Tara FinleyScrolling through her Instagram, the word that comes to mind to best explain artist Molly Moore is “surreal.” Intoxicatingly hazy photos of stickers, rainbows and Molly herself fill the feed and leave you wanting to know more about the creative mind behind the pictures. Luckily for us, the singer, songwriter and producer is this week’s guest on the L.A. Weekly podcast. She and host Brian Calle, L.A. Weekly’s publisher, spark a gritty and honest bond; the chemistry between the two is effortless as they dig deep to discuss life-altering heartbreak and the inspiration it derives.
Molly moved from New York to Los Angeles at the young age of 19, embarking on a journey to fulfill her dream of channeling innate creativity into tangible success. “When I moved here I started pursuing songwriting for other artists for a couple years, but then got back to needing to make my own music,” remembers the artist. “It’s been a long journey.”
Working odd jobs – waiting tables and promo modeling – along with spending her creative energy on other’s success, she felt like she was losing her own voice in the process. Determined to get it back, she threw all her energy back into writing for herself.
In her tale, we learn the first lesson of success that she imparts on Brian during the podcast: You have to manifest your own destiny. Especially if that destiny is getting KROQ’s Kat Corbett’s attention. The host of L.A.’s highly-sought-after Locals Only radio show, Corbett’s support holds a lot of weight for up-and-coming artists like Molly. Unsuccessful in her attempts to connect with Corbett via email, Molly literally materialized her relationship with the host from a dream.
After dreaming about meeting her, Molly posted her vision on social media. As luck would have it, Corbett got wind of it and made Molly’s dream of being featured on KROQ come true. “I feel really grateful and excited to be on a station that I love, it’s honestly my favorite station,” gushes Molly. “I feel very humbled by the fact that I could be playing on a station like that. It’s just so awesome.”
So what kind of music does Molly make? “I struggle to answer that every single time,” she admits. “I describe it as soulful pop-inspired by rock. … That’s what it is – at the core of it – without any other pretentious words thrown in.”
Preferring to be genre-less, and experimenting with all types of sound, her forthcoming debut album just dropped its first track “IRL,” giving us a taste of what’s to come. “It’s an art representation of the last few years of my life,” reveals Molly.
“I got my heart obliterated in the last year,” Molly tells Brian, as the two commiserate over breakup stories. Grieving the loss of her father as well as fresh out of a six-year relationship, Molly has been working through her losses and heartache through song.
“I’m glad I’ve had this time to heal, honestly it’s been really good,” Molly shares.
“I’ve been really angry and really bitter and really heartbroken,” she divulges. “I still am, by no means am I going to scam you and act like I’m anything different.”
She’s tried to shake off her negative emotions by pouring them into song and mesmerizing music videos. “Just being able to put how angry I am how sad I am into music and transcend those emotions. A lot of the songs are really bitchy,” Molly describes. “Just really bitchy, that’s the only way to describe it.”
Baring her soul along with our host, Molly describes trying to heal while not only writing an album, but while isolated in quarantine.
(@mollymoore via Instagram)
“It’s been empowering for me to be able to process some of the dysfunction,” she says. “It’s nice to have music [as an outlet] because I can’t really always call that person that I want to call.”
We all have go-to albums for certain times in our life. Whether they become anthems to a break-up or a make-up, we identify strongly with art that resonates with the same emotions we feel. If you’re dealing with heartbreak, this album is for you.
“You’ll hear my story in this album you’ll hear it all, I’ve really laid it all out, there’s nothing that I didn’t say,” shares our guest. “There’s things I’m still scared to say, so I have to write them.”
Careful not to make the album too depressing, she stays true to her soulful pop vibe.
“I have so much energy when I perform, so I don’t want to sit there and be subdued,” she explains when describing the strategy behind her track list. “I want to move and perform and have fun.”
“I feel like I found a way to work my crazy, bitter, angry, nasty, toxic negative energy into something that can make people feel empowered, positive, beautiful and accepted. [Something to] make them love themselves again because that’s sort of what that process was for me,” furthers our guest.
This album is Molly the artist at her best and most honest. “It’s me working through my shit.”
“The thesis of the album is ‘I don’t need a man,’ that’s the moral of my story,” she ends. “It seems like my life needed to fall apart for it all to come back together.”
Listen to the podcast here or find it on iTunes here.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.