Moon Leone didn’t set out to make your run-of-the-mill pop songs. They build whole worlds, embodying different characters and using visuals to tell stories that ultimately help people heal from trauma. Performing as YourFriendM00n, they write what they call “nostalgic alt pop,” but the subject matter underneath runs much deeper than that label suggests. Heavy topics such as grief, coercion, and the difficult work of getting free from someone or something that hurt you, are all topics they don’t shy away from. Ahead of their PVDFest set this September and their first headlining show in October, I got a chance to talk with Moon about their journey, what music has meant to them since childhood, and the new EP they’re releasing after some of the hardest years of their life.
Moon’s stage name came together organically, back when they were livestreaming and trying to figure out what persona would be attached to the music. As a non-binary artist, choosing their own name was part of the process, and Moon was the one that stuck. From there, the rest of the name followed. “I kind of feel like a friend when I’m singing the songs,” they explained, describing the vibe of their music as like being on a Facetime call with someone close to you.
Moon’s musical influences range from Pat Benatar’s “feminine rage,” to Kelly Clarkson-era pop, to modern songwriters like Conan Gray and Chappell Roan who build entire songs around emotional storytelling. “I always say I’m inspired by every artist ever,” they said. “I listen to such a range of genres that I even shock my friends sometimes.” That range extends beyond music onto other mediums as well. Moon paints, makes their own music videos, and is currently working on a poetry book alongside the new EP. “It comes from the same place as songwriting for me,” they said. “When I make a painting, it’s usually about an experience I’ve gone through.”
Music’s role in Moon’s life goes back to childhood, with art being an outlet for working through big feelings like loss from a young age. Their parents used to play music together for fun, their dad on guitar, their mom singing, before he passed away when Moon was seven. “Anytime I sing or write, it kind of feels like a piece of him is with me,” they said. When Moon was fifteen, never having played an instrument before, a woman at the laundromat noticed how much Moon loved to sing and offered up a guitar she wasn’t using anymore. Moon went home that same night and started teaching themself how to play using an app called Ultimate Guitar Tabs. “From that moment on, I never stopped writing,” they said.
What Moon writes about now is deeply autobiographical, and tenderly aimed at making space for people who’ve felt alone in what they’ve survived. “A lot of these experiences that I’ve been writing about and that I’m now sharing are experiences that I was once ashamed of,” they said. “Experiences that I felt like I was the only one experiencing.” The EP’s first single, “Game of House,” is already out, and Moon didn’t shy away from naming topics the project confronts head-on: coercion, grooming, and other subjects they said people often tell you to avoid. Crucially, Moon is clear that the record isn’t framed around fear and submission. “I’m writing from a place of power,” they shared. “It was just you who felt small enough to try and make me feel small.” That reclamation, from someone who felt frightened and belittled to someone singing from a place of recognition and control, is exactly what Moon hopes other survivors are able to take away from their songs.
Stepping into PVD’s local scene and getting their name out there has come with its own growing pains. Moon spent a long time in what they call “their little hole on the internet” before performing locally at all, and admitted being terrified the first time they stepped out into it. Looking back now, they wish they’d done it sooner. “I’ve made so many friends,” they said. “I’m so excited to work with like-minded people and hear about other people’s creative process. I think that human connection is really, really important right now.” Now, Moon has found real collaborators, including co-producer Space Cowboy Newt, and shared how transformative it was working with someone in a studio setting, after years of producing everything themself. “It was such a nice process to be able to let out everything I had been holding onto. Moon also recently signed with the local independent label Head Chunk Records. “They’ve been fantastic,” they said, “and we have a lot of exciting things coming up soon.”
Two of those things are already on the calendar. Moon’s slated to perform at PVDFest on September 19, a bigger venue than anything they’ve played to date. Additionally, they’ll be taking the stage again for their first-ever headlining show on October 10 at the Clubhouse Gallery in PVD. “I know there have been people on TikTok that have been waiting years for me to have a show, so that’s gonna be super fun,” Moon said.
“It’s a lot happening at once. Things are going really fast, and I kind of just have to keep the ball rolling,” they shared. “I am still processing through so much trauma and so much stuff, and I’m just trying to stay grounded through it all.” What keeps things from boiling over is the way Moon has chosen to sing about navigating through difficult passages. Instead of writing from a place of powerlessness, they’re addressing whoever hurt them directly and refusing to shrink. “My biggest thing I want to do is create a community of people around these experiences,” Moon said. “So that people can have a place to safely feel and grieve and not feel alone.” That’s what Moon is bringing to the stage this fall, finding power in pain and making sure no one has to sit and deal with those feelings by themselves.
Support Moon directly through the links in their IG bio @yourfriendm00n. Catch them at PVDFest on September 19, or at their headlining debut at the Clubhouse Gallery on October 10.