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Malik Mustafa - Intermission

A melange of genres flows into Malik Mustafa’s latest singles

LITTLE ROCK, AR – “Intermission,” the new single from Malik Mustafa, is a blend of Hip Hop and Pop. Malik is celebrating his first record contract – a publishing and distribution agreement with a New York label. “Intermission” will be the first single under the new deal. Described by Malik as “a love song – one for the female fans,” the artist expects this single to drop around July 19th.

After recording and completing the first mix himself, Malik uses different producers to take his tracks across the finish line. For “Intermission,” he turned to a producer in Europe for a different feel than what is found in the US. For his lyrics, Malik draws inspiration from something he is going through at the time. “Intermission” talks about not allowing himself to be conned by a certain type of girl who believes that she can keep a guy just because she’s pretty, wears makeup and is into fashion.

Similarly, with his previous single “Energy,” Malik’s real life experiences provide for thought provoking lyrics. In a must-hear and poignant verse, he raps about falling out with his grandmother, getting kicked out of her house, and sleeping in his car for two months.

Mixed and mastered by Hi-Light in St. Kitts, “Energy” affirms that Malik cannot surround himself with negative energy and won’t be brought down by it. “Energy,” released late last year and accompanied by a video, created an initial buzz for an upcoming EP which will contain both tracks.

Not to be confined to any one specific genre, Malik’s musical style has been influenced by his exposure to several different cultures, styles and living conditions. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and raised in Atlanta, he also spent five years during and after high school in St. Kitts. The fast pace and hip hop lifestyle of the ATL contributed to his creativity, but the pain in his music stems from Little Rock. “If you’re not strong mentally, it could break you. But, if you are strong mentally, it could build you and you could use it like I do and put it into a creative way, like my music,” affirmed Malik.

Although he considers all three places home, St. Kitts is where Malik’s music career really kicked off. “Listening to their music – the Caribbean / Afrobeat type style,” Malik said, “that just added to my music, so I didn’t just have to write about the pain or the struggle. I could make dance records … stuff that’s more up-tempo that people could dance to and enjoy at a party.”

At the age of 12, Malik was loving the enthusiastic feedback and attention and he knew he was meant for a music career after his very first performance at a school talent show. He wasn’t supposed to perform at all because he was in trouble at school. But a sympathetic teacher allowed him and his friends to do their thing. Malik often wonders if he would be involved in music today if that teacher had not allowed them on stage.

Malik’s first big performance was at the St. Kitts Music Festival in 2016. The annual event featured the likes of 50 Cent, Damian Marley, Dexta Daps and Tarrus Riley, and has hosted performances by Chris Brown, Ella Mai, French Montana, Trey Songz, Jason Derulo and more over the years. To be a part of the festival’s history was a huge accomplishment for Malik.

Malik Mustafa is a deep thinking and compassionate artist. Given a choice among a host of quick fixes such as unlimited money, super strength and choosing a body type, the ability Malik would choose is the power to heal others, either mentally or physically, because he knows what it is like when someone is in pain. “The world would be such a better place if people were more happy!”