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Major (American musician)

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Major
Major in 2023
Major in 2023
Background information
Birth nameMajor R. Johnson Finley
Born (1984-03-10) March 10, 1984 (age 40)
Denton, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • singer-songwriter
  • vocal producer
  • stage performance coach
InstrumentVocals
Years active1995–present
LabelsBOE Music Group, EMPIRE
Websitewww.nowthatsmajor.com

Major R. Johnson Finley (born March 10, 1984), professionally known by his stage name Major (stylized as MAJOR.) is an American pop soul musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and stage performance coach. He is known for his 2016 single "Why I Love You". At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, he received nomination for a Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Honest".[1]

Early life

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Born in Denton, Texas and raised in Houston, Texas, in a blended-family household of 10 siblings (13 total), MAJOR. began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown and abroad throughout his childhood. He graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts,[2] received intensive classical training from Professor Steve Smith of The Juilliard School and Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio. He then attended the Berklee College of Music,[3] serving as student body president, and after graduating, moved to Los Angeles to pursue an entertainment career.

Career

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After parting ways with Malibu-based Star Club Entertainment where he generated viral success via YouTube, MAJOR. then entered a production/recording relationship with B.O.E. Music Group in partnership with UK producer Harmony Samuels in early 2014. MAJOR. attributes finding his truest sound to his musical partnership with Samuels.[4]

MAJOR. is highly regarded for his powerful live show experiences including 2 sold-out shows at the historic Troubadour (Santa Monica), World Arts (Culver City), Hotel Cafe (Hollywood), Barclays Center (Brooklyn).[5]

MAJOR. has released an EP (i am MAJOR.) which features 2 singles and 2 music videos: "Why I Love You"[6] and "Keep On",[4] with over 126 million combined views on YouTube.[7] Stevie Wonder described "Why I Love You" as "the wedding song of the year".[8] The song has also reached Top 5 on the Adult R&B Billboard charts[9] and certified Platinum by RIAA.[10] Freelance journalist, Billy Johnson Jr., credited MAJOR. as being the "Hope-Dealer" of mainstream music in a Yahoo! Music article feature published in 2015.[3]

Major's debut album, Even More, was released on September 7, 2018.[11]

In 2019, Major had the recurring role on Fox musical drama series, Star.[12] In 2021, he appeared as Curtis Mayfield in two episodes of Genius: Aretha.

Discography

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  • I Am MAJOR (2016)[13]
  • Even More (2018)[14]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 Masters of Sex Singer Episode: "Asterion"
2015 Legend Singer
2019 Star Cousin Rashad 4 episodes, season 3
Nominated NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series
2019 Dear Santa, I Need a Date Mark TV film
2021 Genius Curtis Mayfield 2 episodes, season 3
2022 Deitrick Haddon's the Fallen Dallas Love

References

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  1. ^ Lynch, Joe (November 28, 2017). "Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees".
  2. ^ "MAJOR. Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
  3. ^ a b Johnson, Billy Jr. (13 April 2015). "Hear It First: Hope-Dealer MAJOR. Tells Trouble to 'Hit the Road'". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b Samuels, Keithan (25 May 2016). "Producer Harmony Samuels' New Artist MAJOR. Drops Two New Singles". Rated R&B. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  5. ^ Carson, Dominique (17 May 2017). "Mother's Day is Celebrated at the Barclays Center – R&B News". Singersroom.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Gail (14 November 2016). "MAJOR. Talks Hit 'Why I Love You' and Being Co-Signed by Patti LaBelle, Releases New 'Spend Christmas With You'". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  7. ^ YouTube views for "MAJOR. – Why I Love You" and "MAJOR. – Keep On" on MAJOR.VEVO, MAJOR.'s official YouTube channel. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  8. ^ Cohen, Sari (31 January 2017). "The 48th NAACP Image Awards: AXS chats with this year's nominees". AXS. Retrieved 3 August 2017. His song 'Why I love You,' has been sweeping the nation and was dubbed 'the wedding song of the year' by Stevie Wonder.
  9. ^ Song overview on Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  10. ^ "American certifications – Major". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  11. ^ "MAJOR. Announces His Debut Album 'Even More': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  12. ^ Yang, Rachel (January 16, 2019). "R&B Artist MAJOR. Lands Recurring Role on Fox's 'Star'". Variety.
  13. ^ "I Am MAJOR. by MAJOR. on Apple Music". July 22, 2016 – via music.apple.com.
  14. ^ "Even More by MAJOR. on Apple Music". September 7, 2018 – via music.apple.com.
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