FEW GUUD THOUGHTS w/ Zachary Moon - Interview & Review
GA artist Zachary Moon recently dropped a 12-track body of work that paints vivid images of one’s journey of realizing and accepting their new reality. Moon holds no punches when exploring different sounds and voice inflictions that create a unique experience for listeners. On his summer release, WHAT5VER, Moon takes on the task of meshing his favorite sonic elements to emphasize his alternative sound direction. By combing 70’s soft rock elements with funky bass lines, Moon blurs genres with grace.
On “Better,” Moon reflects on past time since being in a relationship and learning he’s better on his own.The piano chords, in the beginning, set a comforting realm for Moon to unpack his thoughts and acknowledge how far he’s come from moving past that previous connection. The repetition of “better on my own” feels like a mantra or even an affirmation. The production finds a nice balance between hopefulness and loss.
Songs like “Street Lights” and “WHAT5VER” displays his admiration towards the sounds in his city; the modern drum patterns and loosely led melodies are pure inspiration from the southern music he’s surrounded by. “Shoebox In The Sky” and “Roadkill” feels very grounding during moments of fleeting emotions. Moon’s harmonies are angelic and tranquil against the guitar strings. The majority of the production comes from Moon himself, which truly heightens his artistry and passion for details. Bottom line, Zachary Moon is not your typical artist!
Where are you from ?
I was born in Hawaii and then moved to Georgia. Lived here ever since.
I feel like your sound is very experimental and strays away from the norm southern sound, How has living in Georgia affected your music?
“It's purposefully experimental because I don't want to be, um, I want to be original. I don't want to be grouped together with a whole bunch of people doing the same thing, you know? SoundCloud era, like 2016, you know, like Cardi, Lil Yachty, um, young thug, Migos…
all that underground SoundCloud music really impacted me. It helped me have fun with it. It gave me a new perspective on music. “
How did you start working on music ?
“ I used to play football and realized this is not something I wanted to do. I didn’t want to put in the work to be successful at it.
So, I quit football and started making music on my phone. And from there I just kept having fun playing around, just making songs
Back then, I was just rapping… just a bunch of freestyles. To be honest, it’s sorta the same now, like I freestyle but I also have this mental rubric of what I want to say. “
Did you go to school for music as well?
“Well yeah, around 2018, 2019 I went to college for music. Personally, I was trying to move the production from my cell phone to the computer. But this college really focused on the classical training and I wasn’t feeling that so I left. I knew I wanted something to take my music to the next level and also cater to a certain crowd.”
Is it true you’re making this music out of a bedroom?
“Man, it’s more like a closet (chuckles). But the convenience of it all allows me to stay creative and keep working out because its a muscle.”
Influences ?
“Kanye is like a super big influence to me; His artistry and like the way he approaches the music and how everything just comes together. It’s very inspirational and it makes me want to build, you know?”
What’s one album that influenced your sound ?
“Definitely Blond by Frank Ocean. When I was in college, I listened to that album every day. Over and over, that album is a perfect album. But that corner of music, like Odd Future is truly a big part of me. I grew up on skate culture.”
Do you produce your own music?
“I produce a lot of it. But I’ve worked with JZ Jordy who’s produced “Loaners Theme” and prodcarruba whom produced “Hero;” those two songs have done a lot for my career. Like those beats really brought out some good ideas from me.”
“I taught myself how to play guitar during the pandemic and learned piano in college, and I found a way to mesh those together.”
What did you do different on your latest project compared to Antisocial Butterflies ?
“The bass, I'm trying to get more funky and soulful with my bass.
I was listening to a lot of 70 soft rock during the making of WHAT5VER and that kind of made me wanna start picking up the guitar more.
I really just get in the studio and just, start making something. At the time of creating, I was feeling all over the place and wanted to capture that creativity. “
What’s the meaning behind WHAT5VER?
“Everything is just whatever. I’m just going to create and don’t care how it’s received. Sometimes I deal with anxiety and get nervous about releases and putting myself out there. But it’s coming to a point where if I don’t do it, I’m never going to do it.”
What was the writing process for “Better”?
“I wrote a whole different song to that beat. I came up with the hook off the dome and kept repeating until a verse comes to mind. Sometimes I refer to this book of mine that’s filled with little notes and melodies when I’m having writers block.”
Do you prefer writing on the move?
“No, I write in the moment. When I'm making the beat, I just get to writing honestly.”
What was the hardest song for you to write?
“I made this project over like a long period of time … “One” was pretty hard to write and record, I had to do a bunch of different takes because I was being very critical of myself during the creative process.
My music is very personal “
On “Life Goes On,” you repeat “I’m not the same anymore.” What has changed in your life?
“Its crazy, Ive never been the receiver of compliments. At times, I feel like I’m just there and now…receiving compliments from people is just so different. I always had to put myself out there. Never was the person who was approached, I always did the approaching. Life Goes On is about remembering where you started and where you want to be. I had to rewire my brain a little bit and just, lock in with the music…get ready for the ride.”
What would you like for your audience to get from WHAT5VER?
“I just want them to enjoy it. I wanna make music that people enjoy and people wanna re-listen to.”
If you were running in an apocalypse, what pair of sneakers would you wear and why ?
“A pair of Jordan one Low’s, those are my favorite”
Last three?
Steve Lacey Gemini Rights
Drake Honestly Nevermind
Frank Ocean Blonde
