Meet Moon Magic | Artist, MC, producer, educator, & professional tarot card reader

We had the good fortune of connecting with Moon Magic and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Moon, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m originally from the Inland Empire in Southern California. I was born in Riverside and grew up in Moreno Valley. I grew up in a low-income household. My parents are now divorced and growing up there was a lot of dysfunction, alcoholism, and abuse. As a result, I didn’t receive as a child a lot of the nourishment & guidance that I needed. I have 3 brothers and grew up in a male dominated family, so I often felt alone and misunderstood. I was left to my own devices & found validation in places that ultimately left me with a damaged sense of self. As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD the moment I stepped foot into a classroom, I was constantly being told I was too much and struggled socially to fit in. I got bullied a lot as a kid. I was a child who often found more company in teachers & books than in my own peers. I was always a daydreamer & escaping in my own imagination. When I was in the 6th grade, we began learning about poetry and I remember it feeling like the first time I felt I could do anything right. I had music groups with friends, wrote short stories, and poems. This is also around the time I first started listening to rap music. I wasn’t allowed to listen to the radio at the time, & grew up mostly listening to church music. There was something about the rawness & style of rap that really spoke to me. Music was always a part of my life. I can remember being very young, watching my grandmother play piano and sing for her church choir. Writing, poetry, and music started out as just an outlet to express myself as someone who often felt like they felt things too deeply. Yet, overtime it became this empowering space that gave me knowledge of self and allowed for me to be anything I wanted to be; to turn my pain into power. However, music was never presented to me as a possibility of being a legitimate career. The moment I learned about financial aid in high school, I dedicated everything I had to my schoolwork to ensure I had a ticket out of my situation. I went to college at Cal Poly Pomona; going to school in LA County, I was heavily influenced by the culture & scene. Being frustrated with our political system and the colonial structures of schooling I had experienced as a youth, I found my voice & identity emerging more and more in Hip Hop. I graduated college the summer of 2016 and felt really disillusioned by what was happening in the world. I was already battling with depression, anger, anxiety, and started dealing with my trauma from my childhood the year prior. It felt like I had opened Pandora’s box and it began to swallow me into a hole I didn’t know how to get out of. I was really fighting for my life and my art was my lifeline. It continued to be a place for me to express myself, question, unlearn, reflect, deconstruct, affirm who I was, self-discover, and create the world I desire. It’s truly been the only thing that makes anything in my world make sense. Due to my upbringing, I always really struggled with owning my voice, so I found myself to a point in my life where I couldn’t do anything else, but write and own who I was. Taking back what was taken from me, and rewriting my own narrative from a place of power rather than as a victim. Music has also been my journey of reclamation. I believe that my music reflects this honest, open and authentic journey of self-discovery and empowerment. After college, I moved to Sacramento and became a teacher. I wanted to be able to mentor and teach the next generation; in hopes that my influence could help someone else to avoid the pitfalls I experienced. Teachers have always been a saving grace in my life. I give much credit to my mentors who have guided me along the way. The person I am today is devoted to creating the reality that the younger me could never have dreamed of because she was too busy surviving in an environment that wasn’t meant for her to succeed. That to me is magic. The fact that I am here right now is magic! People everyday are doing things that are considered impossible, and that to me is magical. The fact that I’ve graduated college, got my Master’s degree, am a teacher, and now a full-time independent artist who never had any of those blueprints to begin with; that to me is magic. Despite how many times I’ve wanted to give up, felt misjudged, alienated or without support, I have continued to do what I love to do. I owe my abundance of perseverance and resilience, to my upbringing and to the challenges that left me with no choice, but to face them. Some of our greatest breakthroughs come from laying under the moon and embracing our shadows. Those experiences have shaped me into who I am today. As an artist today, I encourage others to tap into the well of magic within themselves as well and to never give up on creating a better world for themselves and others.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is really a glimpse into my world. A space that empowers myself to be my most authentic self, to believe in my own magic, and to hold space for the parts of myself that aren’t always accepted, but need to be seen. I hope my music finds those who feel alone like I did growing up. I hope my music also helps people feel confident to be themselves, rather than feeling like they have to hide or have to compartmentalize different parts of themselves in order to be accepted. The truth is a lot more fluid than breaking our backs trying to survive in a very binary world. I didn’t see many representations of alternative ways of existing outside the status quo growing up. Being a queer, neurodivergent white woman, who grew up in a diverse low-income community, identifies with the mystical, and is a Hip Hop artist, isn’t something you see everyday. My art represents the need for us to cut deeper and look at these difficult truths & shadows; yet be able to simultaneously hold space for joy, self-empowerment & magic to exist. I hope my music is a refreshing alternative to the current mainstream culture. I really believe in the power of our words. So I create music, using my words that conveys the world I want to see. I am most proud of my resilience and perseverance. My mom used to always say that I was the most fearless person she knew. I feel like I’ve had to fight every step of the way to own who I am; I’ve battled with mental health, addiction, self-hate, sexual abuse, domestic violence, abusive relationships, poverty, and countless insecurities. Now, I’ve sworn to not allow uninvited projections of me to completely derail me from my path. It’s been a struggle to even feel comfortable in my own skin and overcome my struggles with self-esteem. There is no blueprint for this independent artist life or life in general really, and I feel like I have had to build it from scratch every step of the way. Of course, I had a lot of helpful advice from mentors & friends along the way who have encouraged me too & for that I am super grateful. This path has been extremely hard and can be a very lonely one. I have had to learn a lot of tough lessons. What I thought this would be like when I first began and where it is now, is completely different. I’ve had to overcome burnout, disappointment, rejection, haters, self-doubt, and failure after failure. It’s also challenged me to dig deeper than I ever have before. I’ve learned many of the unspoken rules of the game so to speak from a lot of the mistakes I’ve made along the way. I am still learning, everyday. How to get better at this artform, how to take my skill to the next level, and how to overall just be a better human. I am most excited about the current project I’ve been working on with another artist named SpaceWalker. I feel like our music is really our prayer for the world. We have two singles out from the new project currently. “Take a Breath” & “Ghost Ride the Eclipse”. So many people are hurting and feel alone or lost. I hope they are able to cultivate joy, feel a sense of empowerment, and feel a little less alone when they listen. I am also working on releasing my first beat tape, a second self-produced album & have a lot of collaborative tracks coming out that I am really excited about. This is really my year to take it where I haven’t taken it before with the wisdom I’ve gained through my experiences. Everyday I get to do this, is a blessing, and may my music be an offering to the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There’s so much I’d want to do. In my ideal world, I’d be able to spend the whole week taking them to all my favorite spots and vibing with all my favorite people. It also depends who the friend is though because I’d also want to take them places that tailors to their unique interests too. We would def have to start the week off on a first Saturday. Midtown really comes alive on the weekends. We’d stroll around the grid checking out the different popups and farmer’s markets. We’d definitely grab a bite to eat during Happy Hour at Mas Tacos across from the Ace of Spades. Then, I’d take them to Old Sac. It’s a historic little area here in Sacramento that looks like you stepped out of an old western movie. It’s also right along the river and the sunsets are beautiful. The Souls of the City event during Dia de Los Muertos also happens in this location and it’s one of my favorite events of the year. There are always car cruises happening and you are sure to catch some classic cars cruising through the area. We would check out all the cute shops, and enjoy a sunset over the water. I would take them down to the Fox & Goose after for the Flip A Beat Club show. On Sunday, we’d head over to Sutter’s Landing Park and enjoy sometime on the water chatting & dialing into the nature around us. In the evening, we’d go to the Torch Club for Sunday Sessions with the LabRats and then dance the night away at the Press Club afterwards with DJ Larry. On Monday, we’d grab something to eat at Queen Sheba’s before heading over to the Motown Mondays Block Party to catch The Philharmonik and DJ Epik. On Wednesday, we would have to get a plate of Urban Fries at Jack’s Urban Eats and catch some laidback midweek tunes over at Shady Lady for the Lofi Vibe Sessions. On Friday, I’d take them to a Kings game at the Golden One Center. We would stroll around the DOCO and catch some late night vibes after dancing under the stars at the rooftop of Darling Aviary’s. If it was a third Friday of the month, we’d head over to TwelvesWax and cook up some beats with Flip a Beat Club. We’d end our nights vibing to dope music and in connection.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to start by shouting out my mom. She’s always been my number one supporter in my life. She would pick me up and take me to rehearsals, soccer games, etc. She encouraged me to pursue my passions. It was always like it was me and her against the world.
I also want to give a shoutout to my grandma. I’m named after her! Because of that, I’ve always felt an extremely close connection with her. She always had music, arts & crafts, and her garden —which was the most magical place to me as a kid. She helped raise me for portions of my life and I miss her incredibly.
I want to give a big shoutout to my mentors and family from Rhythm & Poetry. I felt like I could allow myself to be anything I wanted in such a loving environment. I thank them for truly loving me, holding space in community, and seeing me in my totality.
I want to shoutout the Miwok tribe here in Sacramento, Grandpa Razzle, Tio Greg and his family, for opening their doors to me during a time in my life where I truly felt lost & in need of direction. Thank you Yemi for taking me to ceremonies & our spirit talks in the midst of our activism work.
I want to also give a shout out my theater teachers, Mrs. Neve and Mr. Rockwell, for giving me the first platform to express myself creatively.
I want to shoutout the EOP family at Cal Poly Pomona for helping me get through college and the many other programs designed like EOP, that gave me opportunities as a low-income kid.
I want to shout out to my manager and also one of my closest friends, Amber King. Not only is she a great supporter of me and my music, but she is also an incredible friend. She is such a beautiful breath of fresh air in this line of work and not to mention, she helps to keep me grounded.
I want to shout out the whole team SoliBowl, Luna, and Gabby for continuously believing in me, rocking with me, and being part of this commitment to authenticity.
I want to give a shout out to my partner, Bru Lei. He’s also a Hip Hop artist and has been in the game for a long time. He’s helped mentor me through many things especially early on when it came to the basics like booking shows.
I want to thank all my teachers, mentors, fellow creatives I am blessed to rock with, and family who helped to give me some direction in life. I want to thank all my supporters, friends, and to those who really vibe with me. Just knowing my music and art has spoken to even one person really means the world to me, so thank you!

Website: https://www.moonmagicflows.com

Instagram: @moonmagicflows

Twitter: @moonmagicflows

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moonmagicflows

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@moonmagicflows

Image Credits
GabbyShesDope
FrankG
Baegod