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]
Major | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Major R. Johnson Finley |
| Born | March 10, 1984 Denton, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | BOE Music Group, EMPIRE |
| Website | www |
Early life
editBorn 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
editAfter 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
editFilmography
edit| 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
edit- ^ Lynch, Joe (November 28, 2017). "Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees".
- ^ "MAJOR. Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Samuels, Keithan (25 May 2016). "Producer Harmony Samuels' New Artist MAJOR. Drops Two New Singles". Rated R&B. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ Carson, Dominique (17 May 2017). "Mother's Day is Celebrated at the Barclays Center – R&B News". Singersroom.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ YouTube views for "MAJOR. – Why I Love You" and "MAJOR. – Keep On" on MAJOR.VEVO, MAJOR.'s official YouTube channel. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Song overview on Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ "American certifications – Major". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "MAJOR. Announces His Debut Album 'Even More': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
- ^ Yang, Rachel (January 16, 2019). "R&B Artist MAJOR. Lands Recurring Role on Fox's 'Star'". Variety.
- ^ "I Am MAJOR. by MAJOR. on Apple Music". July 22, 2016 – via music.apple.com.
- ^ "Even More by MAJOR. on Apple Music". September 7, 2018 – via music.apple.com.