Q&A: Moses Thee Artist’s Debut EP ‘AVANT-DARK’ is a Chilling Yet Poetic Story That’s Ready to Be Heard
THE SUSPENSE AND UNCERTAINTY OF THE UNKNOWN — can personify into a figure we know as a shadow. It’s dark, scary, and can be unpleasant. What if that shadow reflects the part of us that we repress and hide from ourselves, the things we consider dark or ugly? As scary as it can be to face the darkness within us, a shadow can’t be made without light. Light reveals the things we can’t see and shining a light on our hidden selves can bring out the shadows we try to hide. Although it’s not easy coming to terms with our shadows, when we confront them, we learn to accept ourselves fully and thrive with more clarity about ourselves. Moses Thee Artist has found a way to do just this.
AVANT-DARK dives into the shadows of Moses’ psyche, taking you on a journey through his personal struggles and how he overcame them. This gothy, dark-wave EP is filled with poetic lyrics wrapped in eerily synthy beats that will give you goosebumps.
A singer-songwriter, artist, and writer based in Fresno, California, Moses has always been surrounded by creativity — he knew that he was destined to be a creator and musical artist. After making the hard decision of leaving art school, Moses began his journey as a musician, and put in the work to begin releasing music. His first two leading singles, “Shadows” and “Valley Boy,” were released last October. He is now back with his debut EP, which consists of four tracks that’ll keep you listening.
Read more below to get to know more about Moses and the story behind AVANT-DARK.
LUNA: Hey, Moses! It’s so exciting getting to interview you! You are a writer, my colleague, friend, and an overall creative. How does it feel to be interviewed as a musical artist?
MOSES: It feels triumphant! I vividly remember back in the spring of 2018, I called one of my best friends to tell her I wanted to pursue making music and that I was going to leave art school. I majored in fine arts at ArtCenter College of Design, in which I held a scholarship. I made a big sacrifice so that I could follow my heart and intuition. It took perseverance and a lot of hard work on myself to gain the confidence and drive to get out there and actually do it. I’m super proud to be where I am right now.
LUNA: Wow, so you had a scholarship for art school?
MOSES: Yeah, it was a hard decision and a very emotional one for me because I loved art school. I love visual arts. It's still a passion of mine, but I knew that I wanted to perform and make music.
LUNA: Most people tend to be the happiest when they follow their heart. If making music and performing is your passion, then definitely walk that path. Thank you so much for sharing. Moving on to the topic of your music, congrats on the drop of your debut EP, AVANT-DARK. It’s very heavy on the poetic nature, and just like the title states it’s very avant-garde and dark. What inspired you to take this route with your EP?
MOSES: I wanted to meet a producer who would inspire me with their approach and style. That’s when I met 6houls, who is the only producer on AVANT-DARK. I went to his home studio and got to know him and his work. At the time it was dark-wave and goth, and I was immediately drawn to it. The sounds inspired me to write about an era of my life when I first moved to LA in 2008, at age 17. I was vulnerable and around a lot of darkness and temptation. Whoever has lived in LA can probably tell you, it can be scary and lonely at times. “Valley Boy,” the EP’s opener, I would say best captures what I just described. What I appreciate about 6houls as a producer is that he embraced my ear and opinions. Because of this, I feel we were able to develop and achieve a signature Moses Thee Artist sound, and I’m eternally grateful.
LUNA: What was it like being in LA at 17?
MOSES: I moved in with one of my best friends. I moved there for college, originally. I knew that in my heart when I was applying for colleges, I wanted to be in LA. So I applied to a bunch of colleges around the LA area. I looked at the map and I thought, “Which one is closest to Hollywood?” As I mentioned before, I just threw myself out there, and I was just easily coerced and easily impressionable. You just get blinded by the lights, and not to quote The Weeknd (laughs), but it's true. You get blinded by the lights, and it's almost an illusion. There are good people there, don't get me wrong, and there's good energy, but you could somehow get trapped in this darkness. And so when I met 6houls and he showed me what type of music he makes, I knew I could work with him. And I knew this was gonna be the story I wanted to share.
LUNA: I definitely can say that I heard about the dark elements LA can have and how easy it is for some to be drawn into the dark natures, so thank you for sharing your experience and how you overcame some of the obstacles you went through.
MOSES: You’re welcome, it was my pleasure. I can say I’ve lived it and come out on the other side.
LUNA: Absolutely, and now you’re here with me sharing your story, so thank you again. Speaking of your story, “Shadows” and “Valley Boy" are the tracks that stood out to me. Can you tell me more about the tracks?
MOSES: “Valley Boy” was the first track I wrote for the EP. And, again, it was more so based on the sounds I was hearing. 6houls and I made the songs together. Yes, he constructed them because he is the producer, but he would let me hear what he was constructing. I was writing as we were building and “valley boy, valley boy, valley boy” just came to mind and we started to build from there, and I wanted “Valley Boy” to really capture the spirit, and the person I was at 17–18 years old at the time, and I felt like I accomplished that.
And then “Shadows” is the second song I wrote for the EP. As we were building the track, it sounded really spooky and eerie at the same time. The word “shadows” kept coming to me, and I've studied shadow work over the years and how it teaches you to accept the darkness within you. And “Shadows,” to me, represents that [both] literally and figuratively. You see a shadow and it's kind of spooky. You see your own shadow sometimes and it's spooky, right? But there's also that shadow within you, like your inner demons, if you will, or your inner struggles. So I'm referencing both when I'm at 17–18 years old, but I also wanted to touch on who I am now. It took me a while to discover the muck and the things that aren't good for my soul. So I'm kind of hopping between when I was a kid and the person I am today after the work I've done.
LUNA: That’s amazing — now I feel like I can understand the meaning behind the song better. What made you want to get into creating music?
MOSES: Basically it was an experience I had going to Coachella in 2018. I'm an avid Coachella goer, as you know (laughs), and I just had an epiphany there. It started right after my first term at ArtCenter College of Design, and I was just looking around and it just hit me. I thought to myself, “I'm supposed to perform. I'm supposed to be on stage. I'm supposed to do this.” And I feel like there was a long time in my life where I lost confidence in my voice, with who I am, and just even standing tall. I think a lot of people go through that. It was at that moment in 2018 when I decided that I was going to make music because I felt like it was my destiny.
I've always been creative, even as a kid. I've always been into music, fashion, art, everything. And I dabbled in acting in LA and as a kid. I feel like my dabbling in so many creative aspects all led me up to the art of music. So I decided from that moment on to just work hard and do it. And I'm doing it! So I got into vocal lessons and I started to write more. It took a lot of work to manifest but I believe just knowing that this was my destiny is what made me want to make music.
LUNA: That’s so awesome. I love hearing about an artist’s journey into making music. Everyone’s journey is different, but it’s awesome to hear. As I mentioned before, your lyrics are poetic and your sound is avant-garde, so who would you say inspires you both lyrically and sonically?
MOSES: This is one of my favorite questions, so I’m so happy you asked me this! There are many, but here are some honorable mentions: Kid Cudi for sure, he is a big inspiration to me. I feel he experiments with his sound a lot, and I’m a big fan of that. I don’t ever want to stay complacent, nor box myself in. My soul is so diverse, and I always try to showcase that through my various artistic expressions. King Krule I feel is super poetic, and his sound is original. I’ve seen him live in an intimate setting, and he blew my mind. A gorgeous voice. Santigold also inspires me with her ever-evolving sound and fearlessness! Her lyrical work is genius, and her music has gotten me through a lot. Lastly, of course, the legend Tupac Shakur — genius, and gone too soon. RIP.
LUNA: Yes, I knew you were going to say Santigold! She’s a legend, and I know you’re a huge fan of her. Tupac Shakur is also another good one. As a newer artist, do you have any goals for yourself?
MOSES: To make more and more music. I also want to focus on collaborating with other artists. And of course, continue to grow and elevate. The time is now.
LUNA: What do you hope to achieve with your music?
MOSES: I truly make art to express myself and share my story in hopes that someone finds solace and inspiration in it. I do want to reach audiences worldwide, tour, and create whatever my heart desires, which is what I feel I have been put on this earth to do. Moses Thee Artist coming to a city near you!
LUNA: Ayee, that’s awesome! Anything else we should expect from you?
MOSES: I do have a music video in the works. And it's going to be unexpected and very, very cool. I'm collaborating with awesome artists and friends. So I can't wait for the world to see it.
LUNA: Yes, I’m so excited to see it! Any hobbies outside of music?
MOSES: Shopping for clothes, both new and vintage. I have always loved expressing myself through what I wear. I also love to skateboard while I listen to music with my Marshall headphones!
LUNA: Question for fun: I know you are a Kali Uchis fan, so what era of Kali Uchis’ would you say defines your personality the most?
MOSES: I would say this is kind of tough, but I'm gonna go with Isolation. So in reference to the cover, she's inspired by blue. I love the color blue, and I think blue is a big part of my personality. I'm very deep. I'm a Scorpio, so I'm a water sign. And also, she has the iconology of the cross on her cover and I’m a God-fearing man, I should say. So I love that. In most of her tracks on that album, she talks about how she's in her bag. She's motivated, but she's also dreamy and sexy, and that's me. I'm in my bag, I'm dreamy, I’m sexy, and… yeah, that’s the era I pick (laughs).
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