Hey Future Moons! So excited to be chatting with y’all! What inspired you guys to pursue music?
Kota: I grew up with music around me constantly. Nobody in my family has musical backgrounds, but both my parents are writers, so writing has always been in my blood, so when I was nine years old I started writing music!
Tommy: I played clarinet until high school, but eventually got a guitar and learned every Bad Religion song I could!
Can you tell us a little something about each of you?
Kota: I love doing photography when I’m not doing music. I also have always been very into fashion design and just love doing all things creative!
Tommy: I’m an electrical engineer by day, building medical devices. I also love to ski and hike near our home in the mountains.
What is it like being in a duo?
Kota: Well, Tommy and I have been together for 9 years now, so we’re definitely used to each other! Between music and marriage, there’s a lot of similarities! Some times we have to compromise on who wins which arguments, but we always figure it out in the end!
Tommy: It’s quieter than being in a band!
How would you describe your musical style as a duo?
Kota: Moody, melodic, spacey, keeping things minimal with pianos and guitars
Tommy: Vibey
What artists do you guys look up to right now?
Kota: Aurora, she’s incredibly creative and versatile and uses a lot of different inspirational themes in her lyrics!
Tommy: The Pretty Reckless because I love female rock artists.
What’s the meaning of the name “Future Moons”?
Kota: Tommy and I are both really into outer space and started listing words that related to space, time, mythology, etc. and finally landed on Future Moons after a LOT of back and forth. It just felt like “us”.
You guys just released your Debut EP!! How excited were you guys to get this project out into the world?
Kota: So excited!!! It’s like the rebirth of everything we’ve done for the past nearly ten years, so it feels really cathartic to get it out there!
What do you hope your supporters will think of the new song?
Kota: I hope they feel the warm, summer vibes I worked hard to channel into the mood of it!
Tommy: I hope they like it!
Can you tell us how this EP came about and the meaning of the project?
Kota: It all started with our first single, ‘Entangled’, featuring lyrics about Autumn and Winter. I later realized I had tons of free writes inspired by other seasons, so I turned them into lyrics, and we put together sounds that we felt fit the tones of each season, including interludes featuring samples of nature noises.
Are there any other projects in the works you can tell us about?
Tommy: Before we decided to do our EP, I had the idea to do an album inspired by different parts of outer space. We’ve already got a few songs started, and we can’t wait to continue working on it!
Why do you think social media is so important for singers today?
Kota: Honestly, it’s pretty much the only avenue to promote your music nowadays. There used to be more reach via traditional marketing like billboards, tv commercials, and radio stations, but now most media is consumed on phones, so if you can get your music heard via social media, you’re set!
What social media platform do you use most to stay connected to your fans?
Kota: Definitely Instagram! I’ve always been a very visual person, with photography as a major side hobby of mine, so I enjoy curating content that ties our music together with visuals and captions, as well as keeping in the loop with our fans and followers!
How do you want your relationship to be with your fans?
Kota: I absolutely love and appreciate every single fan we have. I see every single message, comment, share, etc. on social media, and try to reply to all of them! When we get to play shows, seeing familiar faces come back time and time again is one of the most rewarding feelings you can experience, as well as gaining new fans after a performance. It’s obviously important to keep a level of privacy and safety, but we fortunately have the coolest and kindest fans out there, so they genuinely feel more like friends!
What’s an average day like for you guys?
Kota: We’re pretty early risers, and mornings are my favorite time, so after breakfast, if it feels like a productive day, I’ll sit in the studio and mess around on piano and see if something comes. If I’m not doing music, I’ll usually try and mess around with taking some photos. I love to cook, so I’ll usually make dinner for us. In the evening we’ll usually come together to practice our set and then watch Adventure Time until we fall asleep!
Tommy: I get up early for work, nowadays I’m working from home with lots of Zoom meetings throughout the day, and then love getting to work on music after.
Do you have any last things you want to tell your supporters?
Kota & Tommy: WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
Thanks for taking the time to do this interview 🙂
Kota & Tommy: Thank you for having us!
