Album Walk: Amourphous by Betty Moon – Los Angeles, CA

photo (1)Behind ever album there is a story. These stories make the album worth so much more to the artist. For this reason, when a bad review is written it’s hard for the artist to understand, why. In light of this, we have created an interview format that will take the artist through each story that brought them to the completion of the album.  The goal is to help bring the artist’s fan closer to the artist and hopefully help to make the fan feel the same as the artist when the album succeeds and or fails.  Each question is designed to help bring the fans to understand why.
This Album walk we speak with Betty Moon  A Toronto-born songstress. Betty Moon began her career as an artist signed to A&M Records in 1990 and released her first LP just a year later. Moon followed up her debut with 5 critically lauded records that have led to 4 CASBY Award nominations including Best Album of the Year, Best Single of the Year, Best Video of the Year, and Best Artist of the Year. Moon has amassed legions of devoted fans by crafting edgy modern rock music in the vein of Portishead, Massive Attack, and Garbage. She captivates listeners with a powerful, sultry vocal that evokes female legends such as rockers Chrissie Hynde and Grace Slick, and iconic soulstress Sade. Moon released three records after her self-titled debut, including Doll Machine on EMI Music, STIR, and Demon Flowers.
After relocating to Tinseltown in 2010, Betty Moon released her fifth album, “Rollin’ Revolution,”and became a local favorite on L.A.’s famed radio powerhouse KROQ. Moon’s command of the stage has made her a staple of The Sunset Strip, where she regularly performs at iconic venues such as The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go, and The Viper Room.
In 2013, she was a featured performer at the world famous Sunset Strip Music Festival alongside Marilyn Manson, Quiet Riot, Black Label Society, and The Offspring. Moon’s newest album, “AMOURPHOUS,” was released in 2014 and features the first single, “Valentine,” mixed by Grammy Award-winner Chris Lord-Alge. Other notable tracks include
“Ladder,” title track “Amourphous,” “Universe,” “Time to Move On,” and “Honeytrap,” which Moon was inspired to write for the next James Bond film.
Moon’s music has been featured in a variety of film and television spots including Californication, Dexter, Bounty Hunters, Walking the Dead, and Last Gasp. With a catalog of music now available on iTunes and Pandora Radio, Betty Moon is currently booking tour dates for late Spring and Summer 2014.
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Why  did you/the band started writing this album? What album are we talking about?
I wanted to do something totally different from my last record Rollin’ Revolution.  I wanted it to be introspective, quirky and deeply personal so I started putting together the songs as part of a puzzle that I could piece together.  What it became was Amourphous.
What was the first song that was written for this album and did it make the final cut? If it did and or did not make the album please explain, why?
The first song was in fact Amourphous but it had been through a few name changes.  It was first called Bare My Soul then it became Clothes Off, and then Off With Your Clothes.  I wanted the title to be more ambiguous hence the title Amourphous.

Tell us about how the first melody for the album was created? What brought the idea? Was it a drum hit, was it a synth? What brought it to your mind? 
The first melody was the Lalalas in the chorus of Amourphous.  I wanted it to be haunting not unlike a melody from a horror movie.  Exposing your very soul can be scary right?
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When and how the overall concept of the album came about? 
I started with 6 songs and wanted to release a 6-song EP.  Then it quickly became 7, 8, 9 then 10 and ultimately the ten-song CD that it is. The overall concept was to expose my very being through this record, to be vulnerable, to search outside of the boundaries I’d found myself within, to unleash my inner spirit.  I feel I accomplished this but I also now feel that this is just the beginning of a whole new genre of music to me. I thought I would then go back to the original sound I felt I branded.  I am now literally hooked on this new direction which is very exciting.
What were some of the hardest parts in creating this album, from writing the lyrics to selecting the studio to record?
I did a lot of the beds in studio but tracked quite a bit of this record at home where I was extremely comfortable and relaxed, where I wasn’t watching the clock so to speak.
What was the story behind the artwork? 
The artwork is a picture of me standing in my yard.   The brightness and contrast was adjusted for dramatic purposes.  
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What song means to the most and why does it mean the most? 
It was quick and easy but the song that means the most to me on this record is Valentine.  Its the ultimate love song. I’m a hopeless romantic.
How was the first single selected and why was it selected? Did you flip a coin, did management tell you to pick it?
The first single was “Valentine”, which was perfect because we released the record in February 2014.

What was the first though when the album was completed and you listen to it all the way through?  
It was quite emotional for me.  But I was happy with it and proud of the way it turned out.
What were your thoughts when you got the first review? 
The first review was fantastic from a site called www.newcanadianmusic.com   
Did you accomplish what you set out to do with this album? And what was the goal of this album?
The goal was to put out a personal collection of songs and we are still in the process of generating awareness for it.  I am certainly happy with the way things are going.

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Twitterhttp://www.twitter.com/bettymoonmusic
Youtubehttp://smarturl.it/bettytv
Officialwww.bettymoon.com

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