Willy Moon

“I Would Stop Making Music If It Stopped Being an Exploration

of something which is fun, something which excites me. I wouldn’t see a point in it.”

Musician

Take one listen to Willy Moon’s songs, or better yet, go see his live show, and it’s hard to believe he’s only been singing for about 3 years. Moon has an electric stage presence, and a musical style that feels inspired by the past, yet entirely new. His hit single “Yeah Yeah” is nearing 2 million hits on YouTube—and all of this from a guy who says he used to hate his voice.

“I only started singing when I was 19 or 20. I was living in Berlin. I moved there on a whim with my girlfriend, and I was always [playing] in bands with other people. I was kinda disillusioned with the people I had been playing with, and so I just started singing.” says Moon. “It was really more to write songs, and then I thought I might as well record some demos, and then I sang them. And I realized I really liked my voice. I never thought I was a singer, ever. I never thought I had a good voice, I never thought I could be a singer, so it was a surprise for me.”

From there, Moon was free to create on his own terms, which was something he’d always longed for.

“I always found it really difficult to compromise and work with other people, I had never been very good at that. That’s why I started making music by myself in Berlin, I wanted to have my own bubble to be completely free, to create whatever I wanted on my own terms.”

So, Moon sat at his computer and got to work on creating what would eventually lead to his current EP.

“I didn’t really know how to play that many instruments. I had played the guitar since I was young, but I didn’t know how to play the drums. It was out of utter necessity that I started putting things together on the computer, and after that, it felt like a really natural fit of what I was trying to do.”

Asked about his sound, he said he’s aiming to create something entirely new. There are clear influences from the past, but it certainly feels like he’s carving out his own space.

“The best part for me, of making music, is trying things that are new, and not knowing what’s going to happen. Whenever I’m writing a song...obviously, there are clear influences, and I try to put them together in a way that feels new. And then I can feel like a mad scientist. Making my little brew.”

So, who are his influences that help make up his special “brew”?

“As a music lover, I get to be inspired by and influenced by all of my favorite artists Cab Calloway, Buddy Holly, Kanye West, Wu Tang Clan, The Meters, James Brown, I can go on and on. I get to incorporate all of that into my songs, I get to collage everything. What I love about the past is the fact it is unclouded by reality, you can delve into fantasy..it can be whatever you want it to be, you can put whatever lens on it that you want to, and shape it and twist it to fit your narrative.”

And, finally, what makes music so important? Why does he continue to create?

“That’s what music and art—what is so special about it—it’s the one thing that we’ve got as human beings that we can escape into another world. It’s such a special, beautiful thing. I would stop making music if it stopped being an exploration of something which is fun, something which excites me. I wouldn’t see a point in it.”