Bathed in golden light, Malakai reached down and pocketed handfuls of the ticker tape that, moments ago, were falling around him. The fourteen-year-old from Kennington had just received the infamous golden buzzer on Britain’s Got Talent- and this was a moment he wanted to savour.
It was the sort of thing every budding performer dreams of. Malakai’s “flawless” rendition of Pie Jesu had just stunned the audience – even prompting the normally stoney-faced Simon Cowell to get on stage and embrace the young singer.
“One of the best voices I think I’ve ever heard,” Simon said.
Reflecting on that perfect moment, Malakai said: “I looked at my mum and my sister and they were jumping around so it was just really cool.”
In the three months since, Malakai’s rise has been breathtaking. He is releasing a debut album, has received gushing endorsements from the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and even caught Hollywood’s eye.
But Malakai admits that his mum remains his “biggest fan”. She was the first to see Malakai’s potential, encouraging him to audition for the choir at St George’s Cathedral, opposite the Imperial War Museum, after hearing him sing around the house.
“That was where we went to church so I would have gone there every Sunday anyway,” said Malakai.
The young treble got his first taste of the big time aged twelve, when he was cast as Oberto in a production of Handel’s Alcina at the Royal Opera House. Sadly on the opening night, an audience member shouted “rubbish” as he sang his lines and booed him.
But Malakai has a confidence that belies his age. Asked if he ever gets nervous, Malakai said: “Not really because you can’t really see people in the audience because it’s all pitch black. It’s kind of like you’re singing to an empty theatre.” He added: “It was a really nice place to perform.”
But nothing could have prepared him for the reaction to his performance on Britain’s Got Talent in April, when judge Alesha Dixon told him: “Whatever is pouring out of you was so heavenly and beautiful I actually went into a trance.” The YouTube clip has over 8.6 million views.
Dear Malakai huge congratulations I was incredibly moved by your stunning performance. Good luck for the final. -ALW https://t.co/i27qNmLzcm
— Andrew Lloyd Webber (@OfficialALW) April 19, 2023
Malakai made it to the final where he sang Lucio Dalla’s 1986 song Caruso – an extraordinarily difficult song for even the most experienced of singers. Although he missed out on the top prize, the treble received rave reviews again.
Was he disappointed not to win? In short, no. “Not really because I knew I tried my best and it was fun anyways,” said Malakai, beaming his now-trademark smile.
Malakai’s extraordinary talent has caught the attention of the world’s biggest music moguls. Universal Music, the record company home of Pavarotti, has signed him and his debut album Golden is out this month.
One of Britain’s most celebrated living composers Sir Karl Jenkins offered to especially rearrange the song Benedictus for the album. “I met Karl Jenkins and that was really cool because he was really nice and he just looks really cool,” said Malakai. He also got to meet Andrew Lloyd Webber who he said “had a lot of wisdom”.
Setting his sights on the film world, Malakai will also sing on the soundtrack of the upcoming movie Maestro, directed by and starring Bradley Cooper and produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Despite the plaudits, Malakai’s feet remain firmly on the ground and he still attends Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in west London. Unsurprisingly, his classmates have been amazed by the last few months.
“They were all really happy for me and were like ‘you’re famous now’,” Malakai said. But he added: “It’s just kind of normal. I still go to school. It’s not like a lot of change.”
Asked if he gets spotted in the street, he said: “Yeah sometimes. But they just say well done or have a picture… it’s quite nice.”
As he gets older, Malakai’s voice will change – and there were signs of that when it appeared his voice broke while singing in the Britain’s Got Talent final. But Malakai is confident he will adapt. “I’ll just sing in lower parts,” he said.
Malakai has plenty of interests outside of opera. He’s a huge Liverpool fan, and plays table tennis, rugby, football and basketball. But he still sees his future in the music industry: “I want to travel the world and sing and do concerts… Either that or I’d like to be a host for different types of shows.”
Whatever the future holds, Kennington can be proud of a homegrown talent whose voice is already reverberating around the world.