Moscow interview 2017
By Cathy Moore of Moore Rock Shots & Reviews
For Rock All Photography and Music
More than meets the eye with Russian songstress Moscow
I am a huge fan of female rock stars. Lzzy Hale. Amy Lee. Maria Brink. Mixi Demmer. But I’m also always skeptical when a female musician seems to rely more on her sexuality than her talents. I was skeptical that Russian songstress Moscow was really more than a pretty face and a hot body. But I was wrong. There is much more to this young, beautiful, talented woman than raw sex appeal. She is strong. She is determined. She can sing. And she can rock.
Moscow’s journey into the world of rock and roll started at a very young age when she was restless and rebellious and looking for something more for her life.
From the age of 15, Moscow was a part of the Russian music scene. “In Russia, the market is dominated by cheap pop music. It is next to impossible for a rock/metal band to break out. I hung out with some really dedicated and talented people, they taught me not to give up,” Moscow remembers.
I had a chance to get to know Moscow a bit better through a recent interview and was learned that her personality rocks just like her music.
How would you describe your music?
Sex and Rock n Roll? It depends on the track really. For “Black Widow” I like to say – think Britney Spears meets Rob Zombie. But that definition wouldn’t fit some of our heavier stuff; it’s hard to describe it really. We like to experiment with music genres, but always making it sound sexy.
At 16 you left Russia and headed to England? Were you on your own? What did you do to survive?
I was. I studied musical theatre in Cambridge. I’ve always been a rolling stone, going wherever my passion takes me; at that time it was the UK, but it didn’t last long
You were trained in musical theater – did you ever perform in a production?
I played the role of Mitch Mahoney in s musical called ‘The 25h Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ in Cambridge RADA production. I was also supposed to be in ‘Rock Of Ages’ but I moved to New York at the time instead.
How did artists like Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Steven Tyler and Slash become favorites of yours given the generation difference? Were they popular in Russia when you were growing up and getting into music?
No, rock is definitely not ‘popular’ in the Russian market, so I had to research and dig into it myself. I love music and I love rock’n’roll, but, more importantly, I know the history of my genre. Having a very compulsive personality, I won’t stop until I learn everything about whatever has my attention. I’ve read all of the biographies. My iPhone is full of every ultimate compilation.
Did you write the lyrics and the music for Queen of Sin? How/why did you connect with this song?
I did. The lyrics and main melodies were written before I hit the studio with Shawn and Brian. “Queen Of Sin” is my debut single so I wanted it to represent who I am, but also have a deeper meaning under the surface. When you first hear the song its like ‘Oh she’s a bad rock n roll girl’, but when you dig into the lyrics – it’s actually about the fatuity of creating ‘gods’ and ‘devils’ to define your acts and deeds instead of actually digging deep inside yourself and learn what YOU really want.
How did you meet Shawn McGhee and Brian Steele-Medina who produced Queen of Sin?
Mutual friends. At the time I was really into Papa Roach’s, F.E.A.R., which Shawn had a hand in. This world is small, everyone knows everyone else. I don’t even get surprised anymore.
Do you think being female and so young will make it more challenging to break into the hard rock music genre and really be taken seriously? Or has it so far?
Honestly, not for a second. You could never find me among cool kids. I was always a part of a Bad Boy Crew. I was always surrounded by men, and that’s very comfortable for me. They say I have a male’s mentality. So being one of the few female artists amongst rock’n’rollers makes perfect sense to me.
How will you stand out? Make sure the world knows Moscow?
I’m not trapped into genres and frames. My ultimate goal is to bring rock back to the mainstream music world. Who can do it if not a California living, hot, Russian, 21-year-old chick who sings and growls like a man? 🙂
Just breaking into her 20s and breaking into the music world, Moscow is wise and talented beyond her years. “We all have God and the devil in us. That is where the spark for ‘Queen of Sin’ came from,” she explains. That spark is destined to set the rock world afire in 2017!
Moscow “Queen Of Sin” (Official Music Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua_1m_Y4WeY
BUY LINK:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/queen-of-sin-ep/id1232783773
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
SOCIAL MEDIA:
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMoscow
https://www.instagram.com/moscow.official
https://twitter.com/OfficialMoscow
