The Queen of Jazz Funk: Maysa Leak on the Independent Artist Business (Episode 71)

Make Music Your Business.

Maysa Leak, known to fans simply as Maysa, is the queen of jazz funk. She has collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Incognito, Angela Bofill, Will Downing, Jonathan Butler and Phil Perry. She received Soul Train's first Centric Award in 2009 and a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her remake of Nancy Wilson's "Quiet Fire." In 2018 she founded her own label, Blue Velvet Soul Records.

In Episode 71 of The Career Musician, Nomad, a longtime fan and co-writer who had never met her in person, talks with Maysa about saying yes to big leaps, building a brand as an independent artist, and keeping her heart and her morals intact. Here is what stood out.

From Stevie's alto to London on two weeks' notice

Maysa had one year left in college when Stevie Wonder came to sing with her school choir. Her best friend already worked for him and he needed an alto, so Maysa auditioned. It was intense: scales, modes and counterpoint, in front of an ear that misses nothing. She passed, then asked if she could finish her last year first and give her parents her degree. He thought that was a cool idea. The day she graduated, she called and asked if he had work. Her first gig was singing on his Jungle Fever soundtrack.

When the next tour went to his longtime singers, Maysa was hurt, and she went to work: a music store, a department store, teaching voice, managing a girl group. A session through a friend led to a call from London. Incognito's leader wanted a new American singer. After a phone conversation and a couple of songs sung down the line, she had the gig.

She cleared out her LA apartment in a week and a half and flew to London with four overpacked suitcases and about three dollars left after baggage fees. Customs, not surprisingly, had a lot of questions, and she tells the full story in the episode. The point is she went for it.

That is Luck = preparation + opportunity. She did the work in school, and when the call came she said yes.

Take the initiative before everyone else does

In March 2016, years before the pandemic pushed everyone online, her mentor, saxophonist Walter Beasley, told her Facebook Live was catching on. She didn't know how to do it, and she cringes at the first one. She did it anyway, singing a few songs to introduce her new website. Fans asked her to do it every week, and Kitchen Karaoke Sundays was born, with family, friends, guest artists, home cooking and music.

"A lot of my peers were saying, you're ruining your career by doing that. And I'm like, no, actually my shows are sold out now because of Kitchen Karaoke."

Maysa, 8:33

Nomad's point: she took initiative, did something unfamiliar and uncomfortable, and owned it. It kept her connected to her fans long before live streaming was the norm.

Live musicians are worth the cost

Maysa tours with a full live band, mostly players from Philly and DC, and has carried as many as ten people on the road including crew. It is expensive. A friend urged her to switch to tracks. Then she watched his computer skip to a different song in the middle of a show. Not for her.

"Music is souls interacting, period."

Nomad, 28:43

Nomad praised her for employing musicians, techs and crew and keeping real music alive. They also talked about how much American music, from the blues to gospel to R&B and even country, grew out of Black musicians and songwriters. It is there in the history, plain to see.

Sign your own checks

Maysa's first big business lesson came when she left Incognito over a contract dispute with management. After that she learned by listening, watching and reading, and found people to mentor her. One rule she picked up early: sign your own checks. When a would-be manager offered to collect her money and then pay her, she shut it down.

She is honest about what she still hires out. Taxes go to an accountant. Radio still needs a promotion person. Owning your own label and masters, a lesson she credits to artists like Prince, means learning new things, like paying out royalties instead of only receiving them. The payoff is future income for her son and her family.

Branding is consistency

Because she didn't always have management, Maysa learned to brand herself. Her name is always in the same font. When she turned 50 and marked 25 years in the industry, she produced the celebration herself: photos, venue, band, sound, catering, branded balloons, cupcakes and gift bags. She even designed her own fragrances, named after songs on her album, and used the songs in the commercials.

When investors pulled out a week before her first live album recording, she borrowed from a friend, made the record and paid the loan back over the next year. Nomad's takeaway: if you are an artist, you are an entrepreneur. Every piece supports the music brand. Make Music Your Business.

Speak what you want, keep out what you don't

Maysa is a longtime student of the law of attraction and creative visualization. She says when she pushed doubt and negativity out of her mind and focused on what she wanted, great things started happening, including her Grammy nomination. When she turned 50, she decided to be happy for the rest of her life. She doesn't create drama and she doesn't bring it.

People told her for her whole career that she should be skinnier or lighter. She sang anyway. Her message to young artists: you don't have to do crazy things or use your body to get noticed. You can come into this industry with your morals and your heart intact. That is low maintenance / no drama, and it is a long career.

The takeaway

Maysa's story is a blueprint for the independent artist: say yes to the leap, take initiative before it is trendy, invest in real musicians, sign your own checks, brand everything consistently and protect your peace. Find her music at maysa.com. And if you are building your own path, start with the free Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

Watch on YouTube or find every episode on the TCM Podcast page.