BIOGRAPHY Maurice Wade was born in 1979 outside of Chicago, IL. Being the son of two very musically inclined people, Maurice grew up in a family where music was very predominant. His father, paternal uncle and maternal uncle all played guitar and or bass; his mother sang; his maternal grandmother both sang and played piano, his paternal grandfather played piano, and his maternal grandfather played conga drums. Maurice began to take violin lessons at the age of 3 and piano lessons at the age of 5. Although he did not continue playing either instrument past elementary school, Maurice discovered his vocal ability at about 10 years of age. Thoroughly enamored with Mariah Carey, he sang her songs and many others, entertaining students and teachers alike. Thus the foundation had been laid for a life of musical creation. As part of a high school project, Maurice wrote his first song at the age of 14. Not long after that, his infatuation with Mariah Carey led him to begin writing and recording his own music in hopes of one day meeting the female vocalist. Though he eventually would realize that he and Mariah Carey would never become what he had hoped as a little boy, Maurice found a new passion - songwriting and music production. Writing song after song and recording on rudimentary amateur equipment would get him the recognition of industry professionals, but never enough to matter. Even still, his uncle Clifton Waddell from Maurice's childhood on would do everything in his power to cultivate and encourage Maurice's talent and love of music. From recording in his basement studio to making efforts to get Maurice in touch with business professionals - all the way down to purchasing multiple copies of the very albums he would assist in producing, Clifton has and continues to be one of Maurice's best supporters. At the age of 21, Maurice settled on his stage name Mayí~Ari and began work on his first album. Between his ministry as one of Jehovah's Witnesses (including traveling to and from Nicaragua to assist with the preaching work there) and varying forms of secular employment, it would be approximately five years until the formation of his independent record label (Colmena Records) and the release of his first album. Written, produced, performed and distributed by himself, "Mayí~Ari" would be the first of three album releases to date. The second, "Hymenoptera", would include several forms of music, as would the third and most recent album, "Formicidae". Always putting music second to what he calls his "real career", Mayí~Ari is still very heavily involved in his volunteer ministry with Jehovah's Witnesses, so music has been relegated - by his choice - to hobby status. "Because my ministry is volunteer," he says, "I have to work a regular job to support myself financially. That doesn't leave me with hardly any time at all for my music. I would love to be able to live off of my music, but I know that the chances are very slim. I've often told myself to just give up, that its not worth the effort. But the truth is, I don't make music for money. I make it because I love it. I make it because... I have to. Over the years, even though I don't have much time for it, I've gotten remarkably better at my craft, and I continue to improve. I don't know if i will ever make a dime doing what I do, but I've tried to stop, and the fact of the matter is, I can't. Paycheck or not, I will be making music until I die." Now 35 years of age, Mayí~Ari is releasing his fourth album with an identity change soon to follow. Listen to this album from start to finish to understand the full scop - and to know what name to look for his fifth album under!