Teenage singer, songwriter, guitarist, and viral creator Payton Moormeier drops the official music video for debut pop single “Love Letter.” PRESS HERE to watch the video for the track which racked up over 1.5 million Spotify streams in a week.
After a relationship ended abruptly leaving Payton with no closure, he was inspired to express the feelings she left him with on the track. Payton tells his story through airy guitar, hip-hop beat craft, and lyrical vulnerability, turning up with a signature style of his own. Music has helped him gain the confidence to express his innermost thoughts through self-penned originals.
The Georgia-born and North Carolina-raised singer, songwriter, and guitarist quietly emerged as a disruptive force for pop music, racking up millions of streams and attracting early acclaim from CelebMix right out of the gate upon his debut in 2020.
Most importantly, he immediately made a connection by holding nothing back.
“I show my vulnerable side through the songs,” he explains. “Music helped me get confidence and express myself. I’m finally revealing who I am.”
He diligently worked towards this point. He discovered Metallica at seven-years-old, and his mom bought him a guitar shortly thereafter. He taught himself how to play by consuming countless hours of lessons on YouTube. He also widened his musical palette through listening to Post Malone, blackbear, and more.
At 12-years-old, he began posting covers on social media, generating nearly 1 million views on a cover of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.” In between honing his chops and regularly creating online content, he posted a Tik Tok of Halsey’s “Without Me” that caught fire in 2018. Exploding on the platform, Payton eventually attracted 12.1 million fans on Tik Tok, 538 million “likes,” and billions of views and impressions by 2020.
As his profile rose, Payton focused on crafting his original solo debut. In addition to writing on guitar, he recorded countless ideas as voice memos on his phone and scribbled lyrics in the notes app.
“I write down raw thoughts and what I’m thinking about before I go to bed,” he reveals. “If the idea hits me, I’ll find a beat that matches my vibe or emotions. I get inspired to write by what I’ve actually gone through.”
In 2020, he served up his independent single “Love Letter.” Within a week, it impressively racked up over 1.5 million Spotify streams. Produced by Hiser, his voice immediately transfixes with energy and emotion.
“I had a little relationship with this girl, and it didn’t go very well,” he admits. “Things ended, and a lot of the lyrics came from that. I put the story in the song. I was super invested in her. When the whole thing cut off abruptly, I had no closure. Luckily, I was starting to explore making music. I gave myself closure by expressing the feelings she left me with in ‘Love Letter’.”
On the follow-up single “Habits,” a hummable riff cuts through handclaps, keys, and a skittering bounce as he delivers a hypnotic hook, “I can’t seem to fall asleep, cuz thoughts of you and me always seem to haunt my dreams, it was better you and me.”
“It came together in my room as a demo,” he says. “It stems from being addicted to a girl. It’s all true.”
In the end, Payton genuinely tells his story through his music for the first time.
“When you listen to my songs, I hope they’re an inspiration to chase your dreams,” he leaves off. “So many people have watched me grow online and stuck with me. They saw me go from zero to ‘make-it-happen’. I want to encourage them to do the same.”
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