Justin M.
Location:
St. Thomas
(Hosts/Virtual)
Education:
BA
RCM Grade 8 Voice
Languages:
English
Japanese
Justin Maki is a “Flirtatious Jazz-Pop” artist out of London, ON. He is the FCLMA’s 2021 “Pop Artist of the Year” and 2022 “Contemporary Singer-Songwriter of the Year”. Japan born and Canada bred, Justin’s music carefully draws influence from R&B, Soul, Funk, and Jazz and packages it in an accessible Pop format: imagine blending Allen Stone, John Mayer, Bruno Mars, and Robin Thicke. He hopes that his music facilitates a joyful escape for all who choose to listen.
As a touring musician, Justin has played over 1,000 gigs from Halifax to Prince George and has shared the stage with the likes of The Sheepdogs, Measha Brueggergosman, Neon Dreams, and Monster Truck. From bars to concert halls, backyard parties, weddings, and festivals, Justin has been entertaining 100,000s of patrons for the last 17 years. He has had the pleasure of working with such accomplished producers as Matthew Johnston (produced for Shad, Saveria, and Chad Price) and Mark Howard (produced Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, U2, and Neil Young) and he also won Western University’s Battle of the Bands in 2015, as well as Western Voice in 2016.
Justin’s latest release is his debut album, “New Flame”. This is a diverse concept album that traverses the different stages of a romantic relationship from first spark to last billow of smoke. The young artist has 1 more album set to drop in 2022, “Good Vibes”, as well as a play called “New Flame: The Musical” coming out in 2023. If this doesn’t keep him busy enough, Justin hopes to visit America this year to explore production, performance, and networking opportunities. As always, he will continue to spread joy through music and expand his audience in the process.