By Sean Maldjian, Contributor

Meet Moonkissed

Self-portraits by, Moonkissed

emily is redleah (they/them) is blueKhaya is purple
Part 2:

Would You Rather…

have two cats for feet, or two very small wheels for feet? Also please tell us why.

Emily: two cats….i want to be able to leap onto fences or climb up trees with my feet. so graceful so quick. 

Leah: Two small wheels so i could go Fast

Khaya: Wheels dude……they still sell heelys should we bring them back?!

Some Questions With Moonkissed

First of all hello, how have you been this year? What has been your brightest moment?

Emily: I’ve had probably the best year of my life. I just went on a month long cross-country road trip with my partner!!! We camped in my prius and I saw the milky way and the redwoods for the first time! It was incredible.

Leah: It’s been a stellar year. my brightest moment has got to be our tour with sir chloe earlier this year in may, we love the band so much and met so many great people who came to the shows.

Khaya: HIIII! Wild weird year I decided to take a fat break from the city and gave up my lease and have just been bopping around and existing between tours. Woring random jobs, making tons of music, meeting lots of new people, learning about different ways of life. I just bought a VW bus named Irene!

Are you superstitious? If not, why not? If yes, what kinds of things are you superstitious about?

Emily: Yes. I have a strange feeling i will die from something water related. I’ve had many tsunami dreams and titanic-esque dreams. I’m also Sicilian and there are a lot of superstitions. You can’t pass a knife. The whole salt shaker thing. You have to come in and leave through the same door. You can only cook with an odd number of garlic in the dish. Little things that sometimes I entertain.

Leah: I believe in the supernatural, so in that sense I am superstitious. But I feel like many superstitions are fear based, which I don’t subscribe to. I believe in the power of goodness, and that it impacts the world in a meaningful way.

Khaya: Definitely superstitious. It keeps me aware and in check. Like I’m scared to do bad things in general, but will not feel bad breaking rules that make no sense. I guess superstition and moral compass are in line for me. I’m also generally really anxious and trying not to catastrophize as much, but part of me feels like when I freak out about the worst case scenario that means it won’t happen.

What was it like getting to record a live session with Audiotree?

Emily: Super cool!!! Everything sounded incredible and there was even a little dog running around. Once we loaded back into our cars someone ran down and was like “Is this your rock?” It was not my rock but he didn’t know what to do with it so now I have it on my dashboard. It’s now my favorite rock.

Leah: Yeah it was awesome! The team was amazing, the sound was great. And there was a super cute dog in the studio. I love a lot of Audiotree sessions, especially Mitski’s, so it was a total honor to perform.

Khaya: It was really fun :) 

What is the most memorable thing to happen to you on the NYC subway

Emily: I love when high schoolers take over the intercom. It cracks me up. The conductor is like “get off the intercom” and they just keep going.

Leah: I remember being on the subway with Khaya and Em one time when this subway performer came on, except he was just singing by himself with no accompaniment and it was so moving I think I started to tear up. I can’t remember the song now, but it was one of those old songs everybody knows, and he had such a beautiful voice.

Khaya: Emily and I used to busk on the subway when we were like 15 and one time Emily was playing melodica (the most annoying instrument ever) and I was singing and this lady plugged her ears and then ran to switch train cars at the next stop. 

What was the driving force behind your 2022 EP “I’m On My Way”?

Emily: We were a bit stir crazy over winter holidays and were really excited about those 3 songs we had! 


Leah: The last night of our yearly December residency had just been cancelled due to an uptick in Covid cases. I remember feeling sort of unsettled and unsatisfied, the way I’m sure we’ve all been feeling the past couple of years. I think the EP was sort of a balm for that ache of missing the world, at least it served that purpose for me listening to it. Also, I think we were just really really excited about those songs - they’re still some of my favorite to play live.

Khaya: Yeah totally – the EP was something to distract us from the fact that we were in basically another shutdown, on our anniversary of New Years nonetheless. It felt like a good way to be connected with each other despite quarantining yet again.

What is your favorite childhood book?

Emily: There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.

Leah: Brown Bear or Bambi

Khaya: Silly Sally

As you continue to create music together have you noticed any changes in your creative collaboration?

Emily: I have definitely learned more about how I like to create and I’ve learned to respect that. I get anal about the parts I write and i’ll rewrite them like 20 times before i think it’s done. I enjoy taking my time with stuff so sometimes I choose to write at home and send my parts to Khaya or Leah. Something I learned from writing so much alone through quarantine.


Leah: I think we’ve all really grown and come into ourselves as writers. I remember that inspiration used to feel more out of my control, like this incredible feeling passing through that almost had nothing to do with me. That definitely still happens, but I’ve also learned to really listen to the other parts of a song to try and glean the soul of something, and try to build from that place now. It feels more grounding and methodical I think.

Khaya: I’ve learned how to sit back and listen more. I used to be such a control freak with writing but Emily and Leah are two of the best minds I’ve written with and I’ve found that hearing out their ideas and trusting them and building off of each other more leads to the magic. Also I’m starting to understand my creative cycles and letting the ruts happen, and not pressure Emily and Leah when they’re in their ruts.

How do you get out of a creative funk?

Emily: I never force myself out of a creative funk. The dip is there for a reason and it’s an opportunity to recharge! I usually visit a museum, turn to visual art for a bit, or work on music in a more technical way if I have to. You have to respect when you are creatively worn out. It does no good to push through because I’ve found that the process becomes negative.

Leah: Yeah it’s the same for me. I think creativity is very connected to all aspects of life, so even if I’m not making music I might be writing poetry or reading or meditating or just listening. Sometimes it helps me to remember that the joy isn’t in me being the most creative, but in allowing creativity to occur within me and around me.

Khaya: Still no clear method for me, it always sucks. Last thing that worked was forcing myself to write and demo a song every day for a month, because inevitably at least one of them will feel good and you’ll get the magic back. Also collaboration can help if it’s with the right people.

What's next for Moon Kissed? Anything you’re really excited about?

Emily: We are going on tour to Riot Fest in September with Kid Sistr! We are on the bill with so many of my idols and i’m PUMPED! I’m a Yeah Yeah Yeahs super fan.

Leah: Yeahhh we’re hype for tour! We’re hitting Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Chicago for Riot Fest, Bloomington IN, Columbus OH, and Philly… then we’re coming back to New York for a homecoming extravaganza.

Khaya: TOUR BABY

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)  

Emily: Stay tuned for some new music in the very near future.

Leah: Come see us September 24th at Brooklyn Made!! It’ll be our only New York show for a while… Then keep your ears peeled for some exciting December news ✨

Khaya: Yea yea yea tell ya friends about Moon Kissed!