Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elza Coutinho. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elza, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Creating music has always been an integral part of my story. Not only did it bring me so much joy, but through music, I found my purpose. Deep down, I always knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally, but it wasn’t until 2021 that I decided to make that leap for myself.

That year, I had just finished my honours degree in Psychology and was seriously contemplating my future and career as any 22 year-old would. One question I kept asking myself when deciding my career path was ” Would I enjoy this job even on the most boring days?”. And while I’m grateful for the education and experiences I gained while studying psychology, I would have been lying to myself if I had chosen to continue down that path. It really came down to continue chosing a path I was passoniate about pursuing despite any challenges that came with it

I began working with a close friend on some of her original music while also working my day job at the time. I would often compare the two situations and at the end of the day, my desire to create was too strong to ignore. After a lot of time spent reflecting and watching Ted Talks on choosing your career, I felt confident that my desire to be in a creative profession was something that would bring me more abundance than I could imagine. As I work on more projects I am confident that pursuing a creative path was the right decision for me based on the peace and happiness that it’s brought into my life. It’s led me to move to LA and now travel the world as a playback engineer. Money can be found in any career, but I believe you can only find fulfillment in your work when it’s something you truly believe in.

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.

What’s up everyone :) For those who don’t know me, my name is Elza Coutinho aka MOONCHLD, which is the name I use for my music production projects. In addition to being a music producer and independent artist, I’ve also worked as a recording and mix engineer and I currently work full-time in the music industry as a live playback engineer for Brooklyn Sound. I’ll get into the details of my playback career in a little bit

I got into music production after taking a few classes at university and began working on personal projects soon after. Since then I’ve been working on my songs and also on a few projects with friends and fellow artists I’ve met along the way. When it came to audio engineering I got my start after I made a big move to Los Angeles and finished music school. I was working with a few independent artists (such as LA Laura Paris), and going shows to meet and network in the underground music scene. One day after a show, my homie and I were talking about engineering, and he said “Do you know Ableton Live?” and I said “yes”. And then from that he recommended me to my current bosses at Brooklyn Sound and I began training at the end of January 2024.

Essentially my job as a playback engineer involves me running backing tracks for live concerts as well as programming and operating AutoTune. I’m also in charge of making sure the concert keeps going because I’m the one that hits the “play” button. Before shows, my duties also included, building/programming Abelton Live Sessions for the show, and working with musical directors to edit and fine-tune musical and audio elements heard during the show. So basically, whatever ya’ll hear when you go to a concert comes from a playback engineer’s computer running in the background (minus live instruments and vocals ofcourse).

Aside from that, I continue to work as a mix engineer for independent artists, and also on personal projects. I took a break from music production for this year, but I’m eager to document more of my journey in the new year. When I was a teenager, I never actually thought I would work as part of a production team for these live concerts. And now I get to travel and work at incredible venues with so many talented people, its unlocked a new passion of mine for being part of a team that puts on exceptional live performances.

As of this moment, I’m most proud of my tours with Chxrry22. I’ve been on two tours with her, one in the United States where she opened for Mariah the Scientist, and one in Australia opening for The Weeknd. It was kinda wild being in stadiums in Melbourne and Sydney with tens of thousands of people, it’s so surreal but also exciting. I’m proud of myself not only for my level of professionalism but also for my ability to stay calm and enjoy each performance. Your energy matters when it comes to working in music and high-stress environments, and I’ve learned a lot of lessons when it comes to that. Overall, I can confidently say I truly enjoy what I do and I’m looking forward to the future.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I encountered Julia Cameron’s ‘The Artist’s Way’ much sooner in my life, because that gave me the hope and practical ways in which I could work on my dream. Sometimes I wonder if I would be further along in my career if I had read that book in my teens, but I also believe that it did come into my life when I most needed it. Financial stability is also very important to me, so I wish I had more resources and conversations in high school about what it takes to make a living in a creative field.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

One thing about my journey as a creative that non-creatives might not understand is the unavoidable personal and spiritual transformation that comes along with this path. Whenever I have to create, it’s like I’m looking in the mirror which reflects my soul. It’s been a journey to gain the skills to create something that accurately communicates the person I am in the present moment. The act of creating is often driven by an internal need to express something that can’t quite be put into words. There’s a certain vision I have with each project and if I can’t match what I have in my head, then I feel like I’ve failed or that my work is not “good enough”. This creates a constant tension between self-doubt and self-expression since my work feels like an extension of myself. If I hadn’t tackled such limiting beliefs, like “my work is not good enough” and “people won’t like it” then I honestly would never get anything done.

One of the most valuable things I’ve learned is to not over-attach myself to the outcome of my work because it’s more important to finish the project rather than obsessing over something to the point of procrastination. Realizing what I can and can’t control has freed my mind of anxiety and helped me to embrace the vulnerability that comes with sharing my work. Seeing creating as a practice rather than just a talent has helped me gain the confidence to share more of my work while simultaneously improving my skills as a producer and engineer.

Sometimes it truly is about just showing up and doing the work, even when you’re not sure where it’s gonna go. And it’s not just the physical work I’m speaking about, but also the mental and emotional labor that goes into crafting a project. If you haven’t done the personal growth that goes along with creating then you’ll always feel slightly out of alignment.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonchldmagic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elza-coutinho-10551b1a3/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@moonchldmagic
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/moonchldmusic

Image Credits

Photo credit (for the picture with Chxrry22 and me): @nsty/@hwfilmstudios