On a Tuesday night, August 6, Tom Walker rocked the Rough Trade in Brooklyn with a packed crowd.
On July 15, Bear Rinehart, sat down with The Knockturnal in an exclusive interview to discuss and promote his upcoming album, the start of his solo chapter. Rinehart, the lead singer of NEEDTOBREATHE is beginning his solo career away from his chart-topping, award-winning band under the nom de plume, Wilder Woods.
On a balmy Friday night, July 26, The DREAMERS opened for co-headliners and early 2000’s alternative sensations The Dirty Heads and 311 at the beach side venue, Jones Beach Theater. The venue is a slice of summer as you pull into the vast and confusing parking lot and walk into the gated amphitheater right on the water. With the smell of saltwater in the air and sight of seagulls dipping overhead threatening to drop a load on you really just screams summer beach madness. As the stadium continued to fill up as the night went on, you could cut the crowd’s anticipation with a knife.
On a blissful Wednesday afternoon, The Knock sat down with newest Latin sensation MoMo, for a quick little chat about her upcoming single released Friday, “Tumba.” This artist starting acting at a young age and then seamlessly made the switch to music in her home town Miami. She got noticed when she did the female version of the chart-topping hit, “El Perdón,” featuring Mr. Worldwide, Pitbull. Fresh with a new perspective of the song, MoMo presents a unique and thoughtful version of the original.
Upon arriving at The Wing in SoHo, a workspace whose mission is “the professional, civic, social, and economic advancement of women through community.” A perfectly comfortable setting to discuss girl power and the upward trajectory of this female artist in the male-dominated music industry.
MoMo’s energy was warm as we sit down in the downstairs café. As we begin talking, she radiates fiercely joyous energy that is absolutely contagious and draws her audience in, I can only imagine what it’s like to witness her on stage.
The Knockturnal: Congratulations on your new release, “Tumba.” How does it feel now that the song is released?
MoMo: Well actually it comes out Friday, the 26th is the official premiere. I feel like a caged lion! I’m a Leo, it’s Leo season, so I believe in Divinity and perfect timing. So I’m excited to finally just be active and start getting my shows. I’m a performer at heart so I’m just excited to be on the stage.
The Knockturnal: You started out acting right? How did you make the switch from acting to music?
MoMo: So I started acting when I was a kid, like 5 or 6 I would do little commercials. Then at 9 or 10, my best friend was the singer of the school and her mom was a vocal coach. So, when I started to want to take vocal classes I was like, “Mom put me in class, put me in class!” She obviously moved a little to slow because I move at a thousand miles per hour, so I personally called the vocal coach and I made the appointment at 9 years old. When I showed up the woman opened the door in pajamas and she was like, “I thought this was a joke!” I was like, “Mom I swear I made the appointment!” This is a true story! So, from there I just started doing music and then it just became two things at once. I feel like I act, I sing, I song-write, it’s just in my blood!
The Knockturnal: Speaking of songwriting can you talk about the story behind “Tumba” and what inspired you?
MoMo: So, I’m a really big fan of the Spanish song called “Tumba La Casa,” so I had the idea of its summer, I love dancing, and I want a song that when it plays in the club every girl is shaking their ass, everybody is sweating, and you’re bringing the fucking housing down! This is the perfect record! I’m from Miami, so let’s sweat and dance, let’s have some fun! It was amazing! I co-wrote it with this amazing writer called Jumbo, from Puerto Rico, and the producer, very renowned in Puerto Rico too, got me the music, so it’s just an honor to have them a part of this project. What a way to open the door!
The Knockturnal: How was it working with Jamaican singer Konshens on the single?
MoMo: He hands down is one of the sweetest guys I have ever met. The song was actually done, but I felt like we needed some type of Jamaican reggae edge. I reached out to him and sent him the record. He had no idea who I was, he loved the record, and he was like ”Yo, send it to me, I got you!” He worked on vibes, on energy. So, I sent it over and he cut it.
The Knockturnal: As a woman in the Music Industry, what advice would you give other women who are trying to break into the music industry?
MoMo: Living your fullness, walking your goddess energy and your divinity. I feel like now more than ever it’s the era of women. The Latin industry specifically was very male-dominated for a very long time and I think all the women now are opening the doors and paving the way for me to be a woman in the industry right now. Don’t hold back and be unapologetic, it’s time. At the end of the day as women, we are the most powerful species. We create man do you hear me, so kill it!
The Knockturnal: Something that goes hand in hand with that is the response that you did to Nicky Jams “El Perdón.”
MoMo: So I wanted to do a female version to it. At that point in my career, I couldn’t release original music yet and I was frustrated! I wanted to do something, so I called my DJ friend and asked him what is the hottest song that you drop at 2 o’clock in the morning and it bangs. He said “El Perdón.” So I did the female version and I sent it to Power 96 to play, and they were like, “you know Pitbull just did his version.” I was like, “Stop it! I’m done!” basically. I’m really good friends with Pitbull’s DJ, we used to promote together, I sent him the song, he played it for Pitbull, Pitbull loved it and was like, “release my verse to her, let’s do it together.” I was like this is not real life! That’s what I mean by taking action, you can’t wait for things to happen, you just gotta do it and trust. That’s what faith is, trusting that God’s gonna carry your feet.
The Knockturnal: What are you looking forward to in the future with your career?
MoMo: Honestly, I am so looking forward to going on tour. I said that I am a performer at heart, my thing is to be on stage, so I think that’s one of the things I’m really looking forward to. Doing the tour or opening up on tour, that’s when I feel like I am in my fullest capacity as an artist is on the stage. I just did an episode for Tales on BET, we did the “Bodack Yellow” episode, so shout out to Cardi B! That premieres on Tuesday the 30th. I’m just excited to really be proactive in my craft and just building my empire, my brand, and I feel like it’s bigger than music. Music is definitely an asset, but I feel like my journey is a car and everything is a wheel, so I’m just ready to build this platform.
It is no question that MoMo is a force to be reckoned with. So check out her new release “Tumba” out today! And don’t forget to check out her acting chops on July 30th in her role as Alysha on BET’s TV series Tales. This empowering and eloquent artist has a plan to, like she said, build her empire, all we can do is try to keep up and watch her take center stage in this new era of, she said it again, women.
On Wednesday night, July 17th, the anticipation was palpable. The crowd waited with drinks in hand for the opening act for Phoebe Ryan, Josie Dunne.
On Thursday night of June 27th, Bandits on the Run performed for the notable winery, City Winery, in anticipation of their upcoming EP to be released later this summer.
On Monday night, June 24, AMC Theatre Lincoln Center hosted the advanced screening of the new summer movie hit Yesterday. Among arriving at the venue, theatergoers checked in and received a raffle red ticket for entry. The theatre was crowded and buzzing with excitement for this new light crowd pleaser and as the lights dimmed, there was a communal “SHHHHHH!” humming from the crowd.
Wouldn’t it be nice to hear all about the life of celebrities who you follow on Instagram? Ben Trinh founder of the podcast, First and Featured, has done exactly so. On seamless Tuesday, June 11, Ben had an exclusive chat with The Knockturnal telling us all about the creation story of his podcast and gets real with some of the struggles that he has faced throughout his career.
On Wednesday night, June 5, alt-pop band, Hey Violet, took center stage at Bowery Ballroom.
On a seamless Wednesday afternoon, Dolby Studios in SoHo hosted a private exhibition of the new hit musical biopic of pop music icon, Elton John, Rocketman. Following a private screening in Times Square the previous day, the audience got to enjoy clips, scenes, and commentary from Director Dexter Fletcher and actor Taron Egerton. Using the Bluetooth Dolby headphones, participants can fully immerse themselves in their iPad station in the first room. Users can control the headphones volume and noise canceling abilities via touch on the right and left earphones. A wonderful pairing for an immersive experience.