(wabe) (graphics booming) - I've always just loved movement and when I hear music, it's out the window, all of my sanity.

♪ I don't know that we're nothing ♪ Alto Moon is a rebirth for me.

I started making music from my inspirations like space and video games and things, and it just gave me this new sense of creativity and freedom to express.

♪ Ooh ♪ (distorted music playing) (car horn honking) (distorted music playing) (air whooshing) (bright pop music) ♪ Why damn, I'm shining ♪ ♪ Supanova, Supanova ♪ ♪ Why damn, I'm shining ♪ ♪ Supanova, Supanova ♪ ♪ Look up in the stars ♪ ♪ They gone see me shine ♪ ♪ Shooting for the moon ♪ ♪ Had to learn to fly ♪ ♪ They can't see me cry, they can't see my cry ♪ ♪ I'm too young to die ♪ ♪ I'm too young to die, oh ♪ ♪ Look up in the stars ♪ ♪ They gone see me shine ♪ ♪ Shooting for the moon ♪ ♪ Had to learn to fly ♪ ♪ They can't see me cry, they can't see me cry ♪ ♪ I'm too young to die, I'm too young to die ♪ ♪ Why damn, I'm shining ♪ ♪ Supanova, Supanova ♪ ♪ Supanova ♪ ♪ Why damn, I'm shining ♪ ♪ Supanova, Supanova ♪ - Hello, my name is Alto Moon and this is Gareth, he is one of my primary producers.

That song you just heard was "Supanova."

and that's S-U-P-A-N-O-V-A.

I had to make it a little southern for my own comfort, but that is actually the title track of my new album.

And that song kind of came about, me and Gareth had been getting used to working with each other and I finally felt comfortable just experimenting outside of some structured pop songs and I wanted a song that was just kind of coming from within, all my fears, all the things I'm proud of, just wrapped up in a super quick lyric.

And so I say why I'm shining, Supanova, Supanova, and, you know, it's an explosion of a star and I wanted to feel like I was introducing myself as something new and ready for like this new chapter of my music.

And so I wanted it to be like the explosion of a star, but at the same time, with all of my anxieties about the end of the world and death and everything, you don't know if that's necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.

So I wanted it to feel uncertain and the lines kind of like juxtapose each other, so that was just "Supanova," it's just off the brain.

All right, so Alto Moon is a rebirth for me.

I used to sing under my government name and I made a lot of music and I got really inspired in my young adulthood by going out to clubs and being where music and people met.

And in those spaces I was seeing a lot of performances like drag artists and I thought it was so cool that they had a new name and this entire vibe that went with it and so I did the same thing, I gave myself a new name and started making music from my inspirations like space and video games and things and it just gave me this new sense of creativity and freedom to express.

I do sometimes feel like an outlier if I were to say I was in a scene.

But Atlanta is a place that just feeds off of energy.

Atlanta is such a melting pot of different people, personalities, international folks.

So it feels like an open space to try things and I actually moved here with the intent of doing music because there were so many people who looked like me who had an open mind.

And so it just seemed like the place I should be.

And when I came here, I feel like I chose the right place and I've made so many amazing friendships and connections through music and yeah, ATL is home, now and forever.

All right, this next song is called "Numbers."

I made this one about the frustrations around money, but also I wrote this on my birthday and my lucky numbers are tattooed on my body and I was just thinking a lot about how much importance numbers have in your life, like your credit score, your bank account, all of those things, and how much numbers define us in our culture.

So I wanted to make a silly playful version of that, like being somebody's uncle singing this song, so you'll hear it, it's really fun, this is "Numbers."

♪ Dolla, dolla, dolla bills ♪ ♪ Dolla, dolla, dolla bills ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Dolla, dolla, dolla bills ♪ ♪ Dolla, dolla, dolla bills ♪ ♪ Say you want my numbers ♪ ♪ Say you want 'em bad, bad, bad, bad ♪ ♪ Just my little numbers ♪ ♪ Thank you for a laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh ♪ ♪ Say you want my numbers ♪ ♪ Say you want 'em bad, bad, bad, bad, yeah ♪ ♪ Just my little numbers ♪ ♪ That's just too damn bad, bad, bad, whoa ♪ ♪ Dolla, dolla, dolla bills ♪ ♪ Dolla, dolla, dolla bills ♪ ♪ Dolla, dolla, dolla bills ♪ ♪ Dolla, dolla, dolla bills ♪ ♪ One, two, three all eyes on me ♪ ♪ My phone ring it go beep, beep, beep ♪ ♪ Must be money that's calling me ♪ ♪ I'm not drowning, my pockets deep ♪ ♪ When I walk and I got that lean ♪ ♪ I've been told that I cause a scene ♪ ♪ I don't beg 'cause I'm not Jolene ♪ ♪ I got wants and I call 'em needs ♪ ♪ My little ♪ ♪ Numbers ♪ ♪ I need a cab, cab, cab, cab, ooh ♪ ♪ My little numbers ♪ ♪ Wait, that's all I had, had, had, had ♪ ♪ Woo, woo, hoo ♪ ♪ Dolla, dolla, dolla bills ♪ - My mother would probably tell you that I'm just hyperactive, but I've always just loved movement.

I can't sit still and when I hear music, it's out the window, all of my sanity.

But I found in spaces that I was the most comfortable and happiest with music that people were dancing, so whether that was at festivals or in clubs, I just found myself feeling at home where everyone felt that movement was a great form of expression.

Now I'm no professional dancer, I can do an eight count maybe, but it's just in my bloodstream, I love to move and dance, so.

This next song is "Slide," it is kind of a little bit of a love song with a nice beat to it.

"Slide" is just kind of about that moment when you're transitioning from friendship into romantic relationship and how uncertain it can be and a little bit mysterious in that vibe, and so I wrote that about that really tense moment where you start to cross that threshold.

This is "Slide."

(bright pop music) ♪ I don't know that we're nothing ♪ ♪ Don't know what it is, but we're something ♪ ♪ So when you let me slide on you ♪ ♪ Spend a little time on you ♪ ♪ Dig it up, run it back ♪ ♪ I don't know that we're nothing ♪ ♪ Don't know what it is, but we're something ♪ ♪ So when you let me slide on you ♪ ♪ Okay ♪ ♪ Spend a little time on you ♪ ♪ Okay, yeah ♪ ♪ So, come on let me ♪ (bright pop music continues) ♪ Slide on you, yeah ♪ ♪ Slide on you, yeah ♪ ♪ Slide on you, yeah ♪ ♪ Slide on you, sleeping on your sofa ♪ ♪ I can't believe ♪ ♪ You let me come over ♪ ♪ I'm so naive ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Hit me up, hit me up ♪ ♪ Put it on my phone, make it digital ♪ ♪ It's two in the morning, here we go ♪ ♪ Olivia John, getting physical ♪ ♪ So, come on let me ♪ (bright pop music continues) ♪ Slide on you, yeah ♪ ♪ Slide on you ♪ ♪ Slide on you, yeah ♪ ♪ Slide on you ♪ ♪ Slide on you, yeah ♪ ♪ Slide on you, yeah ♪ ♪ Slide on you, yeah ♪ ♪ Slide on you ♪ (bright pop music continues) ♪ I don't know that we're nothing ♪ ♪ I don't know that we're nothing ♪ ♪ I don't know that we're nothing ♪ ♪ I don't know that we're nothing ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Slide on you ♪ ♪ Slide on you ♪ ♪ Slide on you ♪ - And that was "Slide."

I've always found that pop music, when you think of pop music, you don't first think of a black artist.

And in R&B music, which is something I was raised on, it feels very, at times, traditional and restrictive, if you do too much it's not R&B.

And I like to disguise what I do as pop music so that people have an open mind when they hear my work.

And so it is my mission to make black pop music, music without boundaries, music without restrictions.

Whether that incorporates R&B, soul, dance, funk, and I'm inspired by the artists who got criticized for that at their peak, Prince, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson.

And it's funny to look back and see how their music was able to touch so many people and they broke those barriers by not worrying about what the listeners were saying, but I wanted to start now at the ground level and break any of the restrictions that people would put on me before hearing my stuff.

So that's what I'm here to do, make black pop music.

My childhood was a fun collection of memories.

I actually grew up singing in the Gospel church and that really inspired my vocals and hearing raw soul.

But as I grew up in the south and I saw a lot of things, sometimes weren't kind, but also at the same time of a lot of Southern hospitality and love, it was a really cool experience to grow up and see a combination of so much love and hate and how it shaped me to who I am and finding like love within myself.

I think right now I'm in a place musically where I am discovering myself through my songs, learning to accept my queerness a hundred percent, my blackness a hundred percent, and learning to filter those into stories, and if anything, I wanna be able to inspire other queer artists, I wanna inspire other black artists, and I hope that what I'm doing, if not leads the way, at least further pushes the genre of R&B and pop music and lets people open their mind to something just a little bit different.

This next song is about finding happiness in your independence.

and it is titled "Ok Lonely."

(upbeat pop music) ♪ First date, first base ♪ ♪ Why we in the club in the first place ♪ ♪ I'm Christian Dior, you like Versace ♪ ♪ Why'd you hit me up in the first place ♪ ♪ You cool, I'm cool ♪ ♪ We go back to middle school ♪ ♪ You a earth sign too ♪ ♪ So we both compatible ♪ ♪ Please don't get it twisted ♪ ♪ We been talking for a minute ♪ ♪ And I'm just getting the feeling ♪ ♪ That we probably should finish, yeah ♪ ♪ It ain't you, yeah we still cool ♪ ♪ I'll be your, I'll be your ♪ ♪ And I think that we could still be homies, that cool ♪ ♪ Playing up hoops ♪ ♪ I'm just like ooh ♪ ♪ I ain't really mean to get the message confused ♪ ♪ Yeah, I like you, maybe too soon ♪ ♪ I just got a lot of thinking that I should do ♪ ♪ No, it ain't you, maybe it's you ♪ ♪ Maybe it's you, you ♪ ♪ I just think you don't really know me ♪ ♪ You don't know the first thing on my mind ♪ ♪ That just ain't for me ♪ ♪ And I don't think you could really know me ♪ ♪ That ain't how I want to spend my time ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ Copy paste, what a waste ♪ ♪ I think that we're better going separate ways ♪ ♪ Could have had a winner ♪ ♪ But you settling for second place ♪ ♪ Then you had to go and show your ass and your second face ♪ ♪ That's okay, moving on to the second phase ♪ ♪ Ain't got no type but I'm about to hit the backspace ♪ ♪ I forgot to mention I got really bad intentions ♪ ♪ If you ain't part of the mission ♪ ♪ Then go head get out the kitchen, yeah ♪ ♪ It ain't you, yeah we still cool ♪ ♪ I'll be your, I'll be your ♪ ♪ And I think that we could still be homies, that cool ♪ ♪ Is that cool ♪ ♪ Playing up hoops ♪ ♪ I'm just like ooh ♪ ♪ I ain't really mean to get the message confused ♪ ♪ Yeah, I like you, maybe too soon ♪ ♪ I just got a lot of thinking that I should do ♪ ♪ No, it ain't you, maybe it's you ♪ ♪ Baby it's you ♪ ♪ I just think you don't really know me ♪ ♪ You don't know the first thing on my mind ♪ ♪ That just ain't for me ♪ ♪ That just ain't for me ♪ ♪ And I don't think you could really know me ♪ ♪ That you could really know me ♪ ♪ That ain't how I want to spend my time ♪ ♪ Whoa, whoa, oh ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay lonely ♪ ♪ I'm okay lonely ♪ - "Ok Lonely" was a song about finding happiness in your independence, but if I'm being honest, that song is about a boy who broke my heart in middle school.

No, I'm still not over it, but yes, I did make a song out of it and it's one of my favorites now, so shout out to my ex.

This next song is called "From Here On," it is the closer on my album "Supanova."

(deep pop music) (ethereal pop music) ♪ I'll be simple ♪ ♪ I don't know where the time has gone ♪ ♪ Are the ripples ♪ ♪ That I make just here to prove me wrong ♪ ♪ I'm constantly changing ♪ ♪ But does it matter at all ♪ ♪ All of my friends ♪ ♪ They have grown and they have moved on ♪ ♪ So tell me where ♪ ♪ Where do I go ♪ ♪ From here on ♪ ♪ All of my friends ♪ ♪ They have grown and ♪ ♪ They have moved on ♪ ♪ So tell me where ♪ ♪ Where do I go ♪ ♪ From here on ♪ ♪ All of my friends ♪ ♪ They have grown and ♪ ♪ They have moved on ♪ ♪ So tell me where ♪ ♪ Where do I go ♪ ♪ From here on ♪ ♪ Let me know that's it's over ♪ ♪ Everyone is older ♪ ♪ Maybe I should try this on my own ♪ ♪ If you love me let me go ♪ ♪ If you really love me let me go ♪ ♪ From here on ♪ ♪ All of my friends ♪ (ethereal pop music continues) ♪ All of my friends ♪ ♪ Oh, where do I go from here ♪ ♪ Where, where go I go from here on ♪ - So I met my buddy Gareth here.

We actually both were playing a show, it was an underground club pop music night.

He has a band himself and I was playing the show as well.

I heard their music and I was like, "There's something to that."

A lot of music I made before meeting him was traditionally a little bit more R&B, but something about that music that they were playing had this really cool pop structure to it and it's something I've always wanted to integrate in my music and so, I slid in the DMs on a friend level and we ended up being really close neighbors and so I went over there to his home studio and we just connected, like everything I wanted to try, he wanted to try, we threw everything at the wall, and it was like a match made, I found like my music soulmate and we've been making music now for about two years and every time we get in the studio there's magic.

I love making a song that gives me a visual.

I actually went to school for film and I thought I was gonna be a filmmaker.

I am a terrible filmmaker, but I do feel like I can create imagery with words and I've always been able to do that and so music has just been such a fun outlet to bring together sounds and lyrics that create something that you can see when you hear it and yeah, this is like, this is how I do it.

I'm really inspired by cyberpunk like ideas of the future, whether it's utopian or dystopian, it's all so cool to me 'cause we're going one way or the other.

And I'm really inspired by video games.

I'm really inspired by comic books, superheroes, and, of course, my friends and family, they actually inspire most of my songwriting.

I can only take in so much of my own experience and so I look to things that are happening around me to pull inspiration from and put into story.

Thank you so much for being with me today here at "Sounds Like ATL."

Again, my name is Alto Moon, it's been a pleasure performing for you today and I'll see you on the moon.

- [Cameraman] Speed.

(indistinct voices) (lively pop music) (indistinct voices continues) One, two seconds.

- I'm Alto Moon.

- Angelica Hairston.

- The Pussywillows.

- Kodie Shane.

- Jasmine Janae.

- Lowertown.

- Blair Crimmins.

- Okorie "OkCello" Johnson.

- Diom.

- Adan Bean.

- Ben Trickey.

- Edgewood Heavy.

- Hero The Band.

- Lesibu Grand.

- The Electric Sons.

- Will Hill.

- World's Greatest Dad.

- Yah Yah.

- And you're watching.

- Sounds like.

- Sounds like.

- Sounds like.

- A-T-L. - A-T-L. - A-T-L, let's go!

(graphic booming) (deep dramatic music) - We focus on creating the culture, not the credit, it is embedded in the root.

- It was like this message from the heavens that just shot into me and I was like, I have to, I have to pursue this.

♪ Is you in or you out, your decision ♪ - We wanted to make a sound that matched the diversity of our city.

♪ Hey widow ♪ - Love writing music.

♪ Have a day ♪ I think people should be free to be who they are.

♪ Walking on that water ♪ ♪ These waves just like a ♪ - Everything I do, I entertain even when I'm just not on stage, my mom has always told me I'm a ham, I got moxie.

- I've always just loved movement.

♪ That we're nothing ♪ ♪ I'm so ♪ - [Olivia] We started this band when we were 15 and now we're 21, so there's been a lot of growing.

♪ Beaming there ain't no stopping this ♪ - [Will Hill] When I make music, I feel like I'm making magic, that's like one of the best feelings in the world.

♪ You know the vibe ♪ ♪ West Coast Africa, I know you want rap ♪ - Stop everything you're doing 'cause this July kid got something to say.

♪ But I try to tell myself it ain't all bad ♪ ♪ Try to tell myself that it ain't all bad ♪ - It was something about Atlanta that just made me feel at home.

♪ It's not healthy never being alone ♪ - And I met a lot of really great musicians in Atlanta.

Nobody really was pushing anybody to sound a certain way and I think that was really cool.

♪ If you want the peaches, yeah ♪ - What makes The Pussywillows so special is that we are actually best friends.

I think that really informs our music.

♪ Better remember ♪ (bright cello playing) - The idea is to kind of create this electricity, so we are ready for what's about to follow.

♪ It ain't peace, so bet on self against the odds ♪ ♪ I will stay my ♪ - I would describe the Hero The Band's sound as electrifying, it's an emotional rollercoaster.

(lively folk music) - One of the great things about playing with the band is that it's almost like a constant source of inspiration, good and bad.

(bright harp playing) - It's so great to take a little piece of a ATL across the globe.