Who Is Niko Moon? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

Who is Niko Moon? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

Although the name Niko Moon may not be too familiar just yet, this Georgia native is a co-writer on four number one songs recorded by Zac Brown Band as well as a number one with Rascal Flatts. During our recent conversation, Moon has a way of poetically answering each of the questions, proving that you can go from songwriter to artist but you can truly never lose the base of what all of those years of writing have given him. Growing up just 35 minutes outside of Atlanta, in the quintessential small country town of Douglasville, GA, as a child his parents listened to artists like John Prine and Patty Griffin, honing his love and appreciation for the craft of songwriting early on. Just like his geographic location, his influences are the perfect blend of classic songwriting, traditional country music like Travis Tritt and Alan Jackson as well as southern hip hop like Outkast and T.I. “When I decided a little over a year ago, to make my own album, I really wanted it to be authentic and honest to who I am and where I am from and so I thought, the only way to really do that was to, as best as I could, reflect all of that in my music,” Moon tells us. “The lyric, the story, the melody, all the banjos, dobros, steel guitar, and pedal steel, all of those beautiful organic county instruments are all, in my mind, that rural Georgia, where I grew up but the bass and drums give me that hit that I really love from Atlanta.”

The Turning Point:

He talks about the process of writing with and for Zac Brown Band and how he metaphorically would put on his imaginary beanie and leather vest and get into a specific headspace, just as an actor would for any character they were playing. His number one hits with the band include “Loving You Easy”, “Homegrown”, “Beautiful Drug” and “Keep Me In Mind”. “I feel like through that process, honing in and getting at the heart of another artist and diving into what makes them, them, it strengthened that muscle in my mind, so when it came down to making my own thing, I was able to get to the heart of who I am and what my story is”.

His own thing, “Good Time” the debut single that has already amassed millions of listens does just that, showcases an authentic blending of genres, while representing the exact mission of Moon’s music, highlighting positivity and happiness. Along with the rest of his debut record, Moon collaborated with his wife, Anna, a rising songwriter and pop artist to write “Good Time”. He explains it was a collaborative effort, first being written two years ago with Jordan Minton and Mark Trussell and then tweaked and adjusted with Josh Murty and Anna to perfectly epitomize a “glass half full” mentality. “All of the songs on my album are from all of these different experiences in my life and I want to broach all of those I guess, stories, with a very positive outlook,” he explains. “I try my best to have that in my life. I just want to bring happiness to people and a little fun and positivity to the world.”

Today:

Speaking so eloquently about his relationship with his wife, he tells us that being a songwriter is a vulnerable thing to do and creating music with his wife comes so easily because “who knows me better than her?”. Being honest and personal while writing and producing his forthcoming album has led to an opportunity to deliver his unique brand of country music to fans who love the fluidity of genres and who aren’t afraid to open their eyes and ears to something new.

In 2020, Moon will join Ryan Hurd’s Platonic Tour with Joey Hyde and Adam Doleac on select dates. The tour stops in New York City for a two night run on March 4th and 5th at Gramercy Theatre. For more tour dates head to www.ryanhurd.com/ He is also looking forward to releasing his full-length album with Sony Music Nashville and to sharing the music live with fans. “One of the reasons I wanted to make the move to be an artist is I love connecting with people face to face.”

To keep up with Niko Moon follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.