Maestro Harrell is a DJ, producer, songwriter, singer and actor. Born in Chicago (July 19th, 1991), Maestro began to sing and play the piano at the age of two, cultivating his passion for music through local performances. At the age of 7, Maestro landed his own television series on UPN, "Guys Like Us". He traveled to and from Los Angeles for filming on a weekly basis. During this time, he made numerous appearances on NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, a total of six times by his ninth birthday.
In 2005, a 13-year-old Maestro was signed to a record deal by super producer Jermaine Dupri, then VP of Virgin Records, and relocated to Atlanta to begin work on his debut album. When Dupri left the label to become VP of Island/Def Jam Records two years later, Maestro too made the switch. After a few years of sitting on the contract, he asked to be released. Maestro rebounded quickly, landing the prominent role of Randy on HBO’s hit series “The Wire”.
Upon completing his tenure on “The Wire”, Maestro returned to Chicago to finish his high school education, where he was first introduced to the world of electronic dance music. He instantly gravitated to this rapidly growing medium, finding a new way to apply his musical talents. In 2009, Maestro was released from his IDJ contract, graduated high school, and moved to LA to further pursue both his acting and musical careers.
Since moving to LA, Maestro has expanded his acting resume to include roles on network television shows such as “Cold Case”, “ER", and “CSI: NY”. Maestro has also taken his music to the next level by teaching himself the art of producing and writing songs. He has had the opportunity to apprentice under such top producers as: David Guetta, Ammo, Antoine Becks, John Dahlback, Chris Lake and No ID. Maestro’s first placement came in 2011, as a co-producer for Rihanna’s “Reb’l Fleur” perfume campaign with fellow producer Brian Kidd. That same year, Maestro began experimenting as a DJ, finding his niche in progressive and electro house music.
Axwell, Steve Angello, Dirty South, Tïesto, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, U2 and Max Martin showcase the variety of inspiration that Maestro draws from. While recording in the studio, an offhanded comment about performing in night clubs caused him to realize that he had the resources to do just that. Maestro came to recognize that performing for the masses is his true passion.
Within a matter of months, Maestro managed to open for some of the world’s largest DJ’s in the EDM community at Playhouse, Vanguard, Exchange, Roosevelt Hotel and Supperclub in Los Angeles: Skrillex, Nero, Chromeo, EDX, Stafford Brothers, Sultan & Ned Shepard, Those Usual Suspects and Bass Jackers.
On November 4 2013, Maestro had his first release "Drop It" on Cr2 Records alongside Antoine Becks. Maestro's remixes have received top support from major acts in the EDM community such as Tiesto, John Dahlback, Dzeko & Torres, R3hab, Stafford Brothers, mync and Mortem Breum. His music has been played In major festivals such as Tomorrow Land and Tomorrow World and in top clubs like Hakkasan LV.
Maestro continues to pursue his acting career. He currently plays Malik, a high school student on ABC’s hit sitcom “Suburgatory”. The sky is the limit for this 21-year-old artist and he shows no signs of slowing down!
