Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamal Moore.
Hi Jamal, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey, like most musicians, started in church. My mom encouraged my sister and me to be very active in the church whether it was as an usher, junior deacon, or member of the choir. As I got older, my musical interest shifted more to the drums because my dad was a funk drummer and had his own bands around the city. My parents knew that music was what made me happiest so they began to nurture my gifts by allowing me to explore various instruments, attend John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, and allowed me to participate in various outside performance ensembles such as Creative Impressions; a teenage performance ensemble comprised of talent from the entire county. I studied with several notable teachers/directors such as Evelyn Ellis, James Dunaway, Patti Myers, and Donna Foerster who exposed me to different genres and various aspects of music history. I knew that music was what I wanted to do every day for the rest of my life so I did everything to make that happen.
After high school, I attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and studied vocal performance with Professor Jan Opalach; An incredible bass-baritone and storyteller who understood my love for various genres of music. He supported my dream of wanting to be a multi-genre vocalist and allowed me to spread my wings to make that dream come to life. With his support, I joined an Acappella group called the University of Rochester YellowJackets and met one of my best friends, Aaron Sperber. As fellow classical singers who loved exploring other genres of music, we pushed one another to be our best selves and bring the best out of our group mates. Because of that work ethic, our group was cast to be a part of Season 3 of NBC’s The Sing-Off. Shortly after, we went back to school, completed our degree programs, and decided that we needed to see and perform for more of the world.
Over the next five years, our newly formed band The Exchange released several albums, toured over 60 countries, opened for the Backstreet Boys: In A World Like This European Tour, was named a cultural ambassador by the US State Department, and appeared on The Sing-Off Season 5.
When that group ended in 2017, I had a choice to either go back to my home in Augusta or move to Los Angeles and be amongst some of the greatest creatives in the world. After careful deliberation, I chose LA and to this day, it is the best decision I have ever made. I came out to LA with an open mind and auditioned for everything. Because of that, I was selected to be a part of Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella performance within my first six months of living here. After that experience, a new network of people and opportunities opened and I have been blessed to be a working musician in this town ever since. Some of my notable collaborations are ‘Spirit’, ‘Black is King’, and ‘Break my Soul’ with Beyoncé, numerous performances and albums with Kanye West as a part of Sunday Service Collective (The Samples), voiceover with Dreamworks ‘Trolls’, and work on various film scores for film and TV.
Most recently, I completed a few of my dream collaborations: Soloist with the LA Philharmonic, a chorister in LA Opera’s production of ‘OMAR’ by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, and as a session singer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the lead single ‘Lift Me Up’ by Rihanna.
Currently, I am working on new music for 2023 and I launched my accessories brand ‘FLAWW’ as an extension of my artistic expression.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road and I believe you do not get to the top of the mountain with a smooth path. I’ve dealt with rejection in several areas, but I kept my focus on the big picture. Because of that focus, I was able to keep pushing forward without allowing the rejection to break me or my confidence. I believe I have been blessed with a gift and that God will make sure the people that need to hear it, hear it.
The main struggle is the focus. I love so many genres of music so I am constantly wanting to do everything at the same time. That causes me to not do anything because I don’t know where to start. Once I decided to tackle everything one day and one project at a time, my life flowed much easier.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter/arranger. I love writing my own songs, but I really enjoy reimagining songs created by others. My most viewed cover song on YouTube is entitled ‘Why I Love You/You Are So Beautiful” by MAJOR. And Joe Cocker. That cover has amassed over 5 million views on YouTube and thousands of streams on various music streaming outlets. That song is one of the main reasons I moved to Los Angeles.
I believe that breathing new life into songs is what I specialize in. My covers have been used in various media outlets and have afforded me the opportunity to perform live for weddings and celebrations of love all over the world. What I am most proud of is the fact that my journey is inspiring creatives from my town and others I have encountered to pursue their art wholeheartedly and unapologetically. I knew that music made me my happiest self and I chose to be my happiest self every day by dedicating my life to my art.
What matters most to you?
Family.
I am who I am today because of my family. The sacrifices they made for me are the only reason I have made it this far. My goals focus strictly on giving them an even better life than the one they gave me. I want to make sure the Moore and Allen legacy lives on throughout history from the use of my gift.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jamalmoore.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/singjamalsing
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/singjamalsing
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/singjamalsing
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/singjamalsing
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/singjamalsing
- Other: www.flawwofficial.com
Image Credits
Earl Beunaobra LA Clippers Anthem Photo by Varon Panganiban
