MEET HENRY MOODIE

NOVEMBER 2024

Words by Vasili Papathanasopoulos

Photographs by Jess Gleeson

Styling by Tori Knowles

Moodie Mania is the most accurate way to describe the fanaticism that surrounds English singer-songwriter Henry Moodie. Having made his debut only two years, the musician has rapidly acquired a legion of fans. His viral hits you were there, drunk text and pick up the phone, have reached audiences across the globe, and cemented his place as one of contemporary musics most engaging emerging artists. Having achieved more than 489 million streams worldwide, its unlikely you’ve yet to hear a Henry Moodie track.

We meet over zoom, with Moodie having just stepped off stage in Oslo. The show served as the second stop on the musicians European tour, which wrapped up in Glasgow over the weekend. “Honestly it was a really, it was a really good show,” he says of the Oslo performance. Obviously I'm a little bit nervous because it's the start of the tour. So these first few shows, especially like we're getting used to the set, it's like we're not quite comfortable fully - but it went really well.” He notes that this particular run of shows has prompted more crowd observation, most prominently the way differing countries interact with live music. “It's interesting because each different country in Europe has a complete different crowd. So Norway and Scandinavia in general is quite more, like, reserved. They sort of watch the set and then clap afterwards. It's like very polite and they have another way, a different way of going about it compared to if you go to like Glasgow, the UK and Scotland. It is the complete polar opposite. So I find it really fascinating because it's just really interesting to learn how to deal with different vibes in different crowds and they're all amazing just in their different ways.”

Shirt, Gucci. Trousers, Cos. Shoes, Adidas. Glasses, Le Specs.

In August this year, Moodie made his debut on Australian stages - performing in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. After he shared his observations of European crowds with me, I ask if he’s ever paid attention to how different nations chant his name - noting Australian crowds would sound different to a British crowd. “Well I've never even thought of that,” he responds. “To be fair when I listen to the videos back from the Australia shows, it's so funny hearing the Australian accent. I loved it… It was so fun.” With each stop of the tour selling out, it’s clear that Moodie Mania has made its way down under. He cites the Sydney show as one of the “top three favourite shows I've ever done in my life,” adding “I genuinely think about it, just put a smile on my face. Honestly that show was just the highlight of, honestly, the whole trip.” Whilst I myself was unable to attend (Moodie and I narrowly missed each other in both Australia and the UK this year), I’ve been assured by MILKY staff members that Moodie’s show at Sydney’s Factory Theatre will inevitably become one of those ‘I was there’ moments. During his time in Australia, the musician got to reconnect with old friends, whilst also playing tourist. He tells me of his excitement when first setting eyes on the Sydney Opera House, and how the iconic Sydney fixture lives up to it’s reputation. To counter, he asks me my thoughts on London. Having just returned from the epicentre of Britain, I could only offer rave reviews.

Those rave reviews continue when speaking of Moodie’s latest offering, good old days. The six-track release serves as a companion piece to the musicians debut EP, in all of my lonely nights, and a precursor to his long-awaited debut album. “I do see them as like little sibling records to kind of set up the album, which will come next year.” At its core, good old days is a coming of age tale. Moodie explores recognising how the present will become nostalgia in the future, and the importance of living in the moment. Furthermore, themes of love, heartbreak and mental health fill the EP, driven by honest and endearing lyricism. “We embrace the moment and I think I wanted to make sure that each track reflects a different aspect of me growing up.” He pays homage to his friends on beat up car, a track inspired by the days spent driving around their hometown. Moodie cites right person wrong time as “quite Henry Moodie,” and one of his personal favourites. It’s a storytelling song that reflects upon the musicians first love. On the flip side, still dancing explores his first experiences with heartbreak, and bad emotions allows listeners a glimpse into his mental health. Bookended by the title track and the old me (a song that documents an existential crisis), the juxtaposition of these two songs captures the ups and downs of life, and how our emotions and mental health are in a constant state of flux. “Sometimes I feel like I'm in the good old days, and sometimes I'm having an existential crisis. So I wanted to put them both in there because I wanted to show to everyone that it's not always just great, but also it's not always bad. You can have both whilst growing up; the ups and the downs. It's all part of the journey.” I ask him if there’s any apprehension about sharing such intimate and personal stories and moments with the world. He pauses for a moment, before contemplating how his own favourite artists have influenced and impacted his life. “I just think like so many artists have helped me go through so many hard times. So from the perspective of being a fan of an artist, when I see people that are coming to my shows and saying ‘pick up the phone or bad emotions has helped me through a hard time’ it really fulfils me. I feel like as an artist, that is my goal. To just move people with my music, and mental health, obviously as a generation, there's so much crazy stuff. I don't know. We're all facing so many different mental health challenges in our lives and it's such a big part of my life that I just feel like, because I've got this platform, I might as well use it and just make the biggest impact possible, and the best impact possible to anyone who is struggling.” Music is a universal language, and transcends barriers to unite us and remind us of our own humanity. At times where we ourselves can’t express our thoughts, fears and desires, we turn to our favourite artists hoping to find something that resonates; something to cling to. As Moodie puts it, there’s a light bulb moment of “‘oh my God, like I'm not alone' in a good way. You just feel like someone understands you. So I really wanna hopefully do that with my music.” He goes on to add that there is some fear that arises when it comes to releasing particular songs. “I think it's scary, writing a song doesn't necessarily paint you out in the best light,” he says before referencing still dancing. “I'd be lying if I said like I wasn't scared when I put out the songs. Like it definitely is scary... you have to walk into a session and fully just like talk about your life. It is like therapy.”

Jacket, Haulier. Pants, Haulier. Shoes, Jimmy Choo.

The space between in all of my lonely nights and good old days allowed Moodie the opportunity to expand upon his bedroom-pop sonics. Citing Coldplay and OneRepublic as undercurrent influences whilst making the EP, his experiences as a touring artist helped shape this new collection of songs. “I think you can kind of hear with this EP that when I wrote my first EP, I hadn't really toured much - or at all really. I think touring and playing songs live has really influenced the way that I write songs. And you can hear it. I think the production is bigger. It steps out of that bedroom-pop space a little bit, which the first EP was a little bit more.” good old days’ sonic cohesion is driven by its organic instrumentation. Lush guitar work unfurls throughout, punctuated by driving percussion. Aching piano melodies shine on the EPs ballads, whilst subtle synth work is laced throughout. Furthermore, Moodie’s storytelling abilities have grown between his debut and sophomore efforts. There’s more nuance and sophistication, whilst still retaining the relatable nature of his earlier releases. “Those songs [on in all of my lonely nights] I wrote mostly when I was like eighteen. I kind of started touring a lot when I was nineteen. good old days is like, songs that are about kind of like nineteen, and turning into twenty.” This time around, he also took a different approach to how he created and curated the collection of songs. Where in all of my lonely nights was comprised out of songs Moodie had written without intent, good old days is made up of songs written during sessions, where his main goal was to write a cohesive body of work. “I was writing each song to fit the EP, so it was different.” Whilst the direction he took towards writing both EP’s differ, Moodie wanted the individual releases to be tied together. “I think those are the only two I'll ever release because hopefully after this we just enter album one, album two, album three. So I did want it to still be connected. I think there's an element of ‘bedroom-pop Henry’ definitely, still there with especially the old me piano ballads and stuff.” I ask him if he has a distinct creative process when writing and crafting a body of work, he replies, “I mean it varies definitely. But I think in general I do have a quite usual process.” He tells me he usually starts out with writing a chorus, as it’s his belief that “if you get a banging chorus you can kind of relax and the rest of the song writes itself.” He draws inspiration from the happenings of his own life, bringing them to fruition through ear-worm melodies. Of course, taking centre stage is his captivating vocal performance, always leaning into the emotive light and shade of his tone.

Moodie’s meteoric rise began online, sharing music to TikTok where he was able to build an online community. “If you have a song that blows up on TikTok, it's just your dream. It changes your life. That's what happened with drunk text. It just took off. It's nuts how it can happen and it's the reason I am here.” Staring out independent, it was through the attention he gained on TikTok that he was able to sign a record deal and begin touring. “I just think it has so much power that app, and every single artist these days, like new artists are breaking through TikTok. I don't really know anyone that's breaking traditionally.” Whilst he is aware and appreciative of the opportunities social media platforms can provide, he also recognises the pressure of maintaining an online presence. "It's stressful because you're putting your faith and all your trust in the algorithms, all the time. It's my biggest love/hate relationship. But it's so powerful.” We discuss the differences between TikTok and Instagram reels; the former can at times feel less organic, and the latter provides more memes. “ I feel like every five seconds [on TikTok] I'm getting a new someone who's like, 'if you miss your ex...' like this is literally me. I'm talking about myself. I do this all the time and 'you should listen to this,' but it's getting to the point where it's like thousands of artists trying to promote their music,” he says with self-awareness. Moodie goes on to say he is intrigued to follow the trajectory of TikTok over the coming years, noting that it appears to be a less effective form of sharing music than it was a year ago when he would promote his music online.

Sweater, Loewe. Shoes, Adidas.

Having seen footage of Moodie’s trip to Asia, there are scenes reminiscent of ‘Beatlemania.’ I tell him to coin the term ‘Moodie Mania’, suggesting it could be the title of his greatest hits compilation in twenty years time. “That's so clever,” he responds with a chuckle. “You can be like, ‘I was the one who came up with that.’” It is true however, that Moodie was met with a rambunctious reception when visiting Asia earlier this year - a far cry from the British village he calls home. I ask him about that level of attention, and how he handles the intense nature of existing within the spotlight and finding a balance that feels healthy. He tells me he’s never been asked this before. “I think I very much live like a Hannah Montana double life. I live in a really small village, so I think a healthy way for me to process it is to be able to kind of switch off when I come home and feel grounded and feel myself and connect with my younger self. I don't know. And then when I go to Asia, it is, like it is crazy. But I love it because I'm able to sort of embrace it and it's not too overwhelming because it's not like my whole life. If that makes any sense? So it's finding the balance of both. But yeah, it's so fun. I'm so grateful that my music is connecting with people out there, so it just makes me so happy.” On a surface level, it appears that living the best of both worlds fills him with contentment and appreciation. Upon further thought, he goes on to say, “at times like it can be a bit scary because it's not a natural thing, is it, for a human to have so much attention. But like it's the Hannah Montana double life. I love it. I'm so grateful to be doing it.” His acute understanding of the need to set boundaries and seperate personal moments from career moments, far exceeds the wisdom you would expect from a twenty-year-old.

Throughout our time together, Moodie has mentioned that he is building towards his debut full-length album. Having released two EP’s this year, I question him on the pressure the prospect of writing an album has on him. He responds, “There's obviously an element of nerves in the sense that like I always have this fear that I'm just gonna get writer's block.” With the sun setting on his European tour, the musician is hoping to use his free time to get into album mode and begin penning the songs that will form his debut. “I'm overall so excited because I do have so many ideas for it, and I'm ready… this is gonna be the first time where I have a big chunk of time to write. I'm very much gonna get involved and sit down, really figure it out, and get my head down and create the best album I can make. Because I feel like you only get your first album once, so I wanna make sure it's like a good, it's a good record.”