Teedra Moses to release new EP later this summer
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Teedra Moses performs at Essence Fest in 2021. Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images
The first time Teedra Moses got the invite to perform at Essence Fest, the New Orleans-born singer relied on a GoFundMe to actually make the trip.
Why it matters: A lot has changed since then, but Moses is still the same scrappy, independent artist, and she's returning to perform at Essence on Sunday.
What she says: "The cool thing about something like that, being indie and having a GoFundMe and people showing up [for you,] that's community," she tells Axios New Orleans. "That gets missed sometimes with artists who have more financial support."
- "Not just a community of peers, a community of people who appreciate what you do," she says. "Plus, nobody can tell me what to do."
Between the lines: Moses' debut record, "Complex Simplicity," helped her make a name for herself, but also is a rare LP for the artist.
- Instead, Moses has spent much of her career releasing singles and EPs even while "Complex Simplicity" continues to serve her growth.
- "It's got a freshness to it I didn't intend," she says. "I intended to make timeless music that can always feel brand new to someone. … I literally hear people say, 'I just learned about you. I just learned about your album.' ... They're always referring to 'Complex Simplicity.'"
Zoom in: Moses is an Essence Fest regular, and this year, she's looking forward to catching Usher's performance when he celebrates the 20th anniversary of "Confessions."
- "He's got the chokehold on me," she laughs.
What's next: Moses is working on new music, including an EP to drop later this summer that examines a recent relationship, she says.
- "You just make things happen. You go get what you want. You pull in what you want," she says. "I happened to pull in trash. … These are all the songs I was writing about when I pulled this trash into my life."