Michigan born and L.A. based Malena Cadiz is a lady of the canyon waylaid at a suburban strip mall, acutely aware of how romance shines through even in the moments of grit and desolation.  There’s something Didion-esque about Cadiz’s storytelling, crafting deeply personal vignettes that reveal greater narratives about the world we live in. 

Growing up a second-generation Filipino-American, Cadiz bounced between living in the suburbs of Michigan with her mother and bustling Singapore with her father. “I always felt rootless, not quite belonging to either place.” This longing for home and search for center rests at the heart of Cadiz’s work.

She’s released three studio albums and numerous singles and EPs. Her most recent LP, Hellbent & Moonbound was inspired by Drift, a poem by the 24th U.S. poet laureate, Ada Límon - specifically the phrase “moonbound and hellbent on defying the usual gravity of this spin.” It was produced by Andrew Lappin (L’Rain, Lucy Dacus, Cassandra Jenkins).

Her work has been praised by American Songwriter, Vogue and The Fader. Under the Radar has likened her work to Catpower and Angel Olsen and NPR compared her to "an earthbound Joanna Newsom, Cadiz has a voice that grabs you within seconds.”  In 2025 she was a Kerrville New Folk finalist and has repeatedly been featured on the Tiny Desk Contest’s Top Shelf.  You can hear her songs in film and TV shows such as “Nancy Drew" (CW), "Lucifer" (Netflix), "REBEL" (ABC), among others. She has toured with and opened for artists such as The Bones of J.R. Jones, Willie Watson, Jess Williamson, Joe Pug, Anna Tivel, The Steel Wheels, Anna Ash and Robert Ellis. 

She is deeply committed to creating community through art. In 2025 she began co-hosting a monthly songwriter series called Virgin Ears and is a co-founder of Glow Big L.A., offering music education and all ages community events in Northeast Los Angeles. Her newest release, a collection of songs recorded on the original Les Paul console with Grammy-winning engineer Tom Camuso is slated for 2026.