On April 26, 2026, one of the brightest and most original figures on the contemporary vocal scene, Michael Mayo, will give his first concert in Bulgaria. The event will take place at Sofia Live Club, at the invitation of Sofia Live Festival, and promises a meeting with an artist who expands the boundaries of jazz, soul and R&B through exceptional vocal technique and a strongly personal style.
Based in Los Angeles, Michael Mayo is a vocalist, composer, songwriter and arranger for whom intuition is a guiding creative principle. His approach to the voice, multi-layered, free and emotionally saturated, combines ethereal vocal layers, beatboxing and warm, intimate vocals, which intertwine in a constantly evolving musical environment.
Raised in a family of professional musicians, Mayo has literally been surrounded by music from an early age. His mother worked as a backing vocalist with artists such as Beyoncé, Diana Ross, Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston, and his father played with Earth, Wind & Fire and Sérgio Mendes. This environment shaped his early path and naturally led him to the stage and improvisation.
After studying at the New England Conservatory of Music and the Thelonious Monk Institute at UCLA (now the Hancock Institute of Jazz), Michael Mayo quickly attracted attention on the international scene. His debut album Bones (2021) received high critical acclaim, including 4 stars from Jazzwise, and JAZZIZ describes him as an artist with “his own, rich neo-soul sound and an impressive tenor that floats over dense vocal layers”. In parallel, Mayo has performed all over the world, including as part of tours with Herbie Hancock, and has been awarded the German Jazz Pride Award.
In 2024, Michael Mayo released his second studio album Fly (Mack Avenue Records / Artistry Music), a bold and liberated work created with a focus on primal impulse and trust in the first instinct. Recorded in just two days in Brooklyn with exceptional musicians such as Shai Maestro, Linda May Han Oh and Nate Smith, the album exudes lightness, freedom and strong emotional clarity. Fly moves through jazz standards, original compositions and bold interpretations, from the energetic single “Four”, through the airy title track “Fly”, to the daring reading of Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil”.
The concert in Sofia will give the Bulgarian audience the opportunity to touch an artist in an exceptional creative moment, a musician who turns the voice into an instrument with endless possibilities and puts sincerity and freedom at the center of live performance.
Tickets for the event can be found on www.sofialivefest.com and the Eventim network and partner box offices.
Doors: 7:00 PM
Start: 8:00 PM
For more information and all the news about Sofia Live Festival, you can follow the festival page on Facebook and the profile on Instagram.
