Greatness isn’t new to iconic guitarist Malina Moye. The beautiful and gifted musician’s talent has been recognized around the globe and is only second to her perseverance and dedication to her craft.
A true living legend, lefty guitarist and rockstar Malina Moye has spent over a decade showing the world what the embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll looks like.
With her line of signature guitar strings dropping this summer and a hot record with Hollywood starlet and singer Bella Thorne climbing the charts, Moye has proven the importance of representation in rock and blues music while remaining true to self.
Born in Ohio but raised in Minnesota, Moye was introduced to music at an early age by playing in her family’s band. Everyone indulged in music and, when she was 6, her father gifted her with her first guitar. After despising the instrument for 3 years, Moye fell in love with the strings at 9 years old; flipping the guitar over to accommodate her left-handed swag.
Years of love and dedication to her music culminated with her moving to Los Angeles in 2005. With 20 dollars in her pocket and fist full of dreams, Moye survived off two tacos and a bottle of water per day as she combatted homelessness in the city of angels, determined to push through her struggle into her destined greatness.
“Someone else always carried the dream and we’re the lucky few who get to reap those benefits,” Moye said.
Steadfast in her vision, Moye catapulted into action after her roommate gave her 500 dollars to invest in a calendar. Strategically fueled, Moye used the calendar as a cross-marketing opportunity for her music; excited to introduce listeners to her rock and urban blended style.
The campaign was successful, however she realized the space for women of color in rock ‘n’ roll barely existed. In 2009, with the help of an investor, Moye started WCE Records to bridge the gap between artists of color and rock.
“When you don’t see yourself represented, show up,” she said. “And when you think that you can’t, just show up and know that you matter and you count.”
WCE Records partnered with Sony Red and Moye released three albums. Her 2009 LP Diamonds & Guitars rode the charts for six weeks, with her single Bad As I Wanna Be reaching number one on the Billboard Blues Chart.
As Moye continued to strive for representation and diversification in the industry, her career continued to blossom. In 2010, she returned home to Minnesota and became the first African American woman to perform the National Anthem on guitar at a professional sporting event during the faceoff between the Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys.
Moye went on to be the first female guitarist to join the Experience Hendrixx Tour and opened for Robin Thicke and renowned rock group Journey. With accolades piling up, Moye remained humble, knowing that although she was breaking glass ceilings, many rocks had been thrown at that ceiling making a crack for her to seep through.
“I’m sure there are many people who wanted to do it and perhaps the opportunity didn’t come to them,” Moye said. “But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t try or want to do it. So I feel like I’m always standing on the shoulders of someone else.”
As she matured in her career, Moye could not ignore the constant lack of representation for both women and people of color in rock music. She began working to change that and to shed light on the true narrative of African Americans in rock ‘n’ roll, especially the story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe who is the true creator of the genre.
“Our community actually invented rock ‘n’ roll but our community wasn’t accepted as guitarists in the music industry,” Moye said.
In 2012, Moye received a call from the president of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame to perform and honor Chuck Berry, a major influence in the genre and beyond. This experience once again reminded Moye of how iconic African Americans were in the early days of rock music.
“For me, it was amazing because these were the pioneers that created music and helped all of us to have a space,” she said. “And not just performing, but you start to think about everything these people went through to be the people they are.”
After receiving a message on Instagram and listening to the song, Moye collaborated with Bella Thorne on her newest single Phantom, adding her sultry, electric guitar vibes to Thorne’s high energy, Hip Hop flow. The song went viral, reaching over 3 million views in 48 hours and climbing to number 11 on the US ITunes Hip Hop chart.
“I wanted to lend my guitar on this one because we need to see and continue to show black women rocking out and who better to do it with than Bella Thorne.”
Despite the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moye has continued to create genre defying records while fighting for the diversity of rock music. On June 11th, she will be releasing her own line of signature guitar strings in partnership with guitar product company Dean Markley, making her one of the first black women to have their own signature strings.
“When it comes to guitars, a lot of companies don’t have a lot of partnerships with women nor people of color,” she said. “So, for me, this is important to have something like my signature guitar strings so now people can take my strings and put them on their guitar and find their own story.”
As urban culture begins to be widely accepted and needed throughout the entertainment world, the sphere is changing to include those who created rock from the start and allowing them to redefine the way the world experiences their music.
“The seven notes that we all have access to, they don’t have to stay just within a rock, rnb or funk lane because, to me, these notes are magic and our job as artists is to create what we create,” she said. “The people are the ones who put labels on it.”
With miles of accomplishments behind her and a future carved out of gold, Moye is facing towards the sun as she strives for more black and female fingers to strum the strings of guitars across the world. Her acting debut in the film The Samuel Project is streaming on Amazon Prime and nowadays she spends her time crafting new songs to be released in 2022. However, throughout all that has changed and remained the same, Moye reminds herself to remember her journey and celebrate.
“No matter what, celebrate exactly who you are in every moment,” she said.
Jasmine Osby
