Moriah Contreras is embracing the emotional journey toward adulthood.
The music industry alumnus graduated in June and will release her debut EP “Extra Ordinary” this year. Born from her senior capstone project, the EP draws inspiration from the Disney Channel pop star persona Hannah Montana, Contreras said. She added that Hannah Montana’s affirmative lyrics encouraged her to pursue music. Featuring four to five original songs and a cover, the EP blends feelings about growing up and creativity with an indie pop sound and folk-adjacent elements influenced by artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Laufey, she said.
“I was just feeling a lot of contradicting feelings, like feelings of imposter syndrome and trying to do adulting … just all of these things that were on my mind the past few years,” Contreras said. “It’s really introspective and kind of like a diary entry of everything that I’ve been thinking about lately.”
Contreras said she took voice lessons when she was younger and studied music technology in her second year of community college before transferring to UCLA. Passionate about live music and TV’s relationship with the music industry, the singer-songwriter said she first looked into pursuing music supervision or working on live tours when planning for college. However, a dream of attending music school sharpened her focus on her artistry, and Contreras said she felt pushed toward songwriting.
[Related: UCLA artist Dea blends storytelling with production-forward rock on first EP]
With “Extra Ordinary” as her senior capstone, Contreras said she spent her last year at UCLA shaping the EP. Originally, she said she planned to write, record, mix and master the project herself, but she realized the scope was too much for a single person given the limited time. Learning to ask for help, she said she collaborated with others who were able to bring her vision to life while refining her sound.
Contreras’ friend, co-writer and producer Clarissa Santos said she first joined Contreras’ project as a way to reconnect with the alumnus since their time together at Rio Hondo College. Santos said working with Contreras on multiple projects has allowed her to observe Contreras’ relationship with songwriting, which has inspired Santos to be less judgmental of her own work. She said she looks forward to working with Contreras more and to the two helping each other grow as artists.
“She was a huge, necessary reminder for me to continue to step out of my shell and to not be so rigid and to allow myself to have fluid and movement in anything that I do in my personal projects,” Santos said. “She’s always had that in her, and I’ve only seen that part of her strengthen over time at UCLA.”
The alumnus said she worked on the EP, writing and recording over two months, at the recording center in UCLA’s Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center. While she initially intended to arrive at the studio with demos already made, as this was her first time working in a studio, she said the project’s fast-paced nature forced her to start the recording process right away.
Contreras said her creative process usually begins with writing by herself in her room, followed by showing her work to friends and collaborators. In the case of “Extra Ordinary,” she added that those friends helped her shape the sound and overall aesthetic of the EP, with some becoming part of her band, assisting in production and even working as stylists.
Her artistry, she said, is spontaneous, often making her stop whatever she is doing to write ideas down. Contreras said her songs are first shaped as she writes lyrics – often in a poetrylike style she eventually soundtracks.
Co-writer and band member Amelia Nelson said Contreras’ lyrics never feel overly metaphorical or pretentious but rather tend to be honest and straightforward, making them more impactful. The music industry alumnus said working with Contreras has inspired her to develop a creative identity – something that, as a bass player, she finds more rare in “background” musicians.
“It’s one thing to have creativity and talent and it’s another thing to have that and combine it with organization and with perseverance and trying to consistently get things done,” Nelson said.
[Related: Jessica Gao uses music as creative outlet, way to explore identity]
At UCLA, Contreras said she was able to learn about the process of releasing music beyond the creative side. She added that her professors, who she said were her most important resource on campus, helped her understand the logistics of becoming an artist, from legal coverage to monetizing her work.
She also said the school has multiple resources that aided her growth as an artist, such as access to often-expensive mixing equipment and courses on how to use that equipment. She said highlighted UCLA’s De Neve Learning Centers, which have music, sound and production equipment, resources she said she wished she had had more time to take advantage of.
Now graduated, Contreras said she hopes to continue growing her platform after releasing her EP. Having interned at the independent music publisher APG, she said she wants to continue pursuing sync licensing and deepen her connection to the field within the industry.
“My best piece of advice is to just give yourself grace and give yourself the opportunity to learn and be a beginner at something,” Contreras said. “For me that was kind of scary – to be new and kind of bad at music or bad at playing guitar … just beginner, and that’s fine, and that’s a starting point that you can grow off of.”
Comments are closed.