Born and raised in Malawi, East Africa, Malia's family had to go into exile in London in the late eighties. It was here that she got hooked onto music and discovered jazz, especially singers like Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday, a turning point in her life. After she finished school she started singing background parts in diverse pop-projects but wanted more. She found herself a pianist and started writing her own songs, working in bars and clubs around town. This worked well for her, but the breakthrough came when, two years ago, she discovered producer André Manoukian (Liane Foly, Gilbert Bécaud, Viktor Lazlo etc.).
Manoukian was immediatly taken by her wonderful and unique voice and produced her debut album Yellow Daffodils for her, which has been released by Sony Music.