Moxie Raia Talks Debut Mixtape ‘931’

Moxie Raia has been making noise in the music industry for a little while now. Between dropping “On My Mind” with Pusha T and being booked as an opener on Justin Bieber’s Purpose tour in North America alongside Post Malone, Moxie is ready to show the world everything she’s made of.

Her brand new mixtape, 931, is a 10-track set featuring heavyweights including Wyclef Jean, Post Malone, Goldlink, and of course – Pusha T. Galore talked to Moxie about everything from the music that shaped her to her feelings on 931. Here’s what she had to say:

What music are you listening to right now?

I listen to a lot of Vince Staples. I’m also a huge Kendrick Lamar fan. I pretty much only listen to rap and soul music.

As an artist, what’s the most important thing you want people to take from your music?

Something that has been really important for me is that people feel like my music comes from a genuine place.

What situation do you make music for?

For this mixtape, there’s not a lot of party songs. But I think my music is good for walks and drives when you want to be left alone with your thoughts. I mean, I hope people want to play it everywhere [Laughs].

Who are some of your musical influences?

I grew up listening to a lot of Motown and Frank Sinatra because that’s all my parents played in the house. I’ve also listened to a lot of Stevie Wonder, Al Green, and Jackson 5. I studied jazz in college. From John Coltrane to Miles Davis, I just really love jazz music. Oh, and Bob Marley! He’s my idol.

Where’d you study jazz?

I went to Columbia. So, there!

How was that?

I literally had no life. I would live in the library. Sometimes 3 or 4 nights in a row, I would just sleep in the library. The jazz studies major was little musical, but the part that I focused on was the sociology behind music and specifically behind jazz. So, the history of it, what it did for the culture, how society affected it, which I loved. I love conscious music.

What’s your writing process like?

It can go two ways. I don’t really write everyday, but about once a week something will hit me and I’ll need to sit down at my piano and write until it’s finished. It’ll just come out right there. It’s an energy that comes over me, like I just need to say something! And then my other writing process is with my producer, Dan (Glashausser). He’s been my friend for years. But he’ll send me a track and I’ll have to write to it the first time I hear it. If I try to write to it the next day it never works. It’s weird.

Are you always proud of what you make?

No. But I’m definitely a perfectionist, like most artists. I’ll spend hundreds of hours on a song until I get it right. I try not to work on anything I don’t love.

Do you like collaborating with people?

Yeah, on this mixtape every song basically has a feature.

Are your friends supportive of your music?

All of my friends and I help work on each other’s stuff. I live Downtown in this commercial loft space that all of these young artists have moved into. Everyone who lives in the building is an artist of some medium; a painter, musician, or tattoo artist. Everybody leaves their doors open and we all just walk into each others’ houses.

Wait, that sounds incredible.

It’s literally my dream come true. I’ve wanted something like this my whole life. I actually named my mixtape after my apartment number.

Are you excited for the release of your mixtape?

This is really the first full body of work I’ve ever put out. So, yes! I’m really excited.

Listen to Moxie’s mixtape here:


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