Kellee's mother always said, she "was dancing and singing before she could walk and talk". She loved all genres of music and began writing poetry and songs at a young age to entertain herself and escape reality. Her childhood best friend helped to form their first rap group called Thunder and Lightning at age 9. Kellee also expelled a lot of energy through gymnastics and had hopes of the Olympics until the pressure and injuries stopped her progression. Despite incredibly loving parents, Kellee always had a bit of an "alien" mentality as she was one of two people she knew until age 18 that was adopted. To this day she knows very little about her biological family.
Kellee moved to Pittsburgh in her late teens with the dream of making a difference. She learned more about the negative sides of our society through study at the University of Pittsburgh. At that time, Hip Hop was solidified as her passion and outlet for activism. She also experienced watching her mother go through a near death bout with cancer and used writing as a means to cope. She began singing and rapping onstage in 2000 and has not stopped since. However, a sense of not being able to make any real change, a lack of confidence, and a lack of financial stability pushed her into the workforce full-time and on a spiritual journey. This period of her life proved to be a unique opportunity to grow, become inspired and learn the industry she planned to enter one day.
Kellee worked at the Pittsburgh City Paper right after college where she helped countless local artists find a stage and eventually became the Events and Promotions Director. She also performed with the band Kloaking Device for a brief time. After her father passed away and she was rejected by her biological mother, Kellee again turned to music as a way to cope. She also turned to work to cope and started a female owned and operated, socially conscious company, Nakturnal, in hopes of helping woman work together in pursuit of their dreams and to secure a better income to help her mother in the future. For over two years now, Nakturnal has been considered the leading marketing and events organization in the the region. Nakturnal works daily to inspire women, help independent artists and raise awareness for worthy causes. The company has been expanding nationally.
While Nakturnal was growing, Kellee found more time to record and perform, and released her first album, Age of Feminine. She is currently working on her second release which highlights her mystical side and brings together her other musical passions including dubstep, house, reggae, Bmore club, R&B and of course Hip Hop. She is also launching a website that will act as an artistic statement with the help of a large female team made up of Nakturnal and other talented Pittsburgh based women.
A deeply spiritual person, Kellee now sees activism on an energetic level that starts within and she works on herself daily. She studies the power of intention, meditation, yoga, quantum physics, astrology, tarot and other forms of mysticism. She feels her outer purpose in life is to make music that sends out good energy that speaks to the soul of the listener. She believes massive global change is coming and that it starts with the individual. She feels Pittsburgh, her home, is a focal point in this planetary change and that women and female energy in men and women will help us enter a new stage.
Kellee asserts that our inner world is a mirror of our outer reality and that we have the power to help positively affect the world by "being the change we wish to see", as Ghandi puts it. She believes we are entering a new stage of evolution in human consciousness and hopes that in the same way she is affected daily by artists and musicians that her music inspires change and awareness in the listener. She feels all people have special gift that will be a piece in the puzzle and that we are all one. She knows deep down that music and art will usher in the peaceful revolution we need from our current fear stricken society. She feels we can enjoy this time/space reality while opening hearts and minds, and creating lasting change.
To book Kellee Maize, contact Leigh Yock @ Nakturnal Records
leigh@nakturnal.net
(412) 977-7506
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