Email:neill@outloudculture.com
Socials: @neillfrazer
Malynda Hale was born and raised in sunny Santa Barbara, California where she began singing at the age of 5. At the age of seven she learned to play the piano, and by the age of nine, she was writing her own music. Her love for music and desire to make a difference in the world has led her to be recognized many times for her work. She won “Best Female Vocalist” at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, “Best Pop Music Video” at the Indie Music Channel Awards, and “Pop Song of the Year” at The Josie Music Awards. She has been a headliner for the NAMM show, has opened for artists such as Tyrone Wells, Ernie Halter, Levi Kreis, OTOWN and Smokey Robinson and sung background for Melissa Manchester, Terron Brooks and Foreigner. She has toured the world as a guest entertainer on cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Regent, and Celebrity and sung the national anthem numerous times for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Galaxy, and the California Democratic National Convention. She recently had music featured on the CBS hit soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful as well as the Disney channel tv show Saturdays. She was also a featured soloist in WhyHunger’s: Drum Together version of The Beatles classic “Come Together”. The project featured over 100 drummers and musicians including Ringo Starr.
As an actress she has appeared in stage productions of Once on This Island, Dreamgirls, and Bye Bye Birdie as well as numerous national commercials, independent films and the Lifetime TV Network movie A Hunt for Truth alongside Willa Ford as well as Lust, Lies and Polygamy alongside Alicia Mason and Tremayne Norris. Most recently she starred in the feature film Bull Street alongside Loretta Devine and Amy Madigan which made its west coast debut at the Pan African Film Festival in February 2024 and its east coast debut as the opening film at the Sarasota Film Festival. She co-starred in a short film with Danielle Beckman and Bobby Moynihan entitled Ex-Husband that premiered at the Silicon Valley Film Festival in 2023 and made her directorial debut with the short film Curtain Call that has been accepted into film festivals across the globe including Bend Film Festival, GAZE International Film Festival, Middlebury New Filmmakers Film Festival and Lightreel Film Festival. She played “Tanta Kringle” in the Troubadour Theatre company’s performance of Santa Claus is coming to Motown, Medusa and Psyche in their production of Cupids Eros at The Getty Villa and The Soul Sister Fairy Godmother in Cindy and the Disco Ball, a 70’s version of Cinderella at the Garry Marshall Theatre.
She hosted her own podcast called #WeNeedToTalk for 4 years and 7 seasons. The podcast focused on powerful one-on-one conversations and drove home the message that “Everything begins with a conversation.” #WeNeedToTalk tackled hard hitting topics like politics, religion, social justice, mental health, and more. Past guests on the show included: Cornel West, John Pavlovitz, Shaun King, Kyla Pratt, Frederick Joseph, Richard Marx, Michelle Williams, Elisa Donovan, Jonah Platt, Sarah Jakes Roberts, Noa Tishby, Grace Semler Baldridge, Angel Parker, Dewayne Perkins, Nick Jones Jr., and more!
Because of her love for telling people’s stories, in January 2021 she created the Black Voices Heard Project, an ongoing video and photo series that seeks to amplify the experiences of Black Americans. Through this project, it is her hope that the negative perceptions of the Black community will be dismantled, and the door will open for more understanding and empathy.
Malynda uses her voice through her music and social media presence as an educating activist to effect change within social justice, female empowerment, LGBTQ+ rights, veganism, the Black Lives Matter movement, Antisemitism and Progressive Christianity. Malynda has partnered with many organizations such as ACE For Change, At Advocacy, Vocal Media, Yahoo and more to spread messaging on voting rights, climate change and world hunger and has been a featured commentator on CNN, ABC News Live & Good Morning America. She currently serves as a curriculum and development consultant for R.O.C. Era, a nonprofit committed to providing arts, fitness and mentorship programs to inner city youth. She is on the board for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and for The New Evangelicals Non-Profit and is an assistant producer at The Garry Marshall Theatre.
She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and dog. She is the owner of JMV Music Entertainment Agency and a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA and NARAS. When she’s not working, she loves to binge watch a good Netflix series and Hallmark Christmas movies.
Malynda welcome to OLC! You have a multi-faceted career spanning music, acting, podcasting, and activism. How do you balance all these roles while staying true to your mission of using your voice for positive change?
All of the facets of my career are really connected. And because they are all connected it helps me stay true to my mission. I really love being able to determine what aspect of my life gets the spotlight at any given time, but it will always go back to me wanting to use my voice for positive change, whether that’s through music, acting, or activism.
Can you tell us more about your recent acting experience in the film “Bull Street” and what it was like working alongside legends like Loretta Devine and Amy Madigan?
Bull Street was an unbelievable experience. It’s not every day that you get blessed to work with two industry veterans and I feel very lucky to have had that opportunity. I learned so much from both of them. They made me a better actress, and it was the first time in my career I was number one on the call sheet and that’s a huge role to fill and a big responsibility! The writer/director Lynn Dow trusted me with this role and character and knew despite me being a fairly new person in the industry that I could do the role justice. I’m really grateful to her for that trust.
Your #WeNeedToTalk podcast tackled many hard-hitting topics over its seven seasons. What motivated you to start this podcast, and which episode or guest conversation impacted you the most?
I started the podcast as a live panel series at my church as a way to bring social justice conversations into Christian environments. Because the panels were received well, I started a podcast discussing similar issues and it really grew and evolved from there. It went through a few different format iterations, but I settled into really meaningful one on one conversations. I love the people I was able to interview from Cornel West to Richard Marx and Michelle Williams from Destiny’s child. It’s hard to choose what conversation impacted me the most because I came away from every conversation changed. I always felt like I learned something from my guests. I stopped doing the podcast last year due to time, but I’m hoping to one day bring it back in a newer more realized form.
As a mother of two daughters, how has motherhood influenced your approach to activism and the topics you choose to focus on in your work?
Everything I do is for my daughters and to make a better world for them. That’s really the core of my activism. I want to be an example of how to have empathy for one another and also educate them on things that matter. I’m really aiming to practice what I preach when it comes to raising them. So, anything I choose to talk about or involve myself in I want to make sure my daughters would be proud of me.
Being a Progressive Christian and Woman of Color, you’ve been called upon to help raise awareness in the political arena. How do you navigate the intersection of faith and activism, especially in today’s political climate?
My faith informs how I move in the world. I fully believe in separation of church and state, and I believe in freedom of religion as well as freedom FROM religion which is important to note. The way that my faith allows me to vote and be a valuable voice in the political climate is by advocating for everyone with love and kindness. To give people the freedom to make decisions for themselves. Following what Jesus did in his life means leading with love and advocating for all people.
The “Black Voices Heard” project is a powerful initiative. What inspired you to create this series, and what has been the most surprising or impactful response you’ve received from the participants or audience?
It happened in 2020 after George Floyd. I realized that people had so many misconceptions about the Black Community, and I wanted to find a way to expose them to our community and hear directly from us what it’s like growing up Black in America. I was also inspired by Humans of New York and how raw and real those profiles are, and I wanted something similar with my own community. It took a bit of a pause last year but I’m so glad we started it up again and I’ve partnered with a great production company, so I hope it reaches a wider audience now!
You’ve been an advocate for veganism for many years. What role does this lifestyle choice play in your activism, and what advice would you give to someone considering the transition to a vegan lifestyle?
Caring about animals is always something that has been a part of my activism. I made the decision to stop eating meat when I was really young because it just didn’t sit right with me. I don’t think anything has to die in order for me to live. If people want to start making the shift, I always say start small. Make one meal a day vegan or vegetarian and increase from there. Small changes like that even make a huge difference.
As an artist who has won multiple awards and opened for legends like Smokey Robinson, how do you see your music evolving in the future, and are there any upcoming projects we should look out for?
I just released a song a few months ago called “A Better World” that I co-wrote with my dear friend Gabrielle Taryn. The song is a letter to our daughters and also a prayer that they will be able to live in a better world than we currently are living in. A world free from hate and discrimination and that allows them to prosper. I hope to continue to make more music with messages that touch people’s hearts.
You recently made your directorial debut with the short film “Curtain Call.” How did you find the transition from being in front of the camera to directing, and what stories are you interested in telling through your work as a director?
The transition was much easier than I thought it would be. I’ve been blessed to work with some incredible production teams in the past and I always paid attention to how sets were run. Additionally, I’ve always been in different leadership roles so being able to combine those traits with my creative side was a dream. As a director I just want to continue to share stories that haven’t been told and that move people to think and feel something. Very similar to what I do with my social media content as well.
Being an influencer named by Wired Magazine as shaping the 2024 election is a significant acknowledgment. What message or call to action would you like to share with your followers as we approach the upcoming election?
Check your voter registration! So many people think they are registered and aren’t. Voter registration deadlines are approaching for many states so please double check! Your voice matters and your vote is the way to be heard! Don’t let anyone tell you that your vote doesn’t matter, it does.
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