Life & Work with Chris Moreno

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Moreno.

Hi Chris , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been infatuated with music ever since I was a kid and it was always the thing that brought me the most comfort and inspiration growing up. I began playing guitar at around 11 years old and that was soon followed by playing in a series of bands throughout my teens & early twenties. The bands were on the harder rock side of the spectrum and although I participated in songwriting for these groups, I was not the main singer and I think that caused me to eventually lose interest. When I transferred colleges the band dismantled that lead to a period of about 6 years where I rarely played music or even picked up a guitar. I landed a corporate job out of college and I basically assumed my musical days were behind me.

After climbing the corporate ladder for a few years I started feeling like something was missing though, and I made the decision to start writing songs again and to become a singer myself. Countless hours in my bedroom writing songs and taking vocal lessons lead to me recording my first EP in 2015 and I then started to play shows in my hometown area of Boston, MA. After gaining some momentum locally over the next 3 years I decided to quit my sales job which I had been maintaining and move to Nashville, TN in the summer of 2018. It was a scary but exciting time in my life and I made the decision to go all-in with music and haven’t looked back. As of today, my music has racked up over 5 million streams and I’ve performed over 500 shows in over 20 different states. I’m incredibly grateful I decided to give music a shot despite not being sure if it would ever really amount to anything.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been the complete opposite of a smooth road, haha. Someone once gave the advice that you only really should do music if you literally can’t be content doing anything else and I think there’s truth in that. This road isn’t for the faint at heart but it’s made me a stronger person and I wouldn’t change a thing. As creatives we can often be over-thinkers and self-doubt was certainly a factor in the beginning and still can be. It’s challenging to be vulnerable and pour yourself into your songs hoping that it translates to other people and that they can connect with what you’re doing. There’s also a lot of rejection that you have to get used to, whether that’s venues turning you down, emails not ever getting returned or people just not liking your music. All the while you’re still trying to hone in on your sound writing hundreds of songs that won’t get heard in order to find your unique voice and become the best version of yourself. The uncertainty of it all is potentially the hardest part, but that’s probably not unlike any entrepreneurial endeavor. After a while, you realize that most people, even the mega-successful don’t completely have it figured out and you learn to find comfort in embracing the chaos.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I write a lot of my songs from personal experience. Relationships and personal struggles & triumphs are all sources of inspiration and I think people appreciate and can relate to songs that come from the heart so I try to make sure all of my songs maintain a level of raw honesty, and that you’re always hearing my unique perspective.

What matters most to you? Why?
As previously mentioned the honesty in the songwriting is always the most important thing to me. And typically if I feel something when I’m writing the song then I know it will have a good chance to connect. I also like to be accessible to fans and want to interact in an unfiltered way as much as I can.

Contact Info:

• Email: chrismorenoband@gmail.com
• Website: https://chrismorenomusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrismorenomusic/
• Facebook: facebook.com/chrismorenomusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisMorenoMusic
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Bikw36AHYxTvphOQCWykA?si=rmhR6nwERDKC66LRvSGz3Q

Image Credits
Photos done by Justin Mayotte