Maestro Harrell facts for kids

Maestro Harrell, also known as M A E S T R O, is a talented American artist. Born on July 29, 1991, he is a DJ, singer, rapper, actor, and music producer. You might know him from TV shows like The Wire where he played Randy Wagstaff. He also appeared as Malik in the comedy show Suburgatory.

Maestro's Early Life and Career

Maestro Harrell was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was recognized as a very talented child early on. He won "The Most Talented Child Under Twelve Years Old" at the Chicago Music Awards three times. These awards were in 1999, 2000, and 2001.

In 2005, Maestro performed at a big event. This was the grand opening ceremony for Disneyland in Hong Kong. He also signed a music deal with So So Def/Island Def Jam. This deal was with famous hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri.

Early TV Appearances and Acting

Maestro started appearing on TV when he was just 7 years old. He was on shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He also appeared on The Maury Povich - Most Talented Kids Show. Maestro was a spokesperson for the Western Union's Study Buddy Reading Program. This program let him travel across the United States. He performed at schools and gave speeches. He encouraged students to read and sang many jingles.

Maestro is a member of important acting unions. These include the SAG, AFTRA, and EQUITY unions. Besides his main role in Guys Like Us, he was in many TV commercials.

Film Roles and Voice Acting

Maestro Harrell made his first movie appearance in Ali. This film was directed by Michael Mann. He played the young Cassius Clay. The movie also starred famous actors like Will Smith and Jamie Foxx. He also appeared in the movie Barbershop.

He is perhaps best known for his role in The Wire. In this show, he played the character Randy Wagstaff. His voice can also be heard on Twilight Zone episodes CD. He starred in an ABC show about the PGA Tour Western Open. He was alongside golf legend Tiger Woods. In 2003, Maestro played Young Simba. This was in the Chicago production of Disney's The Lion King musical.

From 2011 to 2014, Maestro had a regular role. He played Malik LeFrique on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory.

Becoming a Music Producer

In 2011, Maestro started producing music. His first record was a remix for DJ Ruckus' song "Soul Soldier". By 2014, he officially began his career as a music producer and DJ. His first solo song was a team-up with Antoine Becks. Antoine also had a background as an actor. Their song "Drop It" had many features of the "big-room" music style. This style was very popular at that time. "Drop It" was released by the German EDM label "Kontor Records".

In 2015, Maestro was cast as Matt Sale. This was for the AMC show Fear The Walking Dead.

His big breakthrough in the EDM (electronic dance music) scene happened in 2015. This was with the progressive-house song "For You". He worked on it with Dzeko & Torres and the singing duo Delora. Later in 2015, he signed with W&W's label "Mainstage Music". He gained a lot of attention for his song "Olympus". He also had a collaboration called "Poseidon" with Maurice West. In 2016, he changed his style. He released a "jungle-terror-crossover" song called "Zantar". He produced it with newcomer NoTech.

In early 2018, Maestro released his own song "Which One Which". This song was later featured in the movie The First Purge. A week later, he released another song called "Woke Up". Later that year, M A E S T R O released his first music collection, an EP, called WAV GOD.

Harrell's song "Crystals" with David Gemmill was featured in a movie. It was in the animated superhero musical-comedy film Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. In September 2019, M A E S T R O released a follow-up to his first EP. It was called "WAV GOD 2".

Maestro's Film and TV Roles

Maestro's Music: Albums and Singles

Albums

2018:

• WAV GOD - EP

2019:

• WAV GOD VOL. 2

Singles

2014:

• Drop It (with Antoine Becks)

2015:

• For You (with Dzeko & Torres featuring Delora)
• Higher (with Antoine Becks featuring Sherry St. Germain)
• Olympus

2016:

• Boa (with Arcando)
• True (featuring Posso)
• Poseidon (with Maurice West)
• Siren
• Zantar (with NoTech)

2017:

• Pandemik
• Hear Me
• I Don't Care
• Luv Me (featuring Alyxx Dione)
• What U Wanna
• We Rage (DJ Ruckus, Maestro Harrell, Jermaine Dupri)

2018:

• 6Figga
• She Wanna (ft. Rich The Kid)
• Woke Up
• Which One Which
• Crystals (David Gemmill & M A E S T R O)
• Symphony (with Olly James)

2019:

• Stay FLYY
• 2 For 1
• IN MY BAG
• U & I
• MILLION
• MAD AT U
• LOOKING GOOD
• SOUL FOOD (Maestro Harrell, M A E S T R O)
• HYDE PARK (Maestro Harrell, M A E S T R O)
• MIDWAY (Maestro Harrell, M A E S T R O)

2020:

• Quarantine (Maestro Harrell, M A E S T R O)

Remixes

2011:

• DJ Ruckus featuring Mannequim - Soul Soldier (Maestro Harrell Remix)

2015:

• A&G and Northmark featuring Gabrielle Ross - Run With Me (Maestro Harrell Remix)

2016:

• Tiësto vs. Diplo - C'mon (Maestro Harrell 2016 Remix)

2017:

• Dash Berlin feat. Do - Heaven (Maestro Harrell Remix)