møya rey’s “Long Distance” is the R&B Track to Soothe Your Soul this Winter

Interviewed by Eduardo Rolle 

møya rey’s first EP “Lost in Translation”, is evocative of a very diverse blend of sounds. Not only does her EP have a rich mix of genres, but it was also written in four languages; English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. The four track EP shows us how møya rey translates her emotions not only into language, but music. The different languages serve as bridges between the verses and choruses and unify her many sensibilities.

møya rey‘s “Long Distance” is the track that mostly resembles her R&B capabilities. The saxophone, played by a French man she met during the quarantine while in Paris, really sets the tone for a jazzy escape. The instrumentation, the saxophone and møya rey‘s rich tones are a soft whirlwind that travels from your ears to your core.

As a multi-disciplinary artist who primarily works with the visual realm to tell her narratives, music is a multidimensional realm where møya rey is able to fully express herself with an unwavering sense of freedom. møya rey‘s music is hard to box neatly into just one genre because of the myriad of cultural influences riding shotgun on her debut musical journey. Her Afro-Dominican roots and her experience as a world traveler wrap themselves around music genres like Soul, AfroTunes, R&B and Hip-hop in a harmonious explosion of flavors and textures that take her soulful and melodic voice to new heights.

CONNECT WITH MØYA REY

Instagram | TikTok | Youtube | Music

Watch her video for “Long Distance” on Youtube

Stream the EP “Lost in Translation” –> HERE

FEATURE INTERVIEW

Interviewed by Eduardo Rolle 

Can you tell us about the fourth track “Long Distance“?

The song “Long Distance” is also about the same person as the song “Dile”. I would say the two songs mirror each other, they were a way for me to make sense of my emotions. “Long Distance” tells the story of how we met and ended; and “Dile” is all the anguish experienced during and after the situationship. 

To be a little more candid, “Long Distance” is about a British guy I met at a club in Paris. It was February and it was Brazilian Funke night at one of my favorite clubs to go to with my girl friends. By 6 AM my feet were still dancing but the club was closing. While outside waiting for our Ubers, this man approached me and told me he had a soft spot for a New York accent… and I fell for it lol. After our introductions he said he was in town for the the 2020 Winter Paris Fashion Week, and that he was modeling for Balenciaga. We exchanged Instagrams and talked a ton before starting to plan my visit to London. Then the quarantine hit shortly after in March and I was so surprised at how quickly like plans can change. From then, we were all quaran-bae-like; facetiming for hours, listening to Deepak Chopra meditation tapes and what not. He’s also a musician so he kept sending me songs he made, a few were about me.

Then George Floyd was murdered by the police and we were going to Black Lives Matter protests in our respective cities (Paris and London). I think at that moment the state of the world, and the reality of being a “long distance” situationship hit; he completely shifted his energy. We went from daily FaceTime calls to me waiting for him to call me. When I asked why he ghosted me, he blacked on me. I felt it was completely volatile and unexpected, but I guess that’s how Pisces men are.It definitely hurt a lot, but I am super grateful for the wake up call and the recentering. Plus I was getting my Masters done with Columbia University in their Paris campus. I felt emotionally overwhelmed from the situationship and mentally exhausted from academia. Music was my way of coming back to myself; balancing out the emotions to find my peace and my voice.

It’s been almost a year since the release of your last EP Lost in Translation, and one of my favorite songs is still “Long Distance” because of the signature Møya Rey saxophone. In this song, you mix R&B and soul perfectly with a trap beat; what sounds should we expect in your next projects?

In my next project I really want to continue experimenting with the nuance of black culture and identity through genres created by the black diaspora; it’s my motivation and life source. I love making tracks with Afro-Tunes beats with a deep blend of R&B vocals; I feel that’s the essence of my sound. Of course I am wildly inspired by many genres, so I am taking my sound to other places like AfroTunes x House, Amapiano, or a sort of Tribal House. 

It’s also funny you mention that the saxophone is a signature characteristic to my sound. I wanted to include the saxophone again but I wanted to challenge myself to use different sounds. I got to thinking and felt I wanted more brass and went with a trumpet instead. I will also say that I am more bold with this project because my songs have more French lyrics in them this time. It was the language I wanted to process my emotions through; from a sort of objective perspective so that I could make more sense of my feelings and new found growth. I cannot wait to share my new project with the world! I am hoping to release a single by the summer. 

Connect with møya rey

Instagram | TikTok | Youtube | Music

To connect with møya rey you can follow her on Instagram

Watch her video for “Transatlantic Calls” on YouTube

Watch her video for “Open Letter” on YouTube

Watch her video for “Long Distance” on Youtube

Watch her video for “DILE” on Youtube

Stream the EP “Lost in Translation” –> HERE

Credits

Interviewed by Eduardo Rolle 

Producer: Arty Furtado @artyfurtado

Saxophonist: Maceo Le Fournis @maceo_saxman


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