Mapei (musician)
| Mapei | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jacqueline Mapei Cummings |
| Born |
December 20, 1983 Providence, Rhode Island, United States |
| Origin | , Sweden |
| Genres | Indie pop, hip hop, hip hop soul |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Downtown Records |
| Associated acts | Major Lazer |
Jacqueline Mapei Cummings (born December 20, 1983), known by her stage name Mapei, is a African-American recording artist best known for her single "Don't Wait," which was released via Downtown Records in 2013. Her debut EP, The Cocoa Butter Diaries, was released in 2009 also via Downtown Records. Her debut album, Hey Hey, was released September 23, 2014.
Mapei was born in Providence, Rhode Island, but moved before she turned ten years old. She began splitting her time between America and Sweden after her Liberian mother and Swedish stepfather moved to , living in Stockholm during the school year and returning to America for the summers. She moved to Brooklyn at age eighteen, working as a bartender in a Swedish restaurant in New York's Chinatown neighborhood. She stayed for three years, taking in the local scene and even living with Lykke Li for a period before deciding to return to Sweden and immerse herself in Stockholm's pop scene.
Mapei released her debut EP as a rapper on Downtown Records in 2009. After the release of The Cocoa Butter Diaries, Mapei began work on her debut album with French electronic duo Justice. However, she was not happy with the final result, and decided to scrap the record. After realizing that she was hitting a wall creatively, she came to the conclusion that she wanted to start singing, telling W: "I was just out there freestyling without writing any songs ... I needed to find some inspiration." She spent the following years traveling, which led to extend stays in Tunisia, Portugal, and Brazil. After a particularly inspiring stint in Brazil, she decided to return to Stockholm and began working with producer Magnus Lidehäll.
"Don't Wait" premiered on the website of influential magazine The Fader in October 2013. The track went viral immediately, repeatedly reaching #1 on the Hype Machine charts. It received universally positive reviews, with W declaring the song a "devilishly crafted piece of pop perfection" and Vogue praising it for possessing "catchy pop sensibility without falling into the trap of soft-edged lyricism."
...
Wikipedia