Mali Music was born Kortney Jamaal Pollard on January 12, 1988 in Arizona and raised in Savannah, GA. The prolific singer-songwriter and producer known to grew up in a strict, Christian household, with his first memories of music being heavily influenced by religion. At only 12-years-old,
Mali created and arranged his own material as his church’s minister of music. Releasing two independent albums, “The Coming” (2008), and “The 2econd Coming” (2009), he earned substantial critical and underground acclaim.

In 2011, he became the first inspirational artist invited to perform at the BET Music Awards on the “Music Matters” stage. After delivering a seismic performance, Mali shortly found himself meeting with superstar Akon the next morning as other executives clamored to learn more about this burgeoning phenomenon.

Signing to Mark Pitts’ ByStorm Entertainment label at RCA Records in 2013, Mali had yet another earthshaking BET Music Awards performance and his Essence Music Festival debut that year. Mainstream wholeheartedly embraced Mali’s undeniable and uplifting blend of soulful R&B, invigorating hip-hop, and inspiring lyricism. Mali then decided to release the single “Beautiful” in anticipation of his first major album release “Mali is…”, which was later released on June 17, 2014; earning him a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 57th Grammy Awards.