Meet Moon Kissed: A Female Trio That Empower And Grow Together
Taking Amy Winehouse-esqued vocals and lively progressions to new heights, the female trio known as Moon Kissed enriches the average listening experience by fusing soul with pop, funk, and alternative rock. Defined as nothing but magic, the three cast their spell of relatability and in return, garner nothing but a continuous fanbase. Their new debut album, I Met My Band At A New Year’s Party goes in-depth about the notion. Aside from speaking about one’s lowest moments, Moon Kissed also speaks about falling in and out of love. As they embrace their youth, the trio allows it to pour over into their sound. But the factor that overrules all is the band’s unsevered bond. Notable tracks like “Lost It,” “Muscle Memory,” “Last Time Trying,” and “Drama Queen” deserve a spin on the project. Sure, its title, I Met My Band At A New Year’s Party speaks volume, but the soundscape takes it home. Aside from processing gravitational riffs, I Met My Band At A New Year’s Party also couples uncanny drum progressions with electrifying synths. Thus, it exhorts a natural groove to let loose.
Ultimately, Moon Kissed is a band, but overall, they’re best friends that empower and grow together. The member’s names are Leah, Emily, and Khaya. Though they share a similar approach to music, their journeys are different, to say the least. Leah recalls making music in the womb, but her earliest memory of starting was when she was writing songs on her guitar and trying to be Bob Dylan for her family’s entertainment. Whereas Emily says her journey started when she slipped on her dad’s drumstick and sprained her arm in the process, “That made me say, yes, music is for me.” Emily adds “Now I do music for nice/disgusting chords and also nice/disgusting noises. Also, it’s exciting to roll around on stage like an idiot and people are super into it.” As you can imagine, Khaya’s passion for music began in a not-so similar fashion. For Khaya, she started singing and writing songs at 5 years old. She was in various bands growing up, even in a few with Emily, and that’s when she began honing her craft as a writer too. Then, in college, she had a few experiences with music producers, but they weren’t consistent. And so, Khaya learned how to music produce on her own, “It was the most empowering decision I could have made.” she says.
As their project’s names hint, the three met at a New Year’s Eve party on the Lower East Side and they’ve been rocking it out since. To describe their sound, Leah says it’s like someone walking down the street wearing a cool outfit and shoes that make a lot of noise, and winking at everyone as it passes them by, and a smile on its face like it has a fun secret. On the other hand, Emily describes it as a combination of catchy pop and screaming punk. Whereas Khaya defines it as anthemic, powerful, huge, intense, fun and communal. The process to create such sound, however, comes all from brainstorming and feeding off each other’s ideas, “It kind of changes song to song.” Leah says “Sometimes one of us has a whole idea for a song in our heads and somewhat directs the others on specific parts. Other times, one of us will bring a single idea and everyone else builds around it. it’s very collaborative and feels a lot about balancing and listening.” To add, Leah points out, “Sometimes one of us sings the part like “I’m thinking Bzz Bap bap boom Beeeeo bap” and then it’s like ‘yeah cool let’s do it’. In contrast, Khaya admits that she’s big on collaborating so she goes in a different route, “Some of the Moon Kissed’s songs I wrote are with people outside of the band,” Khaya explains “A lot of them are written with Emily or Leah, but some I wrote on my own. We write both on instruments and using music production. My favorite is when Emily sends me a beat and I clean it up and write over it. But it’s cool because our process changes a lot, which keeps it very fresh.”
Speaking of which, Leah enjoyed creating their song “Drama Queen” because it makes her feel like she’s entering a parallel universe but also cozy her my room. While Runaway” reigns as Emily’s favorite because of its ear candy sounds and groovy beat. Still, Khaya handpicks “Lost It.” Elaborating. Khaya says “I love Leah’s drum part and I played bass on it which I never do.” As a whole, their inspiration is people in their lives who encourage them to make music, life experiences, other art forms, friends, human connection and “chasing the feeling”. “It’s the same feeling as when you have a crush on someone.” Khaya explains “It’s butterflies and excitement you get from writing a song. Some days it comes, some days it doesn’t, but I’m always chasing it when I’m creating.” To the listeners, Moon Kissed just wants to pass along the message of being comfortable in your skin. “I want fans to feel free, to express themselves, to feel things fully, to live the life they’ve always wanted to live,” Emily adds. “Yeah, let loose.” Leah chimes in “Its okay to be weird. An ideal situation would be for someone to fully tackle me on stage out of pure adrenaline. But please don’t break my synth. Other than that yes please, this is an invitation.” Conversely, Khaya closes off with this statement, “For 45 minutes just lose your inhibitions and be the peak version of yourself. it’s what this band is teaching me to be, and I want our audience to have the same experience.”
If you haven’t already, stream I Met My Band At A New Year’s Party here: