As he dives headfirst into the music scene, Montel Moore is challenging himself as an artist.
“I think anybody can talk about sex, money and love – but to take the perspective of motivating and uplifting people is not easy,” Moore said. “This music is just me wanting to give back to the people I love – which is every human being on this planet – wanting to be a light in what some people may think is darkness in this world. That’s what I want to achieve.”
He released his debut single, “This Time” on Friday, May 11. The 26-year-old is thinking beyond the box of the subject matter of the typical R&B singer. But, he is not the traditional gospel singer either. “It’s really on the inspirational side,” Moore said. “ I’m not really dropping scripture or pushing Jesus in front of everyone directly – because I do want it to attract the unbeliever as well as the believer. It’s on the inspiration side, but strongly influenced by my Christian faith.”
“This time I’m holding on … this time I will be strong … this time … this time,” Moore belts with his rich tenor voice on the chorus of the track. His voice skews more along the gospel side, but it is laced with soul. He sings with intention on “This Time,” a song he wrote from personal experience.
“It was just a really tough time in my life,” Moore said. “I was making mistakes – and they were recurring mistakes. I got tired of reliving the consequences of my choices and actions.” He decided to express his struggles through song. His hope is that the song becomes an “aha” moment that compels listeners to move beyond patterns of poor decision-making and into a space of transformative change.
“I realized I’m not the only one in the world who has done this before,” Moore said. “I wanted to take my own personal experiences and put it into an art form that is easily relatable by everyone.”
The maturity and power in his voice coupled with the music’s message, one might assume that he started singing in church before he could remember – and this latest chapter is a continuation of a predetermined destiny of music ministry that has carried him from children’s choir to present day.
Moore grew up in church, but said he was never given the opportunity to flourish musically until he started attending Hope Church in his late teens. “That was the pivotal moment – when I joined Hope Church, they stood behind me so much. They challenged me,” Moore said. “I was completely uncomfortable – I wasn’t used to being in front of people singing. I wasn’t used to singing with a microphone. I wasn’t used to leading worship. But they put me in those situations so that I could then grow. Me being on that platform as one of the praise and worship leaders it helped me grow – not only as a worship leader, but as a vocalist.”
It was his time at Lindenwood University that led him on the path to pursue music as a career. He started working with vocal coach and professor Steven Slusher as a freshman. At first, the experience was a reality check for Moore.
“I was confident, perhaps a little bit cocky. He tore me down, but he built me back up in a way that allowed me to see, ‘I can really do this,’” Moore said. “Because of his inspired words I have confidence, but because of what he taught me I also have the humility and vulnerability to put myself out there as an artist.”
With his best friend Thomas Paden as producer, Moore started making music in their basements.
“We got the music to the point where we felt it was ready to go a more industry standard studio setting,” Moore said. “We brought it into the studio, tweaked it some more and there came ‘This Time.’”
“This Time” is the first in a series of singles Moore will be releasing in the coming weeks.
“I want to create enough buzz or hype so that I can do a GoFundMe for a full-length project and put on a large release concert,” Moore said. “Right now, it’s really just marketing and promoting and getting my name out there.”
He is hoping that his work will pay off with a national recording contract and that he will eventually be able to lend his music to film scores.
“That’s the sound we were going for with ‘This Time,’” Moore said. “Of course, I want the music to do well. But I’m in the mindset of ‘whatever God plans’ is that’s what I want to happen for the music.”
Listeners can stream “This Time” at Spotify, Amazon Music and 150 other digital sites. For more information on Montel Moore, email propheticsound98@gmail.com or visit facebook.com/ MontelMusic.
