Montreal-based artist The Moon & I is making waves in the indie music scene, with a style that is both refreshing and reflecting. His journey from classically trained pianist to independent indie artist captures his essence. Touching subjects of mental health issues, his most recent song called ”Ocean Heart” is a mix of gloomy indie-pop and vivid narrative. The song is brought to life through a captivating video collaboration born from the prestigious 2023 Prism Prize MVP Project.We had the opportunity to talk with him about his past, present and future.
Your artistic journey is quite fascinating. Could you share with us how your classical piano training and multi-instrumentalist background have influenced the distinctive sound of The Moon & I?
I think my classical training helps me approach composition much differently. A lot of modern pop producers think in terms of loops, grids, and samples. Whereas classical musicians don’t play to a strict metronome. They slow down and speed up their playing to make an instrument truly expressive. They always have musical phrasing and dynamics in mind. So in my own work, I’m always thinking of the narrative behind the music: creating moments of tension and release to help carry listeners to new emotional territories.
Moreover, with the piano, I’m lucky to be able to play lead, bass, and harmonies all at the same time as I’m jamming out a new tune which helps tremendously in coming up with early arrangements. I can then transfer the arrangements to other instruments in the final production.
“Ocean Heart” is a powerful single with a deeply emotional narrative. What was the creative process like for you when composing this track, especially in collaboration with Hypnotic Beatz?
I almost gave up on this song a dozen times. I had most of the chords and song structure mapped out pretty early. I blurted out the first lyric: “Your heart is deeper than oceans” randomly. And that was all I had for a very long time.
Fast forward a few years and life experiences later, the lyric suddenly resonated with me and I knew what the song was finally about thematically. The rest of the lyrics came very quickly after that to tell the story of a dysfunctional relationship.
Production wise, the song went through numerous abandoned versions: jazz, rock, electronic…I got lost and didn’t know where to take it. So I reached out to Hypnotic Beatz for help who I first met when we did a SOCAN KENEKT song camp in Montreal. He’s actually the first producer I’ve ever worked with on my own solo material.
We produced most of it in my apartment, working side by side: I’d try some stuff on the piano and he’d complement it with some beats and electronics. He’s a great listener and gave me great notes on how to push the use of my voice as an instrument to create more harmonies and atmosphere.
The video for “Ocean Heart” is visually striking and laden with symbolism. Can you delve into the conceptualization of this video and how it complements the song’s theme of mental health struggles in a relationship?
Credits go to director Karine Dashney for her vision and Jordan Lavery’s work as Director of Photography and VFX artist for the beautiful video.
In the early concept stages, I talked to Karine about my personal interpretation of the song and the stories that influenced it. She drew ideas from them to then craft the story of the unraveling relationship of the couple in the video.
We knew early on that we wanted to have a fantasy element to help express the complexities of mental health issues and leave things for the viewer’s interpretation.
The video therefore has two layers: one where we see the straightforward beginnings and deterioration of the relationship, and in parallel, a glimpse into the woman’s inner world as she navigates her emotions through abstract dream-like sceneries and dance sequences.
Ultimately, much like how the couple appears to reconcile at the end, we hope the video conveys a message of having empathy and patience in any relationship to find a better understanding and appreciation of one another on the other side.
Your debut EP ‘Apperception’ is themed around the concept of understanding ideas based on personal experiences. How do your personal realities shape your music, and can you give us an insight into how this theme is explored in your EP?
A lot of the EP was written in a stream-of-consciouness style. There’s usually an emotion or idea I’m struggling to express in words and sitting at the piano and just playing allows me free myself up from this mental block. I’ll record myself playing and singing whatever words come to mind and then re-listen to the recording to find the good bits musically and lyrically. It’s very therapeutic. There’s something about hearing the right chord at the right time as you’re freestyling that seems to unsurpress emotions and ideas that others can then connect with.
Writing songs is therefore a way for me to make sense of my experiences and reality. It helps give shape and finality to the abstract feelings and thoughts I might have floating around in my head.
We’re intrigued by your method of releasing singles according to the lunar calendar. What inspired this unique approach, and how does it connect with the overall ethos of The Moon & I?
The inspiration came one night while I was sitting on my balcony and staring up at the sky. I was looking for a way to organize my releases and timing it with the full moon seemed like the most natural and poetic way. My hope was that it would create a sense of shared connection with my listeners whenever they looked up at the sky anticipating the next release. It also put pressure on myself to finalize songs no matter what and put it out there for the world to enjoy.
Your sound has been compared to the likes of Radiohead and James Blake. How do you feel about these comparisons, and in what ways do you think your music diverges from these influences?
I’m honoured by these comparisons. I think our music shares this sense of grandiose intimacy and occupies a darker sonic palette. Radiohead is one of my all time favourites so I’m always re-listening to their music to try and learn their way of arranging compositions. And James Blake’s voice has been a big influence in my own vocal delivery.
That being said, I’m always striving to carve my own sound. Lyrically, I think my music diverges a lot from them as mine tend to lean more on the intimate, confessional side. The songs are also usually centered around the piano and voice first, with electronic instrumentation serving to amplify the emotions. I think my music also has this feeling of nostalgia: like you’ve woken up from a fever dream and you’re trying to remember and make sense of what happened.
You’ve received notable recognition and grants for your music and videos. How has this support impacted your artistic journey, and what does it mean for you as an emerging artist in the Canadian music scene?
I feel so lucky and grateful to have been granted all these opportunities. I’ve been doing everything mostly solo from the music production, to management to marketing. So it was really rewarding to get recognition from the industry.
Prior to these grants, I didn’t really know much about the music business. A lot of these grant programs have educational workshops and they really helped me understand how to steer my own career and what pitfalls to look out for.
Most importantly, they allowed me to connect with talented artist in different fields to work on exciting creative projects together.
Finally, what can your fans and our readers expect next from The Moon & I? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re particularly excited about?
I’m currently working on translating the album for a live setting. So I’m really excited to see how these songs turn out live and to share them with fans in person, starting with Montreal. I’m also always writing, so the next album is already in the works. A handful of unreleased songs that didn’t make it onto this album will probably have their debut in a live setting. So stay tuned for some exciting announcements in 2024!
