# Maysa Leak

Maysa Leak (born August 16, 1966) is an American jazz singer better known by her mononym Maysa. She is well known by fans of smooth jazz both for her solo work and her work with the British band Incognito.

## Early life and career

Leak attended Milford Mill High School in western Baltimore County. After high school, she studied music at Morgan State University in Baltimore, where she graduated with a degree in classical performance. There she performed as a member of the world-famous Morgan State University Choir under the direction of the late Nathan Carter. Leak met performer Stevie Wonder during a college performance.
After receiving her degree from Morgan State University, Maysa headed to Southern California to perform with Stevie Wonder’s female backup group Wonderlove. While with Wonder, Maysa was a vocalist on the Jungle Fever soundtrack, and performed on numerous television shows including The Arsenio Hall Show, Oprah and The Tonight Show.
It was during an over-the-telephone audition in the early 1990s that Maysa became a member of the British jazz/funk/R&B band Incognito and, in 1992, she relocated to London and recorded Tribes, Vibes & Scribes, featuring the hit single "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing". Since then, Maysa has appeared on over seven Incognito recordings.
Maysa recorded her self-titled debut in 1995, followed by her second album All My Life in 2000, then Out of the Blue (2002), Smooth Sailing (2004), Sweet Classic Soul (2006), and Feel the Fire (2007). In 2008, Metamorphosis peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz top 100 chart and No. 13 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. In 2010, A Woman in Love, Maysa's 8th solo CD, debuted at No. 1 on the Contemporary Jazz Charts. Maysa's 9th solo album, Motions of Love, released in November 2011, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard`s Contemporary Jazz Chart and Number 7 on the R&B charts.
Maysa has also collaborated with well-known jazz performers like Gerald Veasley, Rick Braun, Will Downing, Jason Miles' Soul Summit, Rhythm Logic, Jonathan Butler, and Pieces of a Dream.
In 2009, Maysa won the very first new Soul Train Award named for the brand's new owners, CENTRIC, The Centric Award: Soul Approved/Underground.
Maysa was a spokesperson in relation to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a disease that can be fatal to premature babies. She appears in RSV PSA commercials, with her son Jazz, sponsored for the March of Dimes.

## Personal life

Maysa continues to live in Baltimore. She has a son named Jazz.

## Discography
### Albums

| Year | Album details | US Chart positions | US Chart positions | US Chart positions | US Chart positions | US Chart positions | Note |
| Year | Album details | R&B/ Hip-Hop | Jazz | Con. Jazz | Heat | Indie | Note |
| 1995 | Maysa Released: August 29, 1995 Label: Blue Thumb / GRP | 64 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2000 | All My Life Released: March 21, 2000 Label: Rice / N-Coded / Warlock | 88 | 11 | — | — | — | |
| 2002 | Out of the Blue Released: March 15, 2002 Label: N-Coded / Warlock | — | 10 | — | — | — | |
| 2004 | Smooth Sailing Released: July 21, 2004 Label: N-Coded / Warlock | 61 | 15 | 9 | — | — | |
| 2006 | Sweet Classic Soul Released: February 21, 2006 Label: Shanachie | 48 | — | — | 47 | — | |
| 2007 | Feel the Fire Released: May 22, 2007 Label: Shanachie | 30 | — | — | 18 | 43 | |
| 2008 | Metamorphosis Released: October 14, 2008 Label: Shanachie | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 28 | |
| 2010 | A Woman in Love Released: January 26, 2010 Label: Shanachie | 70 | 7 | 1 | 22 | — | |
| 2011 | The Very Best of Maysa Released: March 29, 2011 Label: N-Coded | — | 43 | — | — | — | |
| 2011 | Motions of Love Released: November 8, 2011 Label: Shanachie | 41 | 5 | 1 | 9 | — | |
| 2013 | Blue Velvet Soul Released: June 18, 2013 Label: Shanachie | 32 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 50 | R&B #13 |
| 2014 | A Very Maysa Christmas Released: October 27, 2014 Label: Shanachie | — | 20 | 7 | — | — | |
| 2015 | Back 2 Love Released: May 26, 2015 Label: Shanachie | 21 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 22 | R&B #9 |
| 2017 | Love is a Battlefield Released: May 26, 2017 Label: Shanachie | — | 3 | 1 | 5 | 20 | |
| 2023 | Music for Your Soul Released: March 31, 2023 Label: Blue Velvet Soul Records | | | | | | |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. ||||||||