Singer-Songwriter MOXIIE Discusses Her Newest Music and More!

Hailing from the iconic and cultured streets of New York City, alternative electro R&B artist, Moxiie, is carving her own lane with her exciting signature sound, edgy style, and outspoken nature. She’s still riding high off the release of her viral hit, “FVRS,” which has accumulated over 900K spins on Spotify, catapulting her career to the next level.

Recently, Moxiie and her eye-catching, swagger-filled style was tapped to model in a NIKE / VSCO collaboration. She also had chart-topping artist / producer, Bebe Rexha, sporting her “Immigrant Daughters” t-shirt at a charity event. The shirt was Moxiie’s first step in an overarching project to open conversations and bring awareness to social issues. She began working on a series tackling social issues – the first was an in-depth piece about life as a “hyphenated American” entitled “Words For Feelings: Immigrant Daughters And Sons” – read her story and watch the video discussion on Huffington Post HERE.

Continuing to build on her unyielding momentum, today Moxiie partnered with Milk Media to unveil another track from her highly anticipated new EP, “Words For Feelings.” The sultry song, “Don’t See You,” is steeped in her hypnotic sonic cocktail of edgy electro-pop and alternative-R&B. According to Moxiie the song “was inspired by all the times I trusted too much in spite of my intuition. That goes for people and certain situations”, she explains. Adding, “At the end of the day you can’t be woke without acknowledging that and moving on. That’s what this song is for me, not playing the victim and just owning it.” 

Moxiie continues to breathe new life into the alternative, R&B and pop space, weaving both seamlessly into an infectious sound. The NYC based artist displays visceral songwriting ability, raw vulnerability and a sensual vibe all at once. Having developed a knack for writing catchy hooks, Moxiie still manages to push the limits, allowing her genre to be dictated by heart vs precedent.

Her influences include Prince, Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson’s “Velvet Rope,” as well as Madonna’s “Ray of Light” and “Bedtime Stories” eras.  Delivering emotive and sometimes haunting melodies and a penchant for experimentation, Moxiie has been compared to Marina & The Diamonds, FKA Twigs and Charli XCX, with a brooding moody air similar to Banks.

Born and raised in Brooklyn to Haitian parents, the sultry-voiced singer made the rounds as a songwriter going from session to session in NYC, L.A. and Atlanta, learning first hand what the industry was like. In 2012, her first foray into solo artist territory garnered support from MTV. Since then High Snobeity, Paper Magazine, Saint Heron, Nylon Magazine, Noisey and Afropunk are among those that consider Moxiie one to watch. Her latest single “FVRS” saw support from BBC 1 Xtra and has also amassed over 900,000 streams on Spotify.

With a new sound and a new EP titled ‘Words For Feelings’, Moxiie continues long standing collaborations with Fredro (Alessia, Stanaj) and digital artist/producer Reo (Lil’ Wayne, Beyoncé), adding one new producer to the team – APSPDR+ (Sza).

For more on Moxiie: https://www.moxiiemusic.com/

Learn even more about Moxiie in the following All Access interview:

Thank you for your time! So where does this interview find you today? Is there music playing in the background? If so, what is it?

Thank you! I’m sitting in the Federal Triangle train station in D.C. Being from NYC, I’m shocked at the perfectly audible announcements 🤣

How is 2017 treating you so far? Did you approach the start of this year any differently then you did last year?

So far 2017 has been energizing and inspiring!

My approach switched for sure.  I’ve become more service focused in every way since 2015. Like, how can I use my work and platform to serve as a voice for things that matter to me? That just makes everything way more fun, and more gratifying.  

Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall your first musical memory? Could you see yourself doing anything else today?

Yes! Ever since I was 6, I always wanted to be around and immersed in music. In the beginning I was so free. Then I was shamed for drawing attention to myself, like it was this terrible thing!

Had to get some of that freedom back.

My first memory of singing is performing (Whitney Houston’s) “The Greatest Love Of All” when I was 6 or 7 for my classmates & teachers while living in Haiti. 

I can see myself doing things in addition to music, but never without music though. Like consulting/ photography/writing for publications & other artists as well as starting a line of makeup with a theater focus. 

How did you come up with your artist name? Why not just go by your own name?

It started when I was a songwriter.  It’s very common to have a “pen name”. Then in 2011 I was reading Cherry Curry’s book – Neon Angel. It was a year of transition for me, going from a focus on pitching songs to writing for myself and going indie. The word Moxiie was used to describe “The Runaways” and it jumped out at me. It resonated. Felt like the name found me when I needed it. It was like a mirror for me at my strongest and a motivator when it got hard.

Let’s talk about your latest single “Don’t See You.” What was the inspiration for this track?

Anyone in music will tell you they’ve put their trust in a lot of the wrong people. It happens in life in general, but it seems like in competitive fields we inadvertently invite more possibilities for those tiny heartbreaks.

“Don’t See You” came from me reflecting on those relationships, romantic and otherwise and letting go. It is what it is. I played my part, now it’s over. I survived, and I’m stronger now.

When do you hope to release your anticipated album, “Words For Feelings”? How do the other songs on it compare to what you have already released?

I hope to release “Words For Feelings” in the fall. The other songs go deeper.  My songwriting tends to live in all the grey areas, and those songs go there a bit more.  They’re so personal that I figured the best time to have them out will be the fall, when people are indoors more. I need people to think and cry and grow with me. 

You have worked with a lot of incredible producers so I’m curious to know what working relationship has meant the most to you and your career?

That’s been a blessing.  There are 2. Reo & Fredro. They’ve been there from the very beginning. 

Their belief in me inspires me to no end. They have been so consistent and I’m eternally grateful. Repaying them is one of the things I want most in life.

What has it been like modeling for Nike / VSCO collaboration?

It was amazing. Kara Smarsh (photographer) and I only spoke through emails and met for the 1st time on set the day of the shoot. It was such a chill collaboration. We were just two creatives trusting each other and trusting that special thing that happens when people work together.

It was fun! I’d love to do more in that vein. 

What artists have continued to inspire you and your music? Who would you absolutely love to work with in the future?

Growing up, my family listened to so much pop. Prince, Janet, Michael, Bob Marley, and Sade were always played at home. When I started discovering music on my own I got into Madonna, and listened to more dancehall and hip-hop. So, all that continues to inspire me. Those artists that were trailblazers. I’d love to work with Harley Weir, Sasha Samsonova, Michael Brun -he’s doing great work and he’s Haitian too, I think we could do a lot together thru music to give back to Haiti. A Daniel Arsham collab would be major too. Other than that I’m already working with and friends with some of the most incredible people out here. I’m open to possibilities though.

At the end of the day, what do you hope your fans take away from your music? What do you hope is the message of your songs?

Usually the feedback I get is that the songs feel like there is pain, hope and strength in them. I want my songs to help people deal with things that are hard to deal with. Being able to describe a feeling has always been so empowering for me. Being able to identify and name those things stop them from taking over me, and give me some distance, perspective and strength. So I hope it has the same effect on others. We can care, have feelings and still be among the strongest.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

Music has always been a part of my life. I started writing  poems as a kid. When I was about 13 or 14 I started to write songs. It came out of necessity. At first I it was something I did for myself, I’d only share with maybe 2 people. So when I’m sharing my music, I’m sharing a part of myself and connecting is what makes it special. That’s what I look forward to the most.

Thanks again for the interview!