Making her name known from right here in Los Angeles in, budding songstress, Keira Moran. Born and raised in Alexandria, VA, Keira has been honing her craft since a young age. Keira attended the Frost school of music, and after graduating moved to Los Angeles in August 2017. With an impressive list of accomplishments and a spectacular musical repertoire, Keira is currently writing songs for artists and producers around the world.
Keira Moran dropped her latest track “Zombie” and it’s safe to say we’re hooked. “Zombie” welcomes both the melancholic embrace of a hypnotizing backdrop and the heartfelt, passionate connection of a song written with depth and intention. That balance is crucial, and really well executed. You relate to that honesty with that vulnerability within “Zombie”, and at the same time, it’s easy to turn up loud and escape within. Keira has mastered the art of melodic satisfaction, so the song lingers in your mind long after listening. Despite the lyrical depth, the track energizes and brings together everyone who has felt these emotions and been down these pathways. The moods vary throughout “Zombie”, proving Keira to be both a creative and versatile artist. An artist who is well worth tuning in for.
Listen to “Zombie” here and read more with Keira Moran below!
Hey Keira! We're so happy we can feature you and your latest music here on BuzzMusic! How do you feel your music has been developing over time?
Thanks so much for having me! When I first started getting serious about writing my own songs in high school, I was churning out mostly piano ballads. I’ve been playing piano since I was four so that’s what I was comfortable with. As I got more gigs I transitioned to pop-rock stuff because I love the energy of playing rock live with a band. This year I actually wiped all my past material from Spotify/iTunes etc. to start fresh with a new sound! Currently, I’m releasing electropop/dance-pop songs because it is important to me that the music I put out is what I listen to on a daily basis. Although anyone who has been to my live shows knows that I still play a lot of rock.
'Zombie' is an incredibly memorable and authentic single. Can you tell us more about how the creation process went for the song?
Thank you! Last October I was in a writing session with a producer I work with Carter Soso, and he had started a track that I was SUPER into. I was feeling festive and told him I wanted to write a Halloween song for the upcoming holiday. He advised me not to because we wouldn’t be able to finish the track and release it in time. I grudgingly agreed that he was right. So he turned around in his producer chair and continued working on the track as I wrote the lyrics and melody. About 30 minutes later he asked what I had come up with. And I sang “Zombie” for him! Because sometimes when you are inspired by something you have to write about that. He was obviously right that there wasn’t enough time to put out the track so we agreed to save the song and release it in October 2019. So here we are! I have been waiting a full year to show “Zombie” to the world and I’m so excited about it, so I’m glad you like it as well!
We know there's a deeper meaning and story behind "Zombie". Are you able to share with our BuzzMusic listeners what the song truly means to you, and where you drew your inspiration from?
Definitely! “Zombie” is about wanting someone so badly that your life feels incomplete without them. In fact, it feels like you are only half alive, like a Zombie. Maybe if you just had one more night with this person, that would be enough to revive you. But until that happens, you only see them in your dreams. You imagine them breathing next to you, then you wake up and they are gone. That is the basis for the lyrics. As far as the track goes, I really wanted to capture that fun Halloween spirit so you will hear lots of sound effects in there! In this sense, we took a lot of inspiration from Thriller. Over the pop synths, you can hear werewolf howls, vampire cackles, scary screams, etc. My personal favorite is a Zombie growl sample that Carter found so keep an ear out for that!
We’re so impressed by your songwriting abilities and achievements! What has been the most memorable achievement you’ve earned so far?
I’ve been blessed to be able to play a lot of cool stages and work with some amazing musicians, but I’ve got to say my favorite memory is how it all began. When I was in high school I entered my song “When I’m With You” into an online contest. Basically listeners vote for their favorite song and when you get to the final rounds, the song with the least number of votes gets eliminated each day. I was thrilled to even make it to the elimination round and when it was narrowed down to the top 5 it looked like I may even have a chance at winning! But it got very dramatic in the last few days because the girl who was in the lead started calling me names on Twitter once she saw my song climbing the ranks. That is kind of tough for a 16-year-old to have a stranger on the internet bashing you. And then I saw she was asking her followers to cheat the system by voting with bots. So I felt pretty discouraged but I really wanted to win so I asked everyone in my classes to vote for my song, I drove around to small businesses and asked them to put up signs for my song, and emailed every person I knew asking them to vote. In the last few hours of the contest, I was neck and neck with the girl but my song pulled out ahead! I was so excited I cried and I will never forget my family all went out to my favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate. The prize was a trip to the Kauai Music Festival where I learned so much about the music industry, met my first songwriting idol Jason Blume, met producers who helped me record my first album in Nashville, and met amazing songwriters that I am still friends with to this day. It was such an amazing experience that made me realize how much I wanted to pursue songwriting. If my hometown didn’t come through to support me for that one contest, I truly don’t know where I would be today.
Thanks for coming to BuzzMusic to talk with us about your recent music! What’s next for you artistically? Any plans to release a music video for 'Zombie'
My pleasure! There will be more electropop coming your way in 2020! And yes, I’m set to have a music video for “Zombie” out next week. Stay tuned!