T5 interview with BlvckMoon
What you need to know:
- I believe there is a need to emphasise on the importance of mindfulness and emotional awareness.
- I cannot think of a better method to execute this than through art.
- As an artist, I feel obliged to use my voice to create harmony especially during these difficult times.
She is a Kenyan mechatronic engineer turned singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and DJ. She is a self-taught artist who seeks to elevate the heart, mind, and soul through music. BlvckMoon considers her music Indie / Experimental / Afro-fused. She released her debut EP, Hertz, in October 2018, an ethereal single titled Breezy in collaboration with Djae in November 2020, and Afro-fused Maua - in collaboration with L3GS in March 2021.
1. Tell us about the transition from mechatronic engineer to musician and artist. How did you prepare for it?
I wouldn't say I've abandoned engineering. I have just found a balance between music and my profession. In fact, I am living off my engineering work, and from it I find the money to make music. I discovered I could sing in 2013, while in university. I started learning how to play the guitar on YouTube three years later and consciously delved into music in 2018 when I released my first project titled Hertz.
2. How has the pandemic changed your music and live performances? How should musicians adapt to the uncertainty?
Music and live performance have taken a big hit from the pandemic. Also, Covid has filtered out the unnecessary external noise with regards to the craft. I believe there is a need to emphasise on the importance of mindfulness and emotional awareness. I cannot think of a better method to execute this than through art. As an artist, I feel obliged to use my voice to create harmony especially during these difficult times. Through art, perhaps, more people will see the fear and love that humanity is currently experiencing. Maybe art will trigger the right kind of internal transformation, and more people shall be empathetic.
To survive, artists need to focus on quality over quantity – being patient and giving every musical piece the time it requires to be developed into a high quality product.
3. What projects and collaborations are coming up for you? Who would you like to work with locally?
I have quite a lot lined up, which I cannot mention at this point. However, I have a new release coming up on July 23, an Afrohouse single titled Mekatilili which I have done with Saint Evo, who I have always wanted to work with.
4. How difficult is it for you to handle the creative aspect as well as the business side of your music?
I always keep my rate card close. It helps me make clear the amount of compensation I expect for my services. I also insist on signing contracts. That way, I stay protected from rogue agents. This industry can be very toxic.
5. What inspires your creativity? What gets you in the zone to make beautiful music or feel at peace?
Nature in its most quintessential form, love, and the motions that result from it such as tenderness, warmth and pain, spiritual enlightenment and awareness, astrology, and physics.
