Born on September 24, 1997 in Southfield, Michigan, Malaya Watson is among American Idol's youngest contestants, finishing eighth place on the thirteenth season in 2014. Her appearance on the popular TV competition set her up for a successful singing career, and she went on to sing the U.S. national anthem at the Detroit Lions versus New Orleans Saints game at Ford Field in Detroit in October 2014. During her time on American Idol, Watson demonstrated her vocal prowess with a soul-rich cover of the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road" and a rendition of Chaka Khan's "Through The Fire." Watson, who is of Filipino American and African-American descent, played the tuba in Southfield High School marching band and began flexing her vocal talents in musical youth theater. In 2018, she released her debut single "Time," while also making a guest appearance on Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Kamasi Washington's collaborative Dinner Party: Dessert EP, contributing vocals to the song "Love You Bad" with Phoelix. In 2020, Watson dropped her second single, "Worry About Myself", and her debut EP, My Diary: The Prelude.
