Interview: Betty Moon

Songwriter, producer and larger than life persona Betty Moon last month dropped the new single ‘Runaway’, which comes from her recently released album ‘Hellucination’. The song is the third single from ‘Hellucination’ and is the follow-up to ‘Save My Soul’ and ‘Crazy (What You Make Me)’.

With ‘Hellucination’ being one of Moon’s most successful and critically praised albums to-date, “Runaway” perfectly balances her eclectic mix of rock, electronic and pop sensibilities that have put her on the ballot for multiple GRAMMY nominations. With her tracks “Save My Soul” and “Crazy (What You Make Me)” in the running for the prestigious nominations, Moon looks to keep the excitement moving with this infectious and pulsing new single that takes the listener from their headphones to the dance floor. 

Betty Moon is on this years’ Grammy ballot for the following nominations:

Best Pop Solo Performance 
Best Music Video 
Song Of The Year 
Record Of The Year

Betty Moon has roots in Canada and has been releasing music since her 1991 major label debut via A&M Records. ‘Hellucination’ was released in Summer 19’ to enthusiastic media and radio coverage with the full length producing other notable singles including ‘Save My Soul’ and ‘Crazy (What You Make Me)’. 

Since her early days in both the Toronto and Los Angeles music scenes, Betty has continued to defy industry trends, earning worldwide retail airplay, online and college radio rotation and record numbers via over 10,000 Spotify followers, 1.6M+ Facebook fans and over 50,000 followers on Instagram. Her most recent releases have also had media coverage from Huffington Post, Billboard, L.A. Times, Alternative Nation, Stencil Magazine, Exclaim!, Spill Magazine, Tattoo.com and even The Wall Street Journal for her achieved success. ‘Runaway’ is available now and both ‘Hellucination’ and the single can be streamed via retail music outlets worldwide.

We managed to catch up with Betty as she talked about her latest single and more!

So how has the release of Runaway gone down so far?

It’s been great! We released “Runaway” sort of last minute to build additional interest around the album (Hellucination) and having 4 shots at a Grammy by being on the ballot for next year. It’s really exciting stuff and I always like having something fresh to put into the world. The track is on Spotify and Apple Music now, and we may just have a music video coming up shortly. 

Can you tell us something about the single no one else knows?

Well, for those who haven’t listened to the track is actually about “not running away” and facing tough life situations. I think it’s very relatable, and each listener will take it their own way. The song almost didn’t make the album, as it was up against over 20 tracks total. As a creative it was really tough to trim it down and just go with the ones that fit best.

What was your favourite moment making the single?

Well, the entire process is always fulfilling and half the fun. I was excited to get some more rock-driven tracks on this album so laying down a solid foundation with the guitar, bass and drums is always interesting and takes me back to my musical roots. Once you finish an album you always realize the process behind making the music is really where you find the most happiness as an artist.

If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?

It would be a dream to work with Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age on something new. I love their production style and have always been fascinated with the desert rock culture and sound. Or the DeLeo brothers from Stone Temple Pilots. That would be on the rock end of the spectrum, though. For electronic style music we’ll have to save that for a different site. Ha ha! 

What’s the music scene like in LA at the moment and do you find it different to Toronto?

There’s just way more venues, artists, genres of music and more more more. LA is where a lot of everything goes down outside of Nashville and New York. The level of expertise in the industry here is monumental, both behind the scenes, in studios and of course business. Toronto has some great places and lots of clubs to play at, but LA just dwarves everyone with so much going on. There’s no shortage of things to do and concerts to check out. It’s just a more vibrant scene and I’ve always been happy to be part of it and to contribute to it.

How proud are you to be on the ballot for Grammy nominations for 4 categories?

It’s mind blowing, really. I was confident that as time went on something would work, but now it’s validating that the work is paying off. It’s really a signal to keep moving quickly and smart, and that staying in the game, writing good music and being creative is the best way to get places.

Will you be touring at all this year or early next year?

Yes, we are lining up some plans with the band for 2020 and I’m anxious to get back to doing some fun shows.  I’m also working with some really exciting new producers and co-writers so it’s hard to juggle all of it and leave town. Sometimes I wish I could be several people but I’m just one person known as Betty Moon. I even have difficulty keeping up with myself and this insane work schedule. But I wouldn’t have it any other way and I do feel blessed to be in the position that I’ve found myself in. So hey.. follow me on Facebook, Instagram and to bookmark my site to check the latest. www.BettyMoon.com