Malinda Kathleen Reese

Early life and education Reese was born on June 27, 1994, and raised in Washington, D.C. She recalls spending much of her youth backstage during theater performances, and spending time in costume shops. As a teenager, she went to Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan and Broadway Artists Alliance in New York City.

She came up with the idea of Twisted Translations while she was a student at Vassar College. After watching a video of "Let It Go" sung in various languages, she noticed that the Spanish translation wasn't exact. Her college friends began using Google Translate to create humorous alternatives to famous works of literature, inspiring Reese to do the same with song lyrics. On February 14, she announced on YouTube that she would create more translation videos. Other Twisted Translations songs include songs from Mulan, "One Day I'll Fly Away" from Moulin Rouge!, In February 2024 she announced that she would be moving on from the channel after 10 years, having felt the project was "complete."

MALINDA channel In 2018, she launched another YouTube channel, MALINDA, which contains vlogs, In March 2019, the channel surpassed 100,000 subscribers. On May 15, 2020, she released the single "More With You", which involved a collaboration of more than 50 musicians from 17 countries. In 2021, she produced a cover of "The Wellerman" as part of the ‘ShantyTok’ trend on TikTok. She had previously created a shanty-style song about puffins on her YouTube channel, featuring user-submitted lyrics. On July 16, 2021, she released her second EP, The Folks I Love, a collection of Folk-style cover versions. On October 22, 2021, she released her third EP, Sea To Sky, a collection of four more folk covers.

In early 2022, she embarked on the Folks I Love Tour. In a video in October 2022, she announced that her debut album would be released in the spring of 2023. In May 2023, she announced the "It's All True" tour, which she embarked on in September 2023, covering 27 cities in 16 states.

Singing in empty churches In 2018, during a trip to Montefrío, Spain, she sang "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" impromptu in Iglesia de la Incarnación when it was empty, so the sound resonated. Footage of the singing was uploaded to YouTube and went viral, to Reese's surprise. It was shared by Spanish news outlets and artists, including Alejandro Sanz. In 2019, she sang "How Can I Keep from Singing?" in Washington National Cathedral while empty.

Acting Reese frequently performed as a child actor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The play was directed by her mother, Mary Hall Surface. DC Theatre Scene praised Reese's performance, calling it "truly enchanting".

In 2019, she starred as "Girl" in the stage production Once at the Olney Theatre Center. She received positive reviews. DC Metro Theatre Arts called her and Gregory Maheu, who portrayed "Guy", "standouts" and commented they "bring depth to both their solos and duets" while Washington Post said she was "effectively direct". Her performance won her a Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress in a Musical and a BroadwayWorld Washington, DC Awards for Best Actress in a Musical - Large Professional Theatre.

In May 2023, when "It's All True" was released, instead of traditional music videos, Malinda directed and starred in a visual album, a story about personal death, rebirth, mental health, dealing with the tragedies of the world, queer love and finding community. It featured Kyana Fanene as "Girlfriend" and Reese as "Girl" and "Soul".

Personal life In October 2022, Reese came out as bisexual in a video entitled "I have some things to tell you". She said she was inspired to come out publicly, after having previously been a "quiet queer", through her involvement with Irish music, which she saw as "music of the oppressed".

Theatre Washington D.C. Atlas Performing Arts Center, Washington, D.C. 2025WaitressJenna Olney Theatre Center, Olney, Maryland

Discography EPs Love Letter (2018) The Folks I Love (2021) Sea to Sky (2021) Look At You Now (2024)

Album It's All True (2023)