Malena Smith

To hear Malena Smith sing is to savor a voice distilled from every corner of the American songbook. With a background that ranges from jazz to classical, from country to R&B, she is able to blend a rainbow of influences into a seamless and unmistakable sound that is uniquely hers.

As a music major in college, she studied classical voice and took roles in the opera. She has sung in lounges and theaters from her native St. Louis to Tokyo, including as a background vocalist in renowned venues like Cafe Wha? and the Apollo Music Cafe. She has shared stages with Michael Buble, Clark Beckham, and the St. Louis Symphony. She is classically trained yet has years of experience singing jazz standards and pop arrangements of the genre in intimate lounge settings. For all her skill as a vocalist, though, it is her songwriting that brings everything into focus.

Shortly, thereafter Malena began the writing process with a group of other young creatives, curated by Brian Owens, called Life Creative based in St. Louis, MO. The process of pushing herself vocally and as a writer has led her to where she is today. Both live and in the studio, Malena has the ability to bring together the riches of a range of American music into a style and sound that seamlessly erases boundaries, and touches hearts across styles, genres, and geography. It’s something she sees as part of the job description.

Malena will be releasing her debut single, “Betray Myself” on April 19, 2023.