We had the opportunity to interview 17 year old Albany-based rock singer – Moriah Formica. You may recognize her from her time on NBC’s The Voice, opening for Halestorm or Michael Sweet (Stryper), or perhaps her own original music. Either way, she is a total powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with in the rock scene.
Shannon Wilk – Who is your biggest musical inspiration?
Moriah Formica- “Over the years it’s been Evanescence, like Amy Lee, Halestorm. But recently I think it’s been Lady Gaga, actually”
Shannon – Have you ever gotten to seen any of them in concert?
Moriah – “Yeah. I’ve seen Evanescence before and actually, one of my songs I did with Michael Sweet from Stryper, his solo album called Can’t Take This Life, the drummer from Evanescence actually is the one who played on that song. So, that’s pretty cool. And then Halestorm I actually got to play a couple shows with them too, and we hung out for a little bit. So, yeah. I haven’t gotten to meet Lady Gaga though, I really want to meet her.”
Shannon – If you could tour with any bands who would you want to tour with?
Moriah – “I’d love to tour with Halestorm. It would be really cool to tour with Evanescence. I’d really love to tour with In This Moment, they’re great. Probably Korn. I think that would be so awesome.”
Shannon – What is the meaning behind your single, “I Will”?
Moriah – “I Will is I guess just kind of the title of the song. I will do everything in my power to make sure I keep my life going and no one is going to stop me and nothing is going to stop me. It’s kind of about climbing the mountain of life and do everything in your power to stay alive.”
Shannon How old were you when you discovered you could sing like that?
Moriah – “When I started singing, I was maybe 9 or 10. I was 9, so I didn’t really know what a good voice was supposed to sound like. I just kind of sang and I guess I paid attention to people’s reactions. Then I was like ‘Oh, I’m a good singer.’ I didn’t realize that I could truly, truly sing, until I was maybe 12 or 13.”
Shannon – What was it like to sing with Michael Sweet on Can’t Take This Life ?
Moriah – “It was awesome. It was amazing. It was a lot of fun. He came up here where I live in New York and we went in the studio and we just kind of recorded it in one day and we just had a lot of fun together. I was really nervous because it was kind of low in my range. So I’m like oh my gosh what if i sound like crap singing it. But it went really well and it was a lot of fun, a very humbling experience.”
Shannon – What song means the most to you off “Bring It On”?
Moriah – “That’s a really good question. I mean obviously they all have their different meanings, but I guess, I think it would be Slave. That would be the one that still means the most to me today because it really is true in all aspects of life. You just can’t be a slave to anything or anyone. That’s something that I still go through today and something I have gone through in the past. So, I guess that song is the one that means the most to me. My goal with that song is to help people through things. I want people to take that song and kind of apply it to their own lives. I think that is one of the songs that is very universal and anyone can apply it to any situation in their lives.”
Shannon – What is your favorite song to cover live?
Moriah – “Right now my favorite one would be “Paris” By Grace Potter, or “Call Me” by Blondie.”
Shannon – If you could meet any celebrity, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Moriah – “Definitely Lady Gaga, just because I am like so in love with her and I just think that she’s just a genuine incredible person and her music is amazing and I would love to be in the presence of such a genuine, sweet, amazing, talented, genius person. She’s amazing.”
Shannon – You recently released a song with rapper King James III, was that different from what you normally do?
Moriah – “Yeah, that was a very different experience. There wasn’t as much work put into it, that’s not like a diss or anything. It’s just the truth. With the type of music that I make, we have people come in, and we play instruments, and record it and mix it and all that stuff. But I guess with all that stuff, and that kind of music I guess you just set up a synth pad and keyboard and play your music from there. So I had all the music already and I just recorded it up here. That’s kind of it with that. That was a very different experience.
Shannon – Do you plan to explore any other genres like that in the future?
Moriah – “Yeah, I actually have been writing a lot of songs lately that are more mainstream, but are still kind of true to myself. Maybe not that specific genre, I don’t love that kind of rap. But definitely more R&B and maybe a little pop, kind of Demi Lovato-ish. I’ve just been trying to find a new sound to bridge rock and mainstream together, to appeal to a broader audience.”
Shannon – Was it hard to decide who you were going to choose as your coach on The Voice, right on the spot?
Moriah – “I thought that it would be hard, but once I got up there and listened to everybody talk, it wasn’t really that hard. Even though, I had a completely different person in my mind when I went. Like I thought, I’m definitely picking Adam, cause he’s a rock guy. But then everyone started talking and I really felt a connection with Miley. I gravitated toward her.”
Shannon – What was the biggest lesson Miley taught you?
Moriah – “The biggest lesson she taught me was anything could happen, anything can turn out either way, no matter how you think it’s going to turn out. Cause I definitely didn’t expect to go home, so I think that that’s what she taught me.”
Shannon – What can we expect from you in the future?
Moriah – “Just expect me to not stop, I guess you can expect me to come out with a different sound. Playing more shows, and I hope to do more co-writes. And just expect to keep hearing from me.”
Shannon – Is it hard to focus on school in the mayhem of the road?
Moriah – “It definitely was, I actually just graduated this year, so thank god that’s over. But it was definitely hard. Especially my senior year because that was the year all The Voice stuff was happening and it was definitely really hard to stay on top of my grades and know who’s your friend and who’s not being fake.”
Shannon – Do you get annoyed when people ask what it’s like to be a female in rock?
Moriah – “I don’t really get annoyed, but I just don’t see the point in the question. I understand that everybody has different experiences and people in the past may have not taken you so seriously but thank god to people like Joan Jett and Lzzy Hale and Pat Benatar and Ann Wilson and all these awesome people that have paved the way for young female rockers. I don’t think it’s as prevalent in the rock community anymore, at least in my experience. It’s definitely different for everybody to experience, depending on where you are, and how you’ve been brought up in your career. But for me I don’t really notice it that much and most people’s experiences are very positive. And thank god I have the same opportunities.”
Shannon – What is your favorite venue you’ve played and what is a venue you would like to play that you haven’t yet?
Moriah – “Probably, the Bluestem Amphitheater in Minnesota and that’s because the sound was so amazing. It was so good, it was just real good quality sound. I think that place, and somewhere where I’d like to play… there’s so many places I haven’t played yet. Probably, this is really cliche, but Madison Square Garden, in the way, way future.”
Shannon – If you got the opportunity do design a signature model guitar would you take it?
Moriah – “Oh yeah, oh my gosh, that is like my dream. I would love to make a signature guitar. I actually am in the process of customizing a guitar now with the people I’m endorsed by ESP. I really hope to make that a signature guitar because nobody has a guitar like that.”