LiveRoom sat down with the psychedelic female-trio Moon Kissed to reflect on some of their old tunes, learn about upcoming music and hear about their sources of inspiration.
“I feel like, one thing about the way that we met, it is kind of like a perfect send-off to what we ended up doing,” says Leah, who plays the drums for Moon Kissed. The band formed at a New Year’s Eve party, and what some might call fate, the members of Moon Kissed recognize as a result of being eagerly active in the city’s music community.
“Yeah, I feel like the city’s kind of a huge part of our story that is still unfolding,” says Khaya, the lead singer of Moon Kissed. “We were just missing a certain energy in the city. This buzz, this excitement and we realized that we had the ability to provide that space not just for ourselves but our friends.”
Leah, Khaya and Emily–who plays the synths–are bouncing off each other when speaking to the band’s origins. Now sitting in their bedrooms over Zoom, the trio is eager to share their latest album with fans when the time is right; that is, when it can be performed in front of a live audience.
Until then, the “Muscle Memory” musicians are seeking inspiration for new music while finding new ways to relate to old tracks. “If anyone were to go back and read their journal, you obviously change and grow,” says Khaya. “But you have the same problems, you’re still trying to figure the same things out; the overarching feelings I think never change. They just take on new shapes and new meanings.”
So you formed after meeting at a New Year’s party. How does the origin of Moon Kissed speak to the band?
Leah: I feel like, one thing about the way that we met, it is kind of like a perfect send-off to what we ended up doing. It was an apartment party on New Year’s and for me, it felt like a super special night because it was my first year in the city, my first year in college and I was there with my two best friends growing up.
That’s [when] I learned what to do with our shows going forward. How to most effectively bring people together and just enjoy each other’s company and have a night that they’d remember.
Khaya: Yeah, I feel like the city’s kind of a huge part of our story that is still unfolding. I feel like a lot of our motivations for anything come from New York City and just like, we’ve kind of bonded on nights out.
We’ve kind of made it a goal of ours to like be the next chapter for people our age cause we just felt like there was a gap in the community. We were just missing a certain energy in the city–this buzz, this excitement and we like, realized that we had the ability to provide that space not just for ourselves but our friends. And we know a lot of really talented people and we’re still working on it but we’ve done a bit of like putting everyone we know and love and believe in in the same room and it creates like this magic.
Can you tell me a little more about your track “Tell You All About It?”
Leah: That’s actually the song I first listened to when Khaya and Emily sent me their music. It was the first thing I put on in the car and I was like Oh My God. It did for me what one of my favorite songs ever has done for me. I saw everything. I saw what I felt like, Khaya was writing, I was like I’m walking in your shoes experiencing everything you’re experiencing.
Emily: It’s how memories kind of linger in areas and I’m thinking about that wherever I go. It’s amazing what memories come up wherever you go.
Now in quarantine, does your music bring up different memories when listening?
Khaya: I think nostalgia is huge. I’ve been writing songs for a really long time and sometimes I even listen to songs I wrote in high school. We’re all just little prophets I think. Truly.
If anyone were to go back and read their journal, you obviously change and grow but you have the same problems, you’re still trying to figure the same things out, the overarching feelings I think never change. They just take on new shapes and new meanings.
We put out this song “Shake” which was fully written on our first tour like last year in October but it’s taken on a whole new meaning now because it’s kind of about missing someone but I was just missing a feeling, but now I’m missing that same feeling even more and for different reasons and in a different circumstance.
I think we write songs about these universal concepts that just morphe and become more intense or more applicable or directed towards new people or new places or new things. So I think [with] COVID, like it’s done for everything, it’s enhanced and brought [those emotions] to the surface.
Have you reflected a lot at old music and lyrics?
Leah: Sometimes I can’t listen to old songs because–and this is so silly– but it gets frustrating to listen to myself playing when I was a lesser player than I am now. But I look back a lot at old lyrics or old poetry or thoughts or feelings.
Do you notice any changes within your writing?
Leah: I wish, it’s the same shit, it’s exactly the same shit as in middle school. *laughs* Which is really funny, it’s also kind of comforting like okay, I was sad then I’m sad now I was happy then I’m happy now.
You realize, while we were on stage, everyone was having their own individual moments off the stage and that’s so cool.
So I always like to ask, what is the best way fans can support local and emerging artists? Especially with the live-music scene on hold?
Khaya: I really appreciate the very intimate texts of “This song meant so much to me.” When people are honest about that I really appreciate that and it keeps me going.
Emily: When people wrote all those stories for our first album it was, so cool. It just brought you back to the time.
Khaya: We asked everyone to write a memory about each song and the people that created things were just so creative and out-of-the-box incredible. Super nostalgic. You realize, while we were on stage, everyone was having their own individual moments off the stage and that’s so cool. So cool.
What’s inspired some of your recent music?
Kaya: For me, so much of music is just figuring out human connection and figuring out humans ’cause we make no sense. I don’t get it. There’s so much life I have to live. So the shows are a way to do that, writing is a way to do that. So even if I’m writing about my version of that I know it’s going to be received because everyone has their own interpretation and experience with that concept.
So, what can fans expect in the future?
Leah: We got some stuff!
Khaya: We have an album. It’s like done, it’s been done. We’re just slowly putting it out. We’re really trying to time its release with the ability to play some live shows.