Maya had been a singer of various ngoma styles in his home village of Pangarawe. He moved to Tanga and became a member of Bazoka in the late 1990s. However, the group split as rivalries developed among the singers and Maya went on to form Channel O with some of the current members, including Kwini, the unrivalled queen of the slow Baikoko grind.
Maya alikuwa muimbaji wa ngoma tofauti kijijini kwao Pangarawe. Alihamia Tanga mjini na kuwa kiongozi wa kundi la Bazoka katika miaka ya 90. Hatahivyo kundi liligawanyika kutokana na kutoelewana na Maya kuunda kundi gingine aliyelipa jina la Channel O pamoja na baadhi ya wasanii aliyekuwa nae akiwemo Kwini.