Lois Mahalia was named for the music. Her parents, both musicians and music lovers, named her after Mahalia Jackson, the “Queen of Gospel,” and she has been singing ever since.
Born into a musical family in Guyana, South America, Lois started performing at age five in a band with her parents and brothers, aptly named The Musical Family. “I grew up singing with my family in churches and on any stage we could find,” she says. Those performances led to tours throughout the Caribbean. At 13 she moved with her family to New York, and in 1994 they settled in Santa Barbara, still making music together. She grew up on gospel, jazz, R&B, pop, reggae and soul, and her voice still carries those influences. She counts among her inspirations Whitney Houston, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell, Sade, India.Arie, Bob Marley and Michael Jackson.
In more than 20 years as a professional, Lois has performed with Joe Walsh of the Eagles, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Macy Gray, Bob Seger and Bad Company. On tour with Walsh she sang on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Good Morning America and CMT’s Crossroads. In Las Vegas, she won a competition to perform as Whitney Houston in the long-running show Legends in Concert, and starred in the role that year. She has performed across the U.S., toured Italy a number of times, and appeared as a featured singer in a scene in David O. Russell’s film Amsterdam.
A singer-songwriter who accompanies herself on ukulele and guitar, Lois writes both on her own and with collaborators including Bob Rea, Dean Dinning, David Petry, Zach Madden and Thom Flowers. Flowers produced her album Chasing the Sun, which features Steve Perry of Journey on background vocals, along with guitarist Tariqh Akoni (Josh Groban), Dean Dinning (Toad the Wet Sprocket) and drummer Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers). Its cover art is by Larry Vigon, known for his album designs for Fleetwood Mac and Eric Clapton. The Santa Barbara Independent called the album “her finest recording to date,” praising her “impressive and innately soulful musical voice.” She has also released the EP Build Me a Window and the single “From Now On,” and her original song “Smile” has drawn more than 1.7 million plays on YouTube. She is featured on Luis Muñoz’s albums The Infinite Dream and Glimmering Path, which made 2024 year-end top-ten lists in JAZZIZ and on NPR.
“…with a performance of such grace and beauty that one is compelled to speculate that she has indeed written her name in light among the stars of her craft.”
— Latin Jazz Network, on The Infinite Dream
At home in Santa Barbara, Lois holds a residency at the jazz club The Grand on State. At the Granada Theatre, she has been a guest artist with the Santa Barbara Symphony and Santa Barbara Records in their Locals & Legends concerts honoring David Crosby and James Taylor. Rock Cellar Magazine called her “a vocalist of remarkable depth.” Also at the Granada, she sang with Michael McDonald at the Grace Fisher Foundation’s Winter Music Showcase. She often joins Kenny Loggins for the Unity Shoppe’s annual Christmas Unity Telethon. On two Project Harmony retreats with 911 At Ease International, she was paired with a first responder to co-write a song, and she performed at the program’s concert at the Troubadour. Upcoming performances include the Hollywood Bowl.
Lois is an in-demand studio and session vocalist who has recorded for:
- Kenny Loggins
- Jazz pianist Joe Sample and lyricist Norman Gimbel
- Oscar-nominated songwriter Barry De Vorzon (“Nadia’s Theme”)
- And many others
Artists and producers know her for her professionalism and a no-ego attitude.
“Lois is the consummate pro. Whatever you need, she delivers.”
— Kenny Loggins
She is now finishing an EP recorded in Nashville with a band of heavy-hitters: drummer Chad Cromwell (Neil Young, Mark Knopfler), bassist David LaBruyere (John Mayer), guitarist Rob McNelley (Bob Seger, ACM Guitar Player of the Year) and keyboardist Jimmy Wallace (The Wallflowers, Joe Walsh). She is also at work on a new album that tells her own story: where she comes from, the music that shaped her and the legacy she wants to leave. Whether she’s on stage, in the studio or writing, she believes music can bring healing and joy to every community. Or, as she likes to say: “I’m taking over the world with love.”