We recently connected with Cheri Moon and have shared our conversation below.
Cheri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most meaningful projects that I’ve worked on are those that were the most meaningful to my childhood. Because they were inspirational to me as a child, they’ve always had an impact on how I evolved as a woman & an artist.
The 2 most important projects are my “Ain’t I a Woman” anthem I wrote/performed and my “Madame Max” Tribute I did for Tina Turner. I was inspired to write my “Ain’t I a Woman” song because as a kid, studying the history of SoJourner Truth and women’s struggles back then from my grandmother struck me hard. It became a movement that I always wanted to be part of. It was apparent to me very quickly even at a young age, that this was something that needed to change and would be a constant struggle. So when the time was right I created an anthem and made it part of today’s movement of women from all walks of life. My Madame Max (Tina Turner Tribute) was from a similar place. I’m from Tennessee as is Tina and she was always one of my idols growing up. As a Musical artist she’s always inspired some of my creations. As a young girl performing in talent shows or festivals I was fueled by performers such as Tina Turner. When I wrote the song, “Ships in the Night”. I knew this was the project that I’d not only perform in that spirit but I would create stories & visuals similar to hers in the Classic Film “MAD MAX”. It was one of the most exciting filming experiences to transform in to. Both of these projects which I collaborated with Director “Sophie Dia Pegrum” tell stories of strong women. It amplifies women’s voices and their strengths. Today, many women still struggle with finding their voices. I hope to continue to encourage girls/women to fight for their place in the world and that could mean many positions. There are NO limits!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a Grammy Nominated singer-songwriter who started out writing songs for TV shows & commercials and worked with talented artists such as Timbaland, The Script, Jimmy Douglass, Missy Elliott & more. As a solo artist, I scored #1 Global Dance hits with Club Anthems, Ships in the Night, House Arrest, One More Crazy Summer, and my women’s/civil rights anthem Ain’t I a Woman, inspired by Sojourner Truth’s famous speech. After having kids, I started creating songs & content for Kids under the name Snooknuk.
During the lockdown, I recorded new songs and collaborated with other Family Music Artists from all over the country that earned my first Grammy Nomination in the “Best Children’s Album” category for Snooknuk’s contribution to the All One Tribe Album distributed by iconic label formed by Bob Marley, Tuff Gong International. 1 Tribe Collective is a group of black family music artists that have come together to produce music addressing topics of STEM, vaccinations, family, black history, and the beauty of differences. The 1 Tribe Collective hopes to reprogram society’s perception of black youth while giving young people and families permission to live out loud and celebrate their uniqueness.
Creating music with purpose has always been my motivation, so when client “Anni Wei” creator of the teen jewelry company “Annie & Sisters’ jewelry contacted me to write an original song & produce an Advertisement campaign around the spirit of her brand which is to love & be true to yourself and most importantly to “Never give up”, I was on board! I’m all about the positive messages. So casting a wonderful group of teen girls to work with me on this project along with Director Christina Turino, I couldn’t have been more in my element. I am most happy when I can be an inspiration to others through my work.
Other recent works include being cast in a Scripted Audio series “Sonic Leap” featuring Anthony Anderson (Black-ish) from MGM-backed podcast studio Audio Up. I co-starred in “Brainstorms”, a Docudrama directed by Julie Pacino that addresses the challenges families of veterans endure when faced with traumatic brain Injuries along with another Julie Pacino project, that’s leading the way in the NFT world. Just named one of the top 20 to watch in NFT’s, “Keepers of the Inn” This month my part in the feature film “Passenger C”, Directed by Cassian Elwes that tells the truth behind the scenes story of an unruly passenger incident who’s struggling with PTSD just premiered in Germany.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I honestly wish I knew about all the Arts programs that are available at Colleges & Universities around the world. I really feel I could have benefited from some extended training and education in the Arts. Instead coming from Memphis, TN where usually the focus is to choose the common career paths because it’s the safest in their minds. Stay away from the unknown. Oh how I wish I could go back sometimes to have more of those experiences. But then I also believe that things happen for a reason and everyone has their own path. Just wish I’d known, I had a choice!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I have a love/hate relationship with Social media. I do admit I use it quite a bit as a work platform to share not only music and other projects I’m working on but I am often caught sharing personal experiences as well. I see that sharing not only good but bad or challenging experiences can be encouraging to people. And I used to be a pretty private person but I’ve opened up so much more to the general audience especially with issues I feel someone else may be going through and are afraid to share cuz they think they’re alone in a situation. You can also find that some people are willing to share their solutions that helped them through your very problem. So that sort of thing is great. Since being a an Artist who is a Mother, those are a whole other set of challenges I share and is relatable to people. But since opening up more, I’ve noticed that my profile has grown tremendously. Of course being featured on articles or a podcast & multiple projects help but people engage more when you’re sharing relatable things along with cool content I think. I mean I don’t think you should post every single thing but ones you feel compelled to share. Have fun with it too.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cherimoon.com
- Instagram: @Cherimoon
- Facebook: facebook.com/cheri-moon-100954138753010
- Twitter: twitter.com/cherimoonmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cherimoon206/about
- Other: Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/79DjIreHvZAYJtCDs7 Amazon Music: music.apple.com/us/album/aint-i-a-woman-single/1555942709 Snooknuk Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Il5GSRo3EJWxiGmZfK6V6?si=pUb-eArHQVu1UNhR0w2drw
Image Credits
Andrew Parke