Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Mozy.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
When I was in high school, a couple of friends introduced me to music that was not in the mainstream, and I immediately connected with that scene which led me to start playing music. My mom bought me a guitar, and I taught myself how to play by listening to these new bands I loved. Shortly after becoming somewhat capable (maybe six months into playing), I was fortunate to connect with a singer/multi-instrumentalist. We formed a band that included a founding member of No Doubt’s legendary rock band. Having my first-ever band practice next to a platinum record was intimidating but motivating!
Through that band and the one that followed, I was fortunate to meet incredible musicians and people in the industry. That also led to friction and not having the same goals as other members, so I left the band life for another career. Years passed before I looked up and saw several songs I had written that I wanted to get out there, so the next challenge was to learn how to sing. Again, it was time spent figuring it out with my guitar and voice. Since then (March 2021), I’ve written about one song a month, including my first single, All The Way, released everywhere on July 15, and played some great shows with fantastic artists. Much more is in the works!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The real big obstacle as far as leaving music was just that life got in the way. Careers start, families form and it becomes more difficult to get people together to be in a working band. And the fact that I didn’t sing, it was band or nothing until early last year when I got back into it.
I would never say that being a dad is a struggle because I love every second of it, but it does change what you want in life and can shift your course. Now, I get my greatest joy in sharing music with my kids and showing them that you can go after what you want and do what you love. It’s just as much about and for them as it is for me, and that’s pretty special.
Deciding to get back into music during a pandemic also proved challenging with closed venues. For the first several months, it meant I was in my music room feeling everything I was going through personally and producing songs from those feelings. While the songwriting has come surprisingly easy so far (thankfully!), I’m still putting a lot of effort and time into my vocals and performances, two things that are not natural for me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
This path pursued me, to be honest. It has always been pretty clear that I’m not cut out to be a “9-5er.” When I have been, it’s affected my mood and overall happiness. While needing to be calculated and perfect in some aspects, my brain has always been chaotic with thoughts flying around everywhere, at all times, including songs that usually come to me randomly when I’m not expecting them. Some say I’m pop; some say I’m country, so I’m pop country (ish)! I’d caution that I think the country part is pushing it with me as the artist, but some of my songs could be that style with a singer from that genre. When I got back to music, the goal was to post a video of me singing to overcome that hurdle. But now it’s gone way beyond that, which is incredibly exciting – sold out debut show in front of many friends and family, released a single, shot a music video, etc. – so that’s what I’m proud of.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role you feel it’s played for you?
I’m lucky enough to have had those previous experiences in bands and exposure to the industry when I was living in California. Even though the space has shifted dramatically since then, many things I learned are still relevant – how to write a song, market yourself, book a show, and so much more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chrismozy.bandcamp.com/
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/chris.mozy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisMozy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWhXZbDjPks
