A Quick Chat with Mo•Louie

Tell us a little bit about the track - what is the message or meaning? 

Touch Me is a chaotic dance anthem that expresses owning your chaotic, sexy, messy, slutty, crazy self while melting into the night with dancing bodies and throbbing bass.

The vision for Touch Me is to show the darker, consensual side of being touched , looking at it more as being in a space of pain and messiness but still being able to experience pleasure physically.

This song came about after I had an awful day, my mental health & emotions were all over the place, but I looked fucking fantastic. I went out that night and just owned the mess I was in, and used the music, alcohol & bodies around me to escape. There is a state of euphoria that music can transport you too, and when I listen to Touch Me, that’s exactly where I go. 

You’ve had three releases this year - what has been the commonality behind your releases? 

I’ve injected myself into my music in a way that best expresses the artistic world in my brain. I grew up thriving in environments like fine art, experimental theater, jazz, drag & mental illness (lol), and in these 3 tracks I’ve really embraced this side of me. I’ve really dipped back into that world and have noticed that the commonality between these environments is play. ‘Play’ is very important to me as an artist, particularly when working with others, I love to try new  things, improvising & challenging the status quo. For example, Touch Me is a dance/alt/pop track, traditionally pop has one main upfront vocal, however I’ve voiced 3-4 main vocals at the same level (& panned L-R) to represent feeling high or drunk and I love how it sounded. Moses Carr & I particularly had fun playing with the production, we re-sampled samples, stretched, reversed, made sound effects and foley to get the sound that made us go YES! I had to have an emotional reaction to the sound (eg a melting synth, an interjected sample). 

Take us through the visual world of your track? 

I had a very clear vision for Touch Me, I wanted a simple set up; just a spotlight and a killer look. I was drawn to having yellow oily/wet hair because it’s vibrant & unnatural and I love that. With the makeup I wanted it to be messy & fierce. I wanted to work with a designer that encompassed the messy, wild, euphoric world of this song. I love Lupa J’s looks and remember watching her clip for A New Kind of Magic and was obsessed with the fashion. I found the designer (Something Shit) and reached out to the designer Terzan (who is such a beautiful lovely human!) and hired some accessories for the clip & images that really brought the world to life. Bonn really captured the images & videos exquisitely, we were on the same wavelength in terms of vision so it was so easy to work with her and she really went above and beyond to capture these iconic images! 

What does writing music mean to you?
It means everything. I associate music with some of the best & worst times in my life. People consciously and subconsciously create soundtracks for their lives, particularly me, and I write music to figure things out in my life. It’s an incredible tool for expression and catharsis and a beautiful way to escape and connect. It. Is. Everything. 

You shared a post supporting other artists on your socials - how have you found your community through music? 

Oh always! The community of artists I am part of are a big part of why I keep going. I’m inspired by & in awe of their talent and creativity. They are some of the hardest workers I’ve ever met that just have a passion and drive to express their art. I did have a very passionate rant on insta about the lack of support for pop/avant-garde/alt/electronic artists in the aus industry. There is a massive imbalance in the industry at the moment, independent artists (fucking brilliant ones) have little to no power. Artists spend thousands of dollars just to release 1 single, it’s fucking crazy and not sustainable, and not only are they spending thousands of dollars they are also doing their own image & video editing, photoshoots and video shoots, pr, social media campaigns, which takes the time away from upskilling and working on your craft as an artist. Sure in the beginning it makes sense to invest in your business and experience self releasing, but what I consider to be seasoned and well known aussie artists they are still doing this. Crazy.  Us artists talk about this all the time so it’s wonderful that we turn to each other and create our own support system to lift each other up. Shout out to artist Frank Gonzo who started an incredible initiative ‘Breakfast Club’ A cozy meetup for music creatives to discuss the industry, share insights, and build a supportive community. The one I went to was so amazing and loved listening to everyone’s views and having an open discussion with other like minded creatives trying to navigate in this intense industry. 

Is this the last track for the year and what does it signify? 

Yes it is, this track is also the last track of my project grant from Creative Victoria. I feel very appreciative and proud of wrapping up the year & project with this song. It is my absolute favourite and I love the visuals for it! 

How are you going to celebrate? 

I’ve decided to do something a little different for my release. As this is the last song of my Creative Victoria grant project I wanted to celebrate the release by having an exhibition and celebration of all the incredible artists involved. Held at Low Key (Northcote), on display will be pieces/works from my singles released this year; Signs (April 23), Hold You (Aug 23) and this single Touch Me. There will be displays of the pieces I wore by incredible designers Jarrod Reid, Something Shit & Vintage Garage, plus pieces from the set, demos of the tracks, BTS videos and clips running on loop and photography artwork by photographer Bonn Creativ. 

What’s the plan for next year?

My plan for next year is to throw myself into music full time (which is exciting & scary). After my trip to Germany writing music at Popakademie for International Songwriters Week, I just realised how much I love this environment and doing it all week was so inspiring and felt like such an accomplishment. It just gave me that nudge to push myself to follow my passion. I’ve been really fortunate to get some mixing & production gigs after I finished uni, so I am spending next year producing, recording, mixing for other people, upskilling, interning, collaborating and Mo•Louie stuff of course! I really look up to female producers and artists like Becki Whitton (Aphir), Alice Ivy and Anna Laverty. I would love to be in their shoes one day representing a successful minority in this industry.