Life & Work with Mandy Moon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Moon.

Mandy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a transplant like many Nashville musicians.

My artist name/project is called Mandy Moon. I write soul music with my style crossing over and blending with many genres (R&B, jazz, funk, rock). I’m also a classically trained vocalist. The beginning of my origin story starts in Bangkok, Thailand. My mom is Thai and my dad is an American working overseas. I moved to the United States when I was just six years old.

I discovered music at a really young age. I’d say almost as young as 3-4 years old from my dad’s records being played around the house, or tapes when they did exist. Singing to me came naturally and I picked it up as part of my way of expressing myself.

I lived in New Orleans for six years up until I was about 15. My musical influence is heavily rooted there and so are my favorite memories. Back then, I was always somehow involved in fairs, choirs, and summer camps. It always kept me in the arts in some way for most of my young adult life.

Poetry and journaling were also a big part of my life in dealing with emotions and how I coped with things. At about 15 I started playing the guitar and putting my words to music. The rest really just took shape in its own way.

I lived in South Florida for about 12 years and was regularly gigging with my band before deciding to make the move to Nashville out of a need for a fresh start. To me, It was more than just “making” it. I decided at 25, I wanted to truly discover whole-heartedly if my music and my art could be my fresh start.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Being an artist has its bumps, setbacks, and struggles for sure. I think the ones that come to mind are making the move to Nashville was a challenge. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

As a musician, we carry many hats throughout our day and I would be lying and saying writing songs is all I do. I’m my own manager, booking agent, and creator. I have felt overwhelmed, but I’ve also felt the benefits of hard work. I still feel the anxiety weight and burden that comes with taking it all on as an independent artist.

I still believe in the music and that it will pay off. Many people call it the 6-7 year town, but I think it’s relative and how you see yourself as an artist. I think recently I’ve reinvigorated my belief that my work deserves visibility more than ever. I’ve grown so much living in Nashville and I’m grateful for the hurdles.

But I’ll also be pretty pleased when they become a bit more seldom and I can focus on being just an artist. But don’t get me wrong, making art will always be a challenge. I don’t think that will ever change. I think that’s what keeps me going most days.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My artist’s name is called Mandy Moon. I write soul music with my style crossing over and blending with many genres (R&B, jazz, funk, rock). I’m also a classically trained vocalist with an emphasis in jazz as well. I also play guitar which is also my go-to when I write songs.

I think the latest achievement was finally getting a band together here in Nashville. I didn’t know if putting together a band was the right decision living up here and now looking back, I was just afraid of failure.

With that, I also gained a co-writer in the band, Jonathan Doerk, who is my guitarist. That has been amazing to have. Finding the right people who believe in your vision and work is so important. It’s everything, to be honest.

My biggest achievement was releasing a full album of 6 songs in 2019: Passing Thru. It was a catalog of songs over the years back in Florida I had written. I did an IndieGoGo campaign and raised the money for it in 90 days. $4000 of it. All of it. It paid for merch too which was really nice!

My latest single release “Take My Love” was produced and co-written all remotely with my good friend Cisco Colet. It was fun recording vocals out of my home in Nashville and finishing a song like this. I loved it! I was grateful to have amazing friends who wanted to play on the song as well.

Shout out to Tony Milone, Yves Drouin, and of course, Cisco holding it down too. We plan to release another song sometime this year as well together! I’ve been blessed to have writers and talent who surround me constantly to bounce ideas off of who I can trust.

What sets me apart from others I guess is my way of writing my feelings through music. I love the metaphorical aspect of writing. I enjoy expressing it in the texture of instruments and not always looking to be literal, but also being colorful at the same time. To me, nothing is off the table to write about. I really try to write about things outside the subject of love.

But I wouldn’t be an artist if the pain wasn’t an inspiration like a good old-fashioned heartbreak. I’ve written about my mental health struggles from a crazy night to addiction. As I said, nothing is off the table. I even may write a song about my dog, Nate, at some point. It’s on the list.

What do you think about luck?
For me, timing has been an important aspect. Good luck in being in the right place and time I’ve definitely benefited; such as a new contact for a venue or a talent buyer.

The bad luck I come across is people not doing the right thing and not compensating me for my time and talent fairly; or sadly, thinking they don’t have to at all. Don’t worry, I don’t let people push me around. But I feel I’ve gotten the latter and know how I can protect myself better over the years.

I’m always learning to “level up” as they say in Mario. I seek knowledge to grow as an artist in this industry. I think that’s why making music is an incredible outlet for me.

Contact Info:

• Email: mandymoonlove@gmail.com
• Website: www.mandymoonmusic.com
• Instagram: @mandymoonmusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/mandymoonmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5WVQgTKUlZzhS6r787dJZg
• Other: https://linktr.ee/mandymoonmusic