Kayla, Andrew, and Kaitie from the pop band Moody Joody chatted about their new music and being a part of the digital age.
How did “OOPS!” come about?
Kayla: A little bit New York City writing magic in the winter with Scott, a little bit of inspiration by the Ting Tings, a little bit of post break up crashing out with a cheeky little IDGAF attitude and voila! OOPS!
Kaitie: I remember us being exhausted this day in the studio, which somehow turned into us being hyper and next thing we knew Scott and Andrew were playing bongos, we’re recording a bunch of “woooowoo’s” and “oh nooo!’s” and just having so much fun with it.
What was it like working with Grammy nominated hitmaker Scott Harris on it?
Kayla: Working with Scott on OOPS! in New York was such an incredible experience. Over the course of the last few years, we’ve developed such a fluid, fun, dynamic process around creating authentic Moody Joody music together.
That synergy has really helped us create some of the best Moody Joody music we’ve made thus far that I can’t wait for everyone to hear on the album.
Scott has always come alongside what we’re doing / building while elevating us and bringing a fresh perspective on things we might not normally inherently do in the studio or think of melodically or lyrically. He challenges us in the best way.
Andrew: I think the song started with Scott playing that main riff on either guitar or bass. We were just jamming in the room, and it felt so fun and cheeky and totally different for us.
We’re so lucky to get to work with Scott a bunch. He really understands and complements our vision, but he’s also really good at pushing us into new territory and out of our comfort zones.
What inspires your music and songwriting?
Kayla: Generally speaking- lived experiences in life, love, being a woman, heartbreak, upbringing.
Storytelling is really the basis of what makes me want to alchemize life experiences into art and the ability for us as a band to create music that others can relate to, heal with, throw on before going out, or whatever and however it makes its way into someone’s experience because that’s the part that feels the most honoring and sacred to me.
Kaitie, Andrew and I all have different musical influences and tastes but still have overlap that really bleed through to create a fun blend of genre sonically, which is really showcased in the new music!
Kaitie: I feel very inspired by storytelling and romanticizing life’s moments no matter how big or small. Moody Joody feels like an outlet for us to create more magic, energy, and emotion in life.
Musically speaking, I am inspired by a wide range of artists, but the common denominator is honesty and vulnerability.
Whether that’s serious, playful, happy, sad, outrageous, whatever the feeling is, I just love when people are honest and give people a space of connection.
What’s it like navigating the music world as a trio in today’s digital age? (Now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent)
Kayla: I think that like many other artists, navigating socials has been a journey with a learning curve.
At the end of the day, showing up authentically and putting ourselves out there to connect with fans, whether that be someone that discovered us at a show or that found our band on a social platform, is so rewarding because you get to build that connection.
The benefit of all of it with streaming, social media, playlisting, etc is that so much music discovery can be direct from us to fans which is really cool when you think about it.
I posted a TikTok rolling silverware at my waitressing job and talking about feeling like Hannah Montana with a double life while prepping for our ACL debut and some people came to our ACL set because they saw that video and wanted to support us.
You never know how and why people will relate to what you’re creating! We try to just have fun with it and make the most of connecting!
What is your advice for young and aspiring artists?
Kayla: My advice to young and aspiring artists would be to always bet on yourself and to trust your instincts!
Andrew: I would say just find what feels authentic to you and follow it. Don’t get caught up in what other people are doing or what you think other people want to hear. You will find your people by just being persistent in being yourself.
Kaitie: Don’t make music based off what you think people want to hear, what’s trending or what you think ‘might stick’ in that moment. Just trust yourself, your taste and your art and it will resonate with the right people!
What do your plans for the future include?
Kayla: Concrete plans: put out an album !!! Hopefully touring as much as possible in 2026!
Kaitie: We are currently working on an album, so there is a lot of new music coming! Also, shows shows shows!
Andrew: Definitely a lot of shows in the new year as well!
What does the word success mean to you?
Kayla: In so many ways there’s already been times where I’d say the band feels conventionally “successful” as we continue to grow – we’ve toured the US, signed a record deal, this year played our first major festival, had a song recognized by Rolling Stone.
I would say all of those things are major accomplishments we’ve achieved but also we are big dreamers so the goals and the dreams never stop.
We want to play arenas and headline major festivals and have a Billboard No. 1, but in other ways, success doesn’t always feel like it can be measured by accolades.
We show up everyday and work towards a bigger dream we all have for ourselves and to me, being present in the journey and the showing up in and of itself feels like a success.
Andrew: I think the goal post is always moving, but at the end of the day the ability to connect with people and sustain a career doing so in any capacity is what I would consider success.
Kaitie: my dream scenario is that I’m creating music that gives people comfort and connection, playing shows, always pushing myself and being able to support myself and others in their dreams while doing so.
There are so many goals that I’d love to reach along the way but that’s at the core of it all.
What would you like to say to your fans about the new music?
Kayla: Gear up for an emotional roller coaster! They don’t call us moody for nothing!
Kaitie: This is definitely the most honest we’ve been in our writing. There’s a wide range of emotions that come along with each song and we just hope to relate and connect with all of you on that as we all navigate life together.
“OOPS!” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Moody Joody, follow them on Instagram.
