Singer-Songwriter, Moana A, Is A Caribbean Native & L.A. Local, Giving Her Music A Taste Of Versatility
Please introduce yourself, what you do, why you do it, and what you want people to know about you.
I am a singer-songwriter from Saint Martin, based in LA. I specialize in making music for film, tv, and ads. I love being able to make the soundtrack to a visual story with my music.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
Growing up in the Caribbean, in a melting pot of cultures, exposed me to so many different styles of music, and languages. That gave me the gift of versatility, which has been very useful in my career.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you wanted to do what you do now. Who did you tell first? What has it been like since that moment?
After high school, I wanted to do everything and couldn’t pick a path. I applied to colleges of architecture, biology, and music. I was always planning on doing music on the side, even if I did something else. By the time my acceptance letters came through, I was already a working musician, so I thought I’d try that for a while, and I could always go and study something else later in Europe, since higher education is free there, if music didn’t work out. But it has worked out so far!
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
My two biggest challenges have been finances and being so far from home and my family. Affording college was tough and I was working all the time, which was actually a blessing in disguise, because I was building my resume before graduation, and I learned the grind early. I didn’t have the luxury of being picky or shy with gigs, so I said yes to everything, which opened up so many more opportunities. I do miss my island and my parents, though.
If you had to pick the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could take your career (or business) to the next level…who would those 3 people be?
- My future manager.
- My future drummer.
- Alexandra Patsavas because she’s a legendary music supervisor, who has jump-started so many artists’ careers.
