Dynamic Los Angeles singer/songwriter MOONZz is more in-tune with herself than ever before, and her latest EP, Modern Ritual is a perfect reflection of just that. Arriving nearly two years after her latest EP, Aftershock, Modern Ritual finds MOONZz paying close attention to what sounds and feels right, and the sonic evolution on the new release is palpable.
With Modern Ritual out now, MOONZz has an exciting year ahead of her. Read more about her growth on the new EP and plans for the future now below.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for anyone who might be familiar?
Well, my name is MOONZz. I’m a singer/songwriter, lover of Challah, and an empowered pianist and producer who wants people to feel empowered when they listen to my music.
Your project’s name is no accident and you’ve mentioned before that you’re inspired by the phases of the moon. How do you feel that plays into and affects the music that you’re writing?
I think that I’m sensitive to the cycles, so I try to listen to how my body is feeling when I’m writing and how my mind is feeling when I’m writing. I also feel like it plays into the sonic space that I’m in and I try to be extra sensitive to that and try to honor that as much as possible.
You just released your new EP, Modern Ritual this month! What are you most excited for fans to hear on it?
I’m the most excited for fans to hear “What It’s Like.” I feel like they will hear it as a “Navigator” 2.0, which is how I hear it, and everyone loves a good love song.
Modern Ritual is a direct reflection of a very specific time in your life and the “rituals” you perform daily. Can you dive into what inspired this album and the stories behind it?
I think being in LA and being around so many amazing artists, it can sometimes feel oversaturated and overwhelming. For me, I had to kind of take a step back and reflect on the things that were making me happy and the people I was with that were bringing me the most joy, and it definitely inspired the overall themes of the EP. I also had to make that effort to carve out time for myself every day and redefine relationships that I really needed and really wanted in my life. I had to take care of myself and I feel like that’s Modern Ritual to a T. You have to take care of yourself because that reflects in every aspect of your life.
How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist or even just as a person between the release of Aftershock and writing Modern Ritual?
I think Aftershock had a lot to do with the after affects of hurt and feeling broken, so it was definitely going to be a lot darker and heavier in that sense. I feel like I have grown so much in the almost two years since that release. Sonically, I feel like my sound has totally evolved into what it is now, and you’ll hear that on the album.
The first single you released from the EP was “Runnin’” – can you tell us a little bit about the track? What inspired it?
Funny enough, I wrote “Runnin” almost three years ago with Ryan Marrone and it started as a totally different idea. The actual track stayed pretty much the same in terms of the empowered feeling, but the lyrics were totally different. Then we came back to it almost a year later and just completely scratched it and rewrote the lyrics and reformed the idea. It was at a point in my life where I really wanted to have that anthem for myself which is, you are going to go through hard times. You are going to hear opinions that you don’t necessarily love hearing. You are going to hear no’s over and over and that’s fine, but you have to keep on running towards what you think is the best for you and what you know you deserve. That’s the anthem for me.
What would you like for listeners to take away from “Runnin’” or Modern Ritual as a whole?
As a whole, keep your core group close. Take time for yourself, take care of yourself, and take care of your energy. From “Runnin’,” I feel like you should know that you are a badass and you can do whatever you want in this life, you just have to power through.
On top of the EP release, do you have any other big plans or goals for 2020? Any shows or tour dates in mind?
I always have a huge goal board. I keep those mostly private, but I do have a lot of big plans for this year. I have some new merch that I’m going to be releasing, I’m working on a full album, and I have a few upcoming shows in LA that I’m really excited about.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and connect with me on Instagram!
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