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

Moana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

When I was 16, I started a band with my dad and one of his friends called “Moana & the Toopah Peas” (2 papi’s). We got a weekly gig at a bar.

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 was born in Saint Martin, Caribbean. We lived on a sailboat boat until I was 6 years old. My dad was playing live shows around the island, and he’d often have jam sessions with other musicians on our boat’s deck. My mom plays piano and sang in a choir for years. She likes to say that I was singing before I could speak words, and that I used to perform songs for tourists from my stroller when they walked past us.

As a teenager, I took piano and guitar classes, and performed at my music school’s recitals and at festivals. I eventually started singing in those shows, but it took a while because I was terrified. I spent my late teens performing as a singer in my dad’s bands around the island, until I was admitted to Berklee in Boston. I graduated summa cum laude in 2011.

My career has been evolving over time. In my twenties, the core of my work was live shows: from residencies in luxury hotels in Indonesia and Abu Dhabi, to daily shows on cruise ship in the Mediterranean. I’ve been a wedding and event singer, a background singer for a rock band all over the West Coast of the USA, and an artist for my first original album in Boston and Europe. By day, I taught piano, singing, songwriting, music theory, etc at various schools and colleges around the world. One of my most memorable experiences for this was teaching a semester at a music college in India in 2018.

In my thirties, I got more into recording sessions and songwriting. I have a great home studio set up where I record work-for-hire vocals and demos for film composers and songwriters. I also started writing music with visual media in mind, and got some songs placed on popular TV shows.

My credits as a singer and/or songwriter include Netflix, NBC, Disney Parks, Domino’s Pizza, Renault, The CW, The SIMS, Arknights, Hulu, MTV, FreeForm, Oxygen, Lux, the NFL…

I’m thankful that my job title means so many different things, and that this career has led me to travel and learn so much. I’m genuinely excited to see what else being a singer/songwriter will mean in 10 years, and where my work will take me next. But for now, I’m enjoying the ride, writing and recording as much as a can, and going to conferences to meet fellow like-minded people in the industry.

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

The risks! When I talk to my friends with corporate jobs, and/or with more traditional lifestyles, the part that they always have a hard time relating to is the risks associated with being a creative. There is no job safety, and no clear structure in place for when we get sick, for retirement, for time off, etc. My skills might not be as transferable if I decide to change fields later in life. In terms of the work load, some months are slower than others. I can easily start getting stressed out about my bills. Others months are so busy that I start getting stressed out about my sanity. Either way, it’s easy to get stressed out when you’re an independent contractor.

I also get hired by many different types of professionals, so I have to adapt to new situations constantly, which most typical 9-5 jobs don’t require. It can be exhausting and challenging, but it’s also what keeps me growing.

Everyone’s journey is unique. I chose to follow mine where it takes me instead of forcing it into what society dictates it should be. I don’t feel like humanity is doing particularly great, so I don’t know how much I trust that “safe jobs” are actually better, anyway. I don’t judge non-creatives for choosing peace of mind, though. And maybe that’s when I’ll do when I get older. But as long as this thing is working, I’m going to keep being an artist, and deciding what that means as I go.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

After I graduated from music college and had learn super complex music theory, I felt like I had to show that off in my own music. I was surrounded by insane musicians who played musicians’ music. I was almost ashamed of writing “normal” songs because they felt too basic. My first album was all over the place because of this. It had unusual chord progressions, multiple time signatures in the same song, and tried to make it interesting for musicians and the common listener alike. I was so stressed out with the process of making it, that I feel like my brain is imprinted in it more than my heart when I listen back now. I had to stop being my own artist for a few years and play other people’s music to get back to what this art form should be: an auditory representation of a feeling. Now I *try* not to overthink the technical aspect of songs, and just do what feels right.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.moanaa.com
• Instagram: @moanaamusic
• Facebook: @moanaa
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/moanasxm

Image Credits
Photos by Ananda Dhar-James and Aman Ventakeswaran