1 AMVRKA

Jesse Scott and Rudy Maya established the duo 1 AMVRKA—pronounced “One America”—whose sound fuses pop, Americana, and hip-hop while its words honor the everyday hardships of American existence. Scott functions as vocalist and lyricist, having notched a 2014 success with “FML (F My Life),” whereas Maya serves as producer, instrumentalist, and composer with prior credits alongside Rihanna, Anahi, and Rye Rye. The pair began writing together under the 1 AMVRKA banner to signal their aim of creating music capable of bridging a fractured nation with material accessible to all listeners. A deal with Capitol Records materialized in 2016, enabling the December arrival of their first single, “Raised in the Wild,” a track that chronicled the recurring difficulties in Jesse’s own background. Strong streaming performance followed, leading to the February 2017 release of the follow-up, “American Muscle.”