# CIAO MALZ

CIAO MALZ is a Brooklyn-based indie rock project by Filipino American multi-instrumentalist Malia DelaCruz, in collaboration with James Chrisman of Sister. and Felix Walworth of Florist and Told Slant. She is currently signed to Audio Antihero.

## Early life

Malia DelaCruz was born and raised in Waterford, Connecticut. She relocated to New York City in 2014 to attend St. John's University in Queens.

## Music career

DelaCruz started out in music collaborating with h. pruz, James Chrisman and Ceci Sturman, before eventually joining them as Sister.'s live bassist.
She began writing their songs under the CIAO MALZ name in 2020, and played her first shows that year. She issued her first single, Always Be My Maybe on May 28, 2021, and the song was played by WFUV when CIAO MALZ was featured as that day's NY Slice artist.
DelaCruz continued to self-release new material, issuing Tracks, Circumstancey, To Go, Same Thing, and Pearl between 2021 and 2023. In August 2023, DelaCruz recorded a cover of Frog's You Know I’m Down, which reached Frog's label, Audio Antihero. The label then offered to work with CIAO MALZ on the next EP.
On November 15, 2024, CIAO MALZ released the Two Feet Tall single via Audio Antihero. The song received BBC airplay from Deb Grant and Tom Ravenscroft on BBC Radio 6 Music, and Roddy Hart on BBC Radio Scotland, in addition to national airplay in Europe from Robert Rotifer of FM4 and Maria Markouli of Kosmos 93.6. US stations like KEXP, KZSC, WMRE, and WMFO also supported the single, in addition to international stations like Resonance FM, Canal Extremadura, and Apaçik Radyo. The single also found support on internet radio stations Dandelion Radio and Amazing Radio, where it was added to the US C-List, the Outré Indie (Pt.7) playlist, and placed in the station's charts. On the single's release date, CIAO MALZ was featured by WFUV as their NY Slice artist for the second time.
Two Feet Tall premiered on God Is In The TV and received positive reviews from Indie Shuffle, Muso's Guide, Various Small Flames, and numerous others. The single was also included in Best of the Month lists from Grimy Goods, Mindies, and Vanyaland.
The Safe Then Sorry EP followed Two Feet Tall on December 6, 2024, after premiering with Under the Radar the day prior. The EP was added to rotation by KEXP and received further BBC support on the Radcliffe & Maconie show. The EP received additional airplay from stations like WMBR, WRUV, WSUM, Radio Boise, and WMFO. The WMFO support included Two Feet Tall being included in the Tardis Jukebox Best of 2024 show on January 1 2025.
The EP was praised in reviews and features from KLOF Magazine, The Alternative, God Is In The TV, and Atwood Magazine, among others. With the EP's release, CIAO MALZ also reached No.1 in both the Popular Now and Most Posted Artists charts on the Hype Machine blog aggregator.
In January 2025, the Safe Then Sorry EP entered the North American College and Community Radio Charts. It first reached #7 in the 'Adds' chart before entering the NACC 200 at #81 on January 21, and rising to #54 the following week. Other chart placements in this period included WMSE, 90.3 The Core, WVUA, CHIRP Radio, UMFM and CJSR. Early 2025 also CIAO MALZ record radio sessions and interviews for East Village Radio, Brainrot Radio, BBF FM, and receive airplay from WNYU, WKDU, KXLU, and KRUI. On February 1, CIAO MALZ collaborated with Jack Hayter on a radio session for WVKR's "THE EXEC SHOW," which aired as part of an artist profile broadcast, which played songs from her back catalogue.

## Discography
### EPs

* To Go (CIAOMONEY RECORDS, 2022)
* Safe Then Sorry (Audio Antihero, 2024)

### Singles

* Always Be My Maybe (CIAOMONEY RECORDS, 2021)
* Tracks (CIAOMONEY RECORDS, 2021)
* Circumstancey (CIAOMONEY RECORDS, 2022)
* Same Thing (CIAOMONEY RECORDS, 2023)
* Pearl (CIAOMONEY RECORDS, 2023)
* Two Feet Tall (Audio Antihero, 2024)

### Other Credits

* Various Artists - For Palestine (GUNK, 2023) - Bass on "Gorilla vs. Cold Water (live)" by Sister.
* Avery Friedman - Flowers Fell - Single (Self-Release, 2024 / Audio Antihero, 2025) - Additional Recording
* Avery Friedman - Photo Booth - Single (Audio Antihero, 2025) - Additional Recording
* Avery Friedman - New Thing - Single (Audio Antihero, 2025) - Additional Recording
* Avery Friedman - New Thing - Album (Audio Antihero, 2025) - Additional Recording