Micah Davis (born June 8, 1993), known professionally as Masego/məˈseɪɡoʊ/ (mə-SAY-goh), is a Jamaican-born musician and singer known for incorporating the saxophone into his music. Masego released two EPs in 2016, The Pink Polo EP with Medasin, and Loose Thoughts. He gained widespread attention with his collaborative record with FKJ called "Tadow" released in 2017. In 2018, he released his debut album Lady Lady.[1]His album Studying Abroad: Extended Stay was nominated for the 2022 Grammy Awards in the "Best Progressive R&B Album" category.
Early life
Micah Davis was born June 8, 1993 to a Jamaican father and an African-American mother. His father was in the U.S. Air Force and his mother was an entrepreneur. He was raised with his two sisters. One is also a musical artist and the other is involved in voice acting and media outlets. Both his mother and father were pastors although he was raised in a non-denominational Christian home. Military travels eventually led his family to Virginia, but he also lived in Sumter, South Carolina for a couple of years. He first learned how to play the drums without formal lessons in his youth. Davis has spoken about learning the piano, sax, and various drum machines. In high school, Davis adopted the name Masego, a Tswana translation of his church name "blessing." Davis attended Woodside High School in Newport News, Virginia and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia before leaving to focus solely on his musical career.[2][3]
Career
In 2015, Masego released the collaborative extended play, The Pink Polo EP with Medasin, spawning the single "Girls That Dance".[4] The next year, he released his EP Loose Thoughts.[5]
In 2017, he met French artist FKJ, and the two released the track "Tadow." According to FKJ, the song was fully improvised not long after meeting.[6]
On September 7, 2018, he released his debut album Lady Lady, including guest features from FKJ, SiR, Tiffany Gouché, and De' Wayne Jackson.[7] The album featured the previously released "Tadow" as its lead single.
His EP, Studying Abroad was released on November 13, 2020.[8] Masego released his self-titled album on March 3, 2023.[9]
Musical style and influences
Drawing from his upbringing of both his parents being pastors, Davis stated that church allowed him a place to learn music from talented musicians. Davis also cited Lukky (DJ PLM), John P. Kee, Andre 3000 and Cab Calloway as influences.[10] Davis grew up in a room with over 200 vinyl records on the walls while simultaneously having friends giving him hard hitting drums and trap music influences.[11] He refers to his own musical style as "TrapHouse Jazz".[12]