Ep. 104: Maya Azucena, a multi-award winning recording artist and magnetically inspirational woman, is known for making music that uplifts the soul. Born & raised in Brooklyn, she travels the world empowering others through her songs. Featured as a coach, mentoring a teenager on MTV’s Made, Ms. Azucena also garnered a Grammy Certificate for contributing her 4-octave range and soul-stylings to a feature performance with Stephen Marley on his album “Mind Control,” which won Grammy for Best Reggae Album.

Maya has collaborated extensively on stage and on recordings with such notable artists as Fitz and the Tantrums, Marcus Miller, DJ Spinna, DJ Logic, Cormega, Large Professor, Eminem, Mr. Cheeks, Joell Ortiz, Immortal Technique, Vernon Reid, Bob Sinclair and Jonathan Peters.  She was seen recently at the Essence Fest in New Orleans with the likes of Beyonce, Jill Scott and Maxwell.

Maya’s commitment to human rights and social activism garnered appearances at the world-renowned TEDxWomen Conference in Washington DC, the United Nations, and at numerous benefits. Maya participated actively in One Billion Rising, an international campaign to end domestic violence, and her critically acclaimed song “Dance Revolution” was commissioned by OBR’s founder, Eve Ensler, to inspire support throughout the campaign.

Maya performs in festivals and venues globally, at the invitation of promoters and U.S. Embassies worldwide. Such invitations have taken Maya on tours throughout Europe, Croatia, China, Burma, Honduras, Tanzania, Haiti, South Africa, India and Russia, in addition to her U.S. concerts.

As a result of her work, Maya was featured in The Washington Post, Billboard, O Magazine and countless other publications. Maya received the “Innovator of Change” Award; Network Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40” Award; and Voices Unbroken “Hearing Our Voices” Award that stated, “Thank you, Maya Azucena, for using your voice to make the world a better place.”

Maya has nearly completed her forthcoming LP, “Unleash Me,” co-written and produced by Sonix The Mad Scientist (Sean “P-Diddy” Combs, 50 Cent, DMC of Run-DMC, Maxi Priest, Mick Mars from Motley Crue, Mario Winans). Fusing Soul, Rock and Pop, Maya describes her sound as “a female Bruno Mars, if Bruno sang like Chaka Khan.”

Listen as Maya shares with Alex her own multiracial experience, her spiritual journey, and how she views music as a matter of life and death.  For more on Maya, please visit her website: http://www.mayaazucena.com/

For more on host, Alex Barnett, please check out his website: www.alexbarnettcomic.com or visit him on Facebook (www.facebook.com/alexbarnettcomic) or on Twitter at @barnettcomic

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Intro and Outro Music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons – By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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