Mal the Oddity

Drawing inspiration from hip hop, bedroom pop, indie, and electronica, Mal the Oddity is defined by just one “genre”: cinema. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Mal began his artistic career writing fiction stories and poetry in high school. He picked up producing as a hobby, and began to take it more seriously after linking with local rappers, singers & musicians. Over the next few years he would advance his songwriting skills and production vision, honing in on a sound influenced by the likes of Blood Orange, Frank Ocean, Travis Scott and Tame Impala. Through his music, Mal seeks to extend sonic frontiers and bend genres. Everything has a visual aspect to it, from painting a vivid portrait of nighttime city life on his debut single Deli Nights, to playing self-produced videos alongside his live performances. Mal has released four songs in 2020 as he’s shifted from a contemporary hip hop sound and found his home in the indie, bedroom pop & R&B realm. His single, “Freaks and Wild Things” was a turning point in this regard. Released in June, the song was an ode to his hometown of Brooklyn, and the wild youthful spirits that inhabit it. Since then, he has done a deep dive into that world, tapping into a new energy at the heart of his city, and curating a community of wild souls coming of age at a time when the world is coming apart at the seams. Mal’s music is emotionally resonant, vulnerable, and sonically focused on transporting the listener to a specific time, place, and headspace. “I’d just like each song to be a different trance. A different short movie that holds your attention and washes over you, for you to experience and bring with you. A short trip to a different headspace, different expression, different emotion.”