially launched her record label Raedio.
Atlantic Records kicked off the week with a musical bang Tuesday, March 19, when Matt Maeson played for a small crowd to promote his upcoming debut album Bank On The Funeral.
Former Pretty Ricky frontman Pleasure P has been consistently releasing bonafide hits as a solo artist. Reuniting with his fellow Miami brother and collaborator, the multi-platinum recording artist Flo Rida. The two release the new video for the single, “Could You Love Me”.
A familiar pattern of song for the two, Pleasure P and Flo Rida impress the ladies like the cameo scene stealing Love and Hip-Hop: Miami alum Amra La Negra with some dance moves and a slick ballad that ask the question if you are still in love with the “Boyfriend #2” hitmaker. “Could You Love Me” is produced by Lil Wonder, Rico Love, and Tank and the first single off Pleasure P’s forthcoming new album, ‘Pain and Pleasure’.
The new album is slated for a Summer 2018 release. Flo Rida appears on the video and track courtesy of Atlantic Records.”Could You Love Me” is directed by talented director David Rousseau.
Watch “Could You Love Me” below.
The single “Plaga” is generating buzz online and media outlets everywhere. Toronto’s Thorobread joins up with Bronx emcee, Don Q, for this track found on Thoro’s upcoming EP, ‘Trust is a Legacy’.