A Quick Chat with moonsea
Naarm-based indie-pop luminary moonsea, also known as Cecilia Xu, has unveiled her latest single 'Sensitive', accompanied by a heartwarming music video. moonsea's music is a gentle balance of electronic and pop influences, weaving intimate and tender narratives. Born from the transformative mentorship of Sophie Payten (Gordi) and a deep love for classical music, moonsea emerged in 2022 with her debut single. Now with 'Sensitive', moonsea crafts a slow-building indie-pop anthem that radiates empowering energy, culminating in a euphoric celebration of emotional depth. The accompanying music video paints a poignant narrative of perseverance and captivation at the Moonville Talent show. We caught up with moonsea to find out more about her inspirations, her creative process and more.
Can you tell us what this track means to you and what you want people to take away from it?
I think that growing up is about finding out who you are and embracing the parts of you that you previously disliked. One of those parts for me was my sensitivity and emotional side.
I want people to listen to this song and feel validated, empowered and finally joyful. I think being sensitive is really cool.
Who are some of your influences and why?
I love Imogen Heap, she has this unabashed creativity that she’s always stayed true to, her melodies and music always feel familiar but completely new at the same time. Sara Bareilles – an amazing songwriter who is in full command of her craft and writes with so much vulnerability and truth. I also listened to a lot of pop rock growing up (The Proclaimers, Paramore, The 1975), Taylor Swift of course, and was exposed to a lot of jazz and folk through singing in choirs and vocal groups.
What's the creative process for you, from writing through to recording?
The writing part is usually me, keys and a bit of paper. The song either comes out in one go fully formed or as little bits over many months, there seems to be no in between. I’ll then record it as a voice memo, or make a demo on Logic with my ideas for production. This gets sent off to the producer (master magician – Xavier Dunn) and we schedule in a day to record. We made Sensitive in one day with only a few tweaks via email in the months following.
What do you think makes a great song?
So many different things: poignant lyrics, tasteful production, the way it builds as a whole, an unforgettable chorus… I suppose a really great song would have a combination of these things. I love songs that have a very clear intention and deliver on that. An example of a song I’m loving right now is “America Forever” off Gretta Ray’s sophomore album.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
I would love to sing a folk duet with Hozier. His music is so dark but also healing for me and his duet with Karen Cowley “In A Week” is one of my favourite songs of all time. I think if this ever happened my soul would feel complete and I would evaporate into pure happiness.
When not working on music, what other creative outlet/s do you have?
I’m into needlework, particularly embroidery and cross-stitch. I find it very therapeutic. Also if a pattern has a cat on it, I’m buying it.
Who are some local bands we should check out?
You have to check out Karlo Arcinue; beautiful singer, songwriter and guitarist. I recently played a gig where I got to hear him afterwards and was blown away.
Winter or summer and why?
Summer for sure. Long days that stretch into balmy evenings, naps on the beach, watermelon scooped with a spoon and here in Australia -- families together for the holidays.
What else do you have planned for 2023?
I’ll be playing a few local gigs and gearing up for my next release in early 2024.