It’s been a year since Ghanaian singer, Moliy blew to global attention with her feature on Amaarae’s ‘Sad Girlz Luv Money,’ ever since then, she’s been working on not just turning a moment in the spotlight to success and a fanbase while also growing as an artist, and working on her third project; ‘Honey Doom’.
Released on Wednesday, 19th October, ‘Honey Doom’ feels like soft silky R&B fused with afrobeats on the surface, but behind the silky texture of her voice and the ease with which her melodies float, the EP explores deeply sensitive and often ignored topics.
Moliy’s ‘Honey Doom’ sees her grow not just sonically but in the topics she touches on. A significant theme across her music has been making women feel more confident, and on her new EP, she shows that confidence and comes to terms with touching themes music glosses over.
You got back from the U.S. recently. What have you been up to since you got back?
Well, going out talking to radio stations and TV stations about my upcoming project, you know, doing shoots and preparations, getting to work to get the ball rolling. I just got back to Ghana last week after some months. So it’s been nice.
I listened to your project, and it sounds really good. Really awesome stuff.
Thank you. What would you say is your favourite on the project?
The third track; ‘Freak’. I like that a lot.
‘Freak’? That’s my favourite as well.
Interesting. Why? Usually, when I ask an artist, they typically say they don’t have a favourite song or all the songs mean the same thing to them. So it’s interesting when you say; oh, I have a favourite, and this is my favourite.
Well, I guess it’s because of the meaning behind it. I’ve always tried to have women in mind in terms of my lyrics and the kind of music I put out in the world. I’ve always wanted to kinda be a spokesperson for women, you know, uplifting women. I’m most advising in a way because I’ve heard songs that, wow, I hear this, and it connects to me and like a moment in time or something that I’ve experienced. Hearing that someone else can relate to or say something makes me think about it in a different light and helps me process and understand my experience better. With ‘Freak’, I just try to put my foot forward in that way. It’s something different. I felt like the topic was heavy and probably not discussed enough or as freely. It’s technically supposed to be about the prevention of domestic violence against women. If you hear the sound, it’s done in a very light-hearted bouncy way, so you may not get the concept of it right away, but hopefully, with the visual, people can see the full picture better. But yeah, I felt like the past couple of years, I’ve seen it happen more and more, especially with younger people who are not even fully grown adults in relationships or stuff like that. But even in young couples, I’ve seen it happen. It’s a bit scary to watch, and I just want there to be more kindness and understanding towards this.
You talked about domestic violence on ‘Freak,’ why was touching on this topic important to you? Was it something personal or a friend’s experience cause most of these songs seem to have personal connections to you?
I mean, it’s not just one person or two people, but like multiple people that are close to me, I’ve seen it happen with my eyes or hearing about it, or seeing the damage that is done, and I don’t think that it’s something I could overlook especially when it’s done against young women. I feel like it can really be scarring, and thinking about it, sometimes, these women are in a predicament where they don’t really have family like that, or even when they have a family maybe they are not really present. I think that’s how they even end up in a situation like that because you depend on your partner so much that they start to take advantage of you and your situation to dominate you and make you feel helpless. It’s hard to be a married woman with kids in that situation; that’s an even harder experience. For a young girl, who doesn’t feel like they have someone they can rely on, it’s scary in the sense that you feel like you don’t have a life on your own or make it on your own; you’re just afraid and paralyzed and stuck with this person because you can’t see any other reality. To me, it’s more about showing that there can still be more of a reality. I still haven’t figured out the best way to do that besides making music about it, but I’m hoping in the future, I will be able to do more as I build my platform. As I earn money, I can do things and create something that’s monumental in making a change to this.
I do get that. What would you say your headspace was like; what was your creative process for this entire EP?
All the songs were recorded in Ghana. Some of the records were done at different times. I think I would need to talk about them separately instead of letting them all have the same meaning cause I think all the songs have different meanings, but then, in the bigger picture, they all kind of relate.
Okay, so let’s do a song breakdown. The EP opens with ‘Together‘
‘Together’ is also kind of speaking on my possessive nature. I grew up watching many movies, especially romance movies, and reading romance novels, so I have this fantasy in my head of the ideal relationship and my man being completely obsessed with me and things being really beautiful together. That’s going to be my reality like it has to be. I’m singing together and putting it out there that I want that, and I want someone I could be with together and forever.
I like the confidence with which you approach all this. How about ‘Prisoner’?
Thank you! It took a long way to get here. ‘Prisoner’ is like talking about me experiencing relationships. I realised that I can actually be a bit possessive. If I’m dating someone, I definitely want all the attention to be on me; I don’t want them to go. I don’t want to even notice that you might be interested in someone else, I don’t want you sliding into girls’ DMs; I don’t want any of that. I want you for me. And yes, it’s very brutal in the songwriting sense. I don’t think I could actually kill a man, I don’t think I would go that far, no. But then I made the writing of it so brutal, so extreme that you know, you should be afraid to cheat on me because I could go crazy on you.
I mean, as long as you’re not killing or harming anyone, that’s probably okay. How about ‘Body on Fire’?
Moliy: Ouuu, ‘Body on Fire.’ For me, that one is definitely like me picking myself up, feeling confident in myself; like my body is on fire, and also like me having a connection with a guy and wanting to see him and wanting to be close to him even if he’s not ready to see me like I want what I want, so make yourself available to me. It’s like a mix of those two feelings, I guess.
The next song is ‘Love Doc,’ what were the feelings behind it?
Okay, so ‘Love Doc‘ was the last heartbreak song I wrote. I wasn’t actually heartbroken at that moment, but then, when I heard that beat from Zodiac, it definitely touched a nerve like it got me thinking, it got me reflecting, and I think that was possibly the last thing I had to say or feel about that relationship you know. It helped me get through, it helped me to feel relief and just let go, and that’s just really what it is; kind of accepting where things are at and not wanting to but having to accept things are over.
I get that. So it was more of a song about closure for you?
Yeah, I think so.
How about ‘Banana’?
In this day and age, I don’t think anyone is really dating to be broke together. I don’t think that’s the goal, especially when you come from humble beginnings and you dream of having a better life with someone. For me I have a big dream for myself, it’s not like I’m sitting here waiting for a man to come take care of me, but I aspire to be rich on my own. I aspire to live a lavish life on my own, so obviously, whoever is coming to be my partner, has to be on my level or even better. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I could date someone who is not on that level with me, who isn’t thinking that ambitious, or who isn’t trying to live that lifestyle with me.
Yeah, ambition matters. How about ‘Hard’? ‘Hard’ features Moonchild Sanelly.
Yes, I’ve been really, really excited to work with Moonchild, and I’m so glad we finally got something together. ‘Hard’ is like, you know, I’ve always heard lots of tracks with men like demeaning women or over-sexualizing them, and I’ve always wanted the opportunity to make something in that sense where you’re not the only one who’s kinda calling for this to happen, I also know when I want something. I feel like with ‘Hard’, it was me kind of flipping the script and taking control, and I’m telling you what to do. It’s kind of going in that direction; it’s a different side to me, I’m not always so overtly sexual in my music, but I felt like I have to because, you know, I’m a young girl, I’m youthful. Obviously, I’m not a virgin, I think very few people are at my age, and I don’t want to be afraid to speak up about it. I want to be able to sing about it and the things that I’ve experienced, and this just happens to be one of those experiences where I felt in control and not so ashamed about it.
‘Human’ is the last song, how about it?
To me, I was making that song basically to uplift myself. I was experiencing some uncomfortable things that made me doubt myself. Things that made me have to fight past my mental state and overcome, and that song helped me do that. Like I’m only human, and I’m only going to do the best I can. You know, fight for my goals and what I want in life, and I’m not going to let anyone stop me. I have a whole purpose as to why I’m doing this. It’s not just for me, it’s for my family, and my generations to come. It’s way bigger, so at one point, I have to just embrace the journey for what it is and not let anything lead me astray. That’s the meaning of that song. My sister Melissa, we were in the studio together when I was writing it, and I thought that she would make a really really dope contribution, and she really did.
Talking about the EP as a whole, you’re extremely confident, know what you want, and are not afraid to talk about topics most people shy away from. How did you get here as an artist and as a person?
I feel like constantly pushing boundaries, like silencing my fears. I’ve had to embrace myself for who I am, and care less about what people think, especially when I know I’m not harming or doing anything wrong and it’s just myself. I feel like I tend to love myself so much that I should not be afraid to just express how I feel because I’m definitely not the first person to have felt like this before. There are people out there who can relate, so why would I shy away, you know?
This is your third project; what are your expectations for the project?
I had a mini EP earlier this year, but that wasn’t like a full project. So I would say it’s my first real project in like two years. I’m excited because it’s showing people a different side to me; I feel like I’ve grown from the last EP. I’ve had different experiences, so this is going to show a different perspective of who Moliy is to my listeners, and I’m hoping to cross more borders, expand my fanbase, and I want to really really perform. Cause, like I’m a covid born artist, I really came out in the year 2020, and I really want to be outside and spread my wings, you know, carry the sound. I felt like with my last project, when I put that out there, some cool artists reached out to me, and I ended up doing dope collaborations, so I’m hoping for the same thing this time, that even more doper artists get to hear it and want to collaborate. Collaborations are fire, and that’s one of the things I’m looking forward to.
Would be great to see you in Lagos this December.
I know, right? I really want to, yeah.
