Music and activism are not diverging forces for Olivia Pierce, who performs under the name Moyana. Rather than separate her interests in music from her interest in activism, Moyana has created a sweet artistic life that balances her creativity with her goal of improving the lives of others, especially children.
“I really do believe in the power of music education to support kids in their mental health,” she said.
Whether it is the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic or the rise and proliferation of artificial intelligence or the ever-increasing presence of social media, Moyana uses the power of music to provide therapeutic change within her students and her community.
This comes as no surprise after examining the musician’s background.
“I’m really passionate about music education and uplifting the next generation of artists in the same way that I had people pour into me,” she said.
Music was an important part of her childhood. Her father, a drum major at Tuskegee University, always harbored dreams of becoming a music teacher and regularly played the saxophone. Jazz poured through the speakers of her home and her bedtime routine often included her father playing his own self-recordings of Nat King Cole covers.
“I think that led me to connect music with community and love, like a feeling of safety,” she said.
That rich musical background eventually turned into her own pursuit of music, including singing in church and learning how to play the bass guitar and piano. Eventually, she began recording at the Best Buy teen tech center in Minneapolis, where her mentor taught her how to produce, record and stack her vocals. This interest in music eventually led to Northwestern University, where she pivoted from being a biology major on the pre-med track to studying musicology at the university’s School of Music.
Now, she splits her time between working as an agency associate with Big Fish Booking Company and as a teaching artist with the Chicago Opera Theater and the Lyric Opera. Permeating through all of her pursuits is a through line of change, possibility, and hope.
“I try to address the full range of human emotions in my music so that I’m not just making a song that’s super painful and then leaving the listener to sit in that feeling for the rest of the day,” she said. “I also think it’s really important to balance speaking about harder issues with also making space for love and for joy and for laughter and for songs that people can just dance to. I think — well, I believe, in terms of my politics — that centering only anger and emotion to bring about change can be detrimental to the person who is feeling that.”
Her artistic vision can be heard most recently on her debut album, titled “Patchwork.” Moyana incorporates elements of neo-soul, R&B, jazz, and even gospel influences to craft a 10-track record about growth. “Must Be Love” is a delightful nostalgia-laden earworm. Album opener “Cages,” made with frequent collaborators I.C.y and producer 7vnth features eclectic instrumentation floating through the track, a song that encourages the listener to “let the walls come down.” “Grown,” a rich, warm album closer, delights the ear with repeating horns and fully stacked vocals that wrap around the listener. Using a metaphor of growing a plant from a seed, the track focuses on celebrating coming into one’s own. Overall, “Patchwork” homes in on the importance of breaking out of one’s comfort zone and the fear and anxiety that naturally manifest through that.
“(You’re) worrying about whether you can actually achieve your goals or not, and then ultimately realizing that those more painful moments are what allow you to become the stronger, more well-rounded person that you are today,” she added.
Since the release of her record, Moyana has gained a number of major opportunities, including a headlining show at Beat Kitchen in January, a distribution deal, a set at Lollapalooza with the John Walt Foundation, and a slot as a voting member of the Recording Academy in Chicago. This weekend, she’ll take part in the inaugural Edgewater Music Festival, where she’ll perform reimagined versions of her songs.
“I just want to create an experience that can uplift people and encourage them as we move into the end of the year,” she added.
Later, she has a Tiny Shelf Concert at Call & Response Books. To accompany the performance, she compiled a reading list of books by Black women and femmes that connect to the themes of her music.
“I’m really passionate about connecting music and education in a way that can be helpful for other people and make it more accessible so that you don’t have to get a music degree,” Moyana added.
A music video for the track “Must Be Love” on “Patchwork” is also in the works, as well as two new songs, “Afrofuturism” and “Shadow Work,” which will display a newer element to Moyana’s music, rap singing. This new artistic style is just an additional piece of the puzzle that makes her so compelling. She is never afraid to step outside of the box and she hopes her music can encourage others to do the same.
“Growth isn’t something that one does once, whether they are making music or approaching other areas of their life. I think relearning that lesson is a beautiful place to be because then you can sort of blossom and bloom in different ways,” she said.
Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
3 p.m. Sept. 6 at the Edgewater Music Festival at Broadway and Thorndale Avenue; $10 suggested gate donation, edgewater.org/edgewater-music-fest
7 p.m. Sept. 13 at Call & Response Books, 1390 E. Hyde Park Blvd.; tickets are $28.52 at eventbrite.com