# Malay (record producer)

James Ryan Ho, known professionally as Malay, is an American record producer, songwriter, and audio engineer. He won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards for his work on Frank Ocean's Channel Orange (2012).

## Early life and career

His father is Malaysian. Malay grew up in Bellingham, Washington where he was introduced to classic rock at an early age by his father. Both Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd sparked his interest in music. While he wrestled in school and showed great potential, he eventually quit the sport to pursue his career in music.
He began to teach himself guitar and piano while making money with a local band in Bellingham. During this period he would go on to build a recording studio in his home. He adopted the producer name 'Maylay' during the 1990s, derived from his best friend's native language's word for 'mountain'. Its spelling may have been changed to avoid confusion with another musical artist, Young Maylay, with whom he bears no relation.
In the mid-2000s, his skills were noticed and Jake One, a hip-hop producer who recruited him to help with the productions on releases for G-Unit. After working closely with Jake One, Malay moved to New York City where he got a job producing for MTV's Making the Band. Afterwards, Malay moved once more to Atlanta before ultimately settling in Los Angeles in 2010.
Malay has produced for a number of artists. He was producer for John Legend's album Evolver (2008), and Frank Ocean's channel ORANGE (2012); the latter won a number of accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album, as well as 2013 Grammy Award nominations for Album of the Year, Best New Artist, and Record of the Year for "Thinkin Bout You". He also co-produced Zayn's debut album Mind of Mine (2016).
Malay co-founded Britannia Row Recordings in 2016, in partnership with BMG. In 2018, the label signed The Parlor Mob, a rock band based in New Jersey.

## Discography

| Album | Song(s) | Artist | Year | Credits |
| Girl Of My Dreams | "Guess We Lied..." "Serial Heartbreaker' "I Love You, Bitch" "Healing" | FLETCHER | 2022 | Producer, writer |
| Solar Power | "The Path" The Man with the Axe" "Leader of a New Regime" "Hold No Grudge" | Lorde | 2021 | Producer, writer |
| Three. Two. One. | Much Too Much Fear of Being Alone Pretty Boy Bend Over Backwards | Lennon Stella | 2021 | Producer, writer |
| The S(ex) Tapes | Silence If I Hated You The One Shh...Don't Say It | FLETCHER | 2020 | Producer, writer |
| You Ruined New York City for Me | "If You're Gonna Lie" "Undrunk" "All Love" "About You" | FLETCHER | 2019 | Producer, writer |
| Moonlight | "Bridges" "Lost In Translation" "Say What You Will" | Johnnyswim | 2019 | Producer, writer |
| Icarus Falls | "Stand Still" "Sour Diesel" "Satisfaction" "Scripted" | Zayn | 2018 | Producer, writer |
| Village | "Slow Up" | Jacob Banks | 2018 | Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| Saturn | "Orbit" | NAO | 2018 | Writer |
| So Sad So Sexy | "Deep End" "Two Nights" (ft. Amine) "Jaguars in the Air" "Sex Money Feelings Die" "So Sad So Sexy" "Bad Woman" "Utopia" | Lykke Li | 2018 | Producer, Writer |
| The Thrill of It All | "Say It First" "Midnight Train" | Sam Smith | 2018 | Producer, Writer, Instrumentation |
| — | "Rush" | Lewis Capaldi | 2018 | Producer, Writer |
| Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent | "Fade" | Lewis Capaldi | 2017 | Producer, Writer |
| Good for You | "Turf" "Dakota" (featuring Charlie Wilson) | Aminé | 2017 | Producer, Writer |
| Melodrama | "Sober" "The Louvre" "Supercut" | Lorde | 2017 | Producer |
| Blonde | "Nikes" "Skyline To" "Ivy" "Self Control" (featuring Austin Feinstein & Yung Lean) "Pretty Sweet" "Seigfried" "Godspeed" (featuring Kim Burrell & Yung Lean) "Futura Free/Interviews" | Frank Ocean | 2016 | Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| The Get Down (Original Soundtrack from the Netflix Original Series) | "Cadillac ft. Miguel" "Losing Your Mind ft. Raury & Jaden Smith "You Can't Hide ft. Zayn / Teddy Pendergrass & Grandmaster Flash "Shaolin's Theme / Pray" ft. Malay / 6lack | Various | 2016 | Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| The Heart Speaks in Whispers | "In the Dark" | Corinne Bailey Rae | 2016 | Writer |
| Mind of Mine | "iT's YoU" "BeFour" "Intermission: Flower" "Rear View" "Borderz" "BLUE" "BRIGHT" "Do Something Good" | Zayn | 2016 | Producer, Writer |
| Know-It-All | "Wild Things" "Stone" (ft. Sebastian Kole) | Alessia Cara | 2015 | Producer, Writer |
| All We Need | "All We Need" ft. Adia "Revolution" "Forbidden Knowledge" ft. Big K.R.I.T. "Woodcrest Manor II" "CPU" ft. RZA "Love Is Not a Four Letter Word" "Trap Tears" ft. Key! "Friends" ft. Tom Morello | Raury | 2015 | Producer, Writer |
| BEcoming | "My Suicide Note" "Sleep to Dream" "Eyes Wide Shut" "Here I Am" "Hey You There" "Walk On Water" "Born to Belong" "War IV Love" "Hey You There" | Stacy Barthe | 2015 | Executive Producer, Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| Higher Than Here | "Heaven To A Fool" | James Morrison | 2015 | Producer, Writer, Instrumentation |
| Thirty One | "Sure Love" | Jarryd James | 2015 | Producer |
| Unbreakable Smile | "Talk" | Tori Kelly | 2015 | Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| Radius | "Perfect World" | Allen Stone | 2015 | Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| Love Story | "Change" "American You" "Empty Bottles" "Have a Great Flight" "Disappear" | Yelawolf | 2015 | Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| Category 5 | "Home" "Crystal Ball" "Valentine" "City of Sin" "Cool Trip" "Miracle" "Falling Apart" "Give it Away" "Sister" "Where O Where" "Feet Don't Fly" "Leaving on a Train" "Fun in the Sun" | Linus Young | 2014 | Executive Producer, Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| Nikki Nack | | Tune-Yards | 2014 | Producer |
| All I Wanna Do | "Riverside Girl" | T. Mills | 2014 | Producer |
| City of Sin (Single) | "City of Sin" | Linus Young | 2014 | Producer, Writer, Instrumentation |
| Dirty Gold | "Angel & Airwaves" "April's Fool" "Vinyl" | Angel Haze | 2013 | Producer, Writer, Instrumentation |
| Love in the Future | "You & I (Nobody in the World)" | John Legend | 2013 | Producer, Writer, Instrumentation |
| Paradise Valley | "Wildfire ft. Frank Ocean" | John Mayer | 2013 | Writer, Instrumentation |
| Age Against the Machine | "Kolors" | Goodie Mob | 2013 | Producer, Writer, Instrumentation |
| Girl on Fire | "One Thing" | Alicia Keys | 2012 | Producer, Writer, Instrumentation |
| channel ORANGE | "Start" "Sierra Leone" "Sweet Life" "Super Rich Kids" (featuring. Earl Sweatshirt) "Pilot Jones" "Crack Rock" "Pyramids" "Lost" "Monks" "Bad Religion" "Pink Matter" (featuring. André 3000) "Forrest Gump" "End/Golden Girl" (featuring. Tyler, the Creator) | Frank Ocean | 2012 | Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| Play It by Heart | "Heads Vs Hearts (ft. Booker T. Jones) "Oh There She Goes" | Jay James Picton | 2012 | Producer, Writer, Engineer, Instrumentation |
| Break of Dawn | "Undertow" "Break of Dawn "Money" | Goapele | 2011 | Producer, Writer |
| Best Night Of My Life | "Fifteen Miinutes" | Jamie Foxx | 2010 | Producer, Writer |
| Kandi Koated | "The More I Try" "Lucky" "Haven't Loved Right" | Kandi | 2010 | Producer, Writer |
| Trunk Muzik 0-60 | "Get the Fuck Up" "I Wish" (ft. Raekwon) | Yelawolf | 2010 | Producer, Writer |
| Back to Me | "Thrill Is Gone" (ft. Cee-Lo) "Move On Me" "Teach Me" | Fantasia | 2010 | Producer, Writer |
| Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty | "Feel Me" "Sumthin's Gotta Give" (ft. Mary J. Blige) | Big Boi | 2010 | Producer, Writer |
| D.N.A. | "I Miss My Friend" | Mario | 2009 | Producer, Writer |
| Evolver | "Cross the Line" "Satisfaction" "I Love, You Love" "*Green Light" (ft. Andre 3000) "Everybody Knows" "It's Over" (ft. Kanye West) | John Legend | 2008 | Producer, Writer |
| I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II | "Good-Bye (City of Dope)" | Killer Mike | 2008 | Producer, Writer |
| Just a Rolling Stone | "Beautiful Escape" | Donnie Klang | 2008 | Producer, Writer |
| Day26 | "I'm the Reason" "If It Wasn't For You" | Day26 | 2008 | Producer, Writer |
| Welcome to the Dollhouse | "Poetry" | Danity Kane | 2008 | Producer, Writer |
| Fast Lane | "Be Easy" (ft. Mary J. Blige) | Hot Rod | 2006 | Co-Produced with Jake One |
| Get Rich or Die Tryin' OST | "I Don't Know Officer" | 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Prodigy, Spider Loc, Mase | 2005 | Additional Keys |