Sound African-Dutch singer Joya Mooi has released her latest single, ‘Most Frail.’ This song comes after ‘Remember’ and is the voice of this singer and songwriter speaking of the generation of her father who was in exile in Angola.
Joya shows off her talent in this song. For a second there, at minute 1:06 – 1:23, I thought I was listening to Giveon, but it’s still Ms Mooi playing with her voice.
The single was released with intention. Joya Mooi says she is working on a new album.
“I am working on an album I want to release this year. I am still working on it so I don’t have a date yet. But it’s gonna be a very personal album,” she said.
The SA-Dutch artist has released 4 projects since 2013, with the most recent release being her EP, Blossom Carefully.
Fun fact, Joya Mooi says the first song she ever wrote and released is titled Beyond of You, which she goes on to say is a love song.
When Joya is not getting high on her own supply, she is listening to Jasmine Sullivan.
Joya said, “She released her album on Tiny Desk and I made a playlist on spotify. It’s called hazy daze and it’s my blend of easy instruments to relax to and jazz.”
Joya has released quite a few projects between 2013 and 2020. She details how she has grown over the years. Her growth includes finding her identity, which she expresses in her 2019 album.
“I don’t know because every project I release has a different sound because I want to discover new stories within myself and find a sound for it. So every project speaks to me but the album that I am most vulnerable and personal with is ‘the ease of others’ – it stands out because it mentions both my family side,” said Joya.
Joya Mooi’s jazz sound in her music comes from her parents who listened to jazz. She has blossomed more by infusing other sounds such as Indie R&B, Pop and soul.
“I think I am quite influenced by the music they listened to when they were younger. My parents met in Angola, so I am used to Semba, Angola music. They were jazz heads so there were a lot of Hugh Masekela, Miles Davis, etc,” she said.
Joya’s expression of her best moments in music is proof that we don’t have to win big awards to appreciate our talents. Freedom to express ourselves artistically is a blessing on its own.
She said, “I really enjoyed playing with the Metropole Orchestra, a Pop and Jazz Orchestra based in the Netherlands and that was in Amsterdam some years ago. And just in general to be able to release music independently, to be able to decide when I release, free in my artistry.
It’s essential for me to feel freedom.”
Surprisingly, Joya Mooi has never performed live in SA and her plans to join our stages have been put on hold due to the travel ban.
“Planning shows again, hopefully, I am hoping to perform live in SA because I have never performed live in SA,” said Joya.
You can follow Joya Mooi on Instagram for updates on the release of her next project.
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