Rising Music Star Seth Findley, moony, On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
An Interview With Guernslye Honoré
Move at your own pace and respect yourself and the people around you. My wife and I are both artists and could easily fall into these traps but try to put work away after 5pm to focus on ourselves and each other. Boundaries are good, even in a fun career like being an artist :)
As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Seth Findley.
Raw, vulnerable, and often unhinged, Nashville-based Seth Findley, AKA moony, wastes no time getting to the heart of the matter with his music and coinciding world-building. Blurring the line between genres showcasing a sonic landscape of edgy alt-rock, mellow indie, catchy pop, and a touch of punk, moony is at full form. “This was never meant to be a pristine, polished thing,” moony explains. “It’s the messy, unpolished side of me that needs an outlet. It’s not that I think I’m doing something revolutionary, but I’m not going to let myself overthink this. It’s been very personally rewarding.”
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Thanks so much for having me! Let me just start by saying how happy I am that we’re starting with this question. I was just talking to my friends about how a lot of people in my adult life don’t know where or how I grew up and how this applies even more-so to fans of my music. I was born and raised in Singapore for the first 12 years of my life. My dad was the pastor of a church and my mother a stay-at-home mom. For those that don’t know much about Singapore, while it’s in the center of South East Asia, it’s a relatively westernized country. I grew up watching the same shows/movies as kids in the States, playing with the same toys, and having a mostly “American” upbringing. Going to an international school with a lot of American friends and teachers added to this too. That being said, nothing compares to the childhood influence of a beautiful country filled with rich culture, jungles and beaches juxtaposed to skyscrapers, kind locals and expats, and incredible food (trust me, you don’t know Asian cuisine till you’ve eaten at a Singaporean hawker). In many ways, Singapore laid the foundation for who I am today as a person and artist.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
It all started with the drums. The church my dad pastored in Singapore had a worship band play at the start of every Sunday service. My eyes were glued to the drummer the whole set, hoping it could be me one day. It wasn’t until 7th grade, after moved to Waco, TX (drastic pivot from Singapore) that I finally started drum lessons. I learned quickly and was soon playing drums in my youth group at the new church my dad was working at. I wouldn’t trade playing with a live band on stage every single week (sometimes multiple times a week) for anything. There’s a kind of magic starting music in a live context. It gives you a greater appreciation for every other facet of the craft. When I reached 9th grade, I joined my school’s choir to check an art credit off the list, but it quickly became my favorite period of the day. My love for singing became so prominent, I felt I had to start writing my own songs. That year, I picked up guitar, learned the 5 chords I needed to write my own songs, and got to work. It all flowed from there, writing, singing, drumming as often as possible. Pretty soon I had a batch of (mostly bad) songs ready to record, which I did toward the end of high school, then moved on to starting a band in college. Those years of being in my own band solidified that this was something I wanted to do — HAD to do — as a career. It wasn’t until I started moony in 2021 that everything started to finally feel like it was falling into place, career-wise.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I moved to Nashville in the spring of 2021 having never co-written a song in my life. I’ve never been one to prefer co-writing for my own artistry over writing alone, but was feeling the itch to try out the co-writing game. I started writing with friends who also happened to be artists and suddenly found myself with 5 of my favorite songs I’d ever been a part of creating. Time for a collab project! I put the songs together in an EP called “moony n frens”, complete with a photo shoot I did with all of the people involved and my dog. I was so excited to have collaborated with Silvie, Gabrielle Grace, Teddy at Night, Willix, and Abby Holliday. In an unexpected turn of events, that fateful co-write with Abby Holliday turned into a lasting relationship… We’re married now — go figure!
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
WEAR SHOES WHILE SHOOTING VIDEO IN THE WOODS. I made the regrettable decision to be barefoot through the entire rollout of my EP “podunk” which did not fare well when we shot the promotional content for songs “fat” and “daddy” in the woods on a cold day. Two hours in and I couldn’t feel my feet. I glanced down to find a few thorns stuck in my now bloody heels and toes. The videos looked amazing but the weeks to follow were painful.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My co-producer also happens to be one of my closest friends. Michael Guillot and I started working together on moony music ever since the inception of the project. Our creative collaboration is so special — no one understands, amplifies, and improves on my vision like Michael. When I write a song, I tend to demo it out with a relatively full but sometimes unpolished production sound. I can get the demo “feeling” like I want it to by the end of the process, but it’s when I bring the pre-produced song to Michael and start to polish/re-record/tweak things with him that the song really comes alive. Michael’s not only an amazing producer, recording engineer, and mix engineer, but also an incredible instrumentalist. I learn so much from him when we work together, and I feel like we both grow and improve in our craft and strengths with each project.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I’m going to share one that applies mostly to my career as an artist, but also bleeds over into my personal life: “The song is king.” I could be wrong, but I think I heard Jon Foreman of Switchfoot say that first. It’s a phrase that emphasizes the importance of putting the greatest good of the song itself first — not your own agenda. For example, maybe I’m demoing a song and love a synth part that I wrote over the bridge that I really want to be in the final version of the song. If Michael and I are finishing production on the song and my original synth part isn’t working as well as, let’s say, a new guitar part, or a less melodic synth part, or no synth part at all, then I have to remember: THE SONG IS KING! Not my pride. If I let pride get in the way while making a song, I’ll end up with a very self-serving product. Music that I release into the world can’t just be for me. If it was, then why would I release it?! “The song is king” can also be applied to relationships and love if we rephrase it as “putting another’s highest good above our own”. That’s love and that’ll make things last.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’ve been hinting at it here and there, but I’ll say it flat out. I am sitting on a FINISHED debut full length LP. I spent the end of 2022 and most of 2023 writing and recording it and am so incredibly excited to share it with the world… eventually… Probably not until 2024. I still have things to take care of on the backend to prepare for its release (visuals, shows, building my team, etc.), but the first single “FALLLLLLLLL IN LOVE” is already out. It’s being treated like a “one-off” single but in reality it’s part of a full album. It’s the album I’ve always dreamed of making, I’m really proud of it. That’s all I’ll say for now :)
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
If we never hear stories told by or from people from a different culture/walk of life/world view/etc. then we’ll have a very narrow-minded, uneducated, and probably unloving view of each other. Stories, art, music, and more matter. They matter for the people telling them, and for the people reviving them. When we encounter a piece of someone’s identity and culture that is different from ours, it heals and brings life to our culture. We’re all human, but being human looks different for every person. The collective consciousness that binds us becomes even more clear when we amplify the voices of the people that historically haven’t had as much of a voice. Listen to “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas… That song is powerful and speaks volumes, especially in 2023.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Set clear boundaries for yourself! (I say to myself…) It’s easy to blur the line between work and life as an artist, especially when we love the craft itself so much. Those excited conversations with friends and family about what’s going on in your music career are fun and necessary to an extent but when you become that friend that’s only ever “talking shop” about their music, no one wants to be around you. It’s also easy to feel like you need to constantly work — be it posting on socials, writing music, clearing your inbox, playing shows, etc. but don’t overwork yourself! Move at your own pace and respect yourself and the people around you. My wife and I are both artists and could easily fall into these traps but try to put work away after 5pm to focus on ourselves and each other. Boundaries are good, even in a fun career like being an artist :)
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Since the start of moony, I’ve been using the catchphrase “we are all moony”. Yes, it’s a memorable phrase that’s good for branding, but more importantly, it’s my way of saying something bigger. To me, being moony is being the most authentic version of myself. I am doing what I love most, to the best of my ability, and it’s been the most invigorating, inspiring, and fulfilling thing I’ve ever done in my artist career. I think anyone can “be moony” when they do what the love most to the best of their ability. If I could inspire a movement, it would be for people to be totally and authentically themselves, so as long as it benefits, heals, grows, and inspires them and the people around them. We are all moony, as in, we are all capable of finding and being ourselves against all the odds of life, culture, and society that get thrown our way.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Easy. I mentioned him above. Jon Foreman of Switchfoot. I am like one degree removed from him — we have a handful of mutuals — but I have yet to meet him. I guess technically I met him in passing after a Switchfoot concert by his tour bus, but I was in college and it was brief so I barely count that. He certainly doesn’t know who I am. Not only have I been inspired by his artistry since I was young (both Switchfoot and his solo project), but I’ve also been inspired by the way he carries himself. He comes across as very humble and authentic. He’s not trying to be a certain way, he’s just being Jon. I’d love to learn from him and soak up some knowledge on how to not lose your head in this crazy industry of noise and fluff. He seems like a real one.
How can our readers follow you online?
Check me out on all socials at @sethismoony, or just head over to https://linktr.ee/sethismoony
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank YOU for having me! We are all moony…
About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.
