Meet Dominica’s Samantha Moon
photo courtesy of Samantha Moon
written by Caribbean Collective Magazine
On a hot Saturday afternoon in NJ, I was excited when Samantha Moon picked up for our scheduled interview. While part of our reason for starting Caribbean Collective Magazine is representation, I was even more excited to meet an artist from one of our smaller Caribbean islands--Dominica. Northwest of Martinique and part of the Lesser Antilles, Dominica is a considered an unspoiled gem. The island is known for its hot springs, lakes, scenery and pristine ecological environment.
Neo Soul and socially conscious artist, Samantha Moon was born and raised in Dominica before emigrating to the United States. Samantha spoke one on one with us. Together we explored her musical influences, the musical culture of Dominica and most importantly her message of light, she hopes to spread throughout our community and more.
Where were you born in Dominica?
“In Trafalgar. It’s a beautiful place, beautiful waterfalls and hots springs…the lakes…it has one of the largest boiling lakes in the world. You should probably visit!”
How did you get into music?
“I do remember doing music in Dominica all my life because I grew up around a lot of musicians. My mom was into music and my dad played the drums. My whole family was into music, so I grew up around that and it created a way for me to really – or inspired me to do music.”
What are your musical influences? Would you say Blues, Jazz, Reggae, Soca for example?
“Being form the Caribbean, you’re from Guyana, (the interviewer is Guyanese) you know when you’re in the Caribbean there’s no type of special genre. It’s all around genres, because mainly we would listen to the radio. The radio would play every day and it would be like Blues, Jazz…also a mix of all Caribbean music which is creole cadence; and I listen to a lot of soul music and R & B. That’s how I mainly became a R&B singer as well singing soul music.”
There aren’t many people who talk about Caribbean music from this part of the Caribbean. Talk to us about Cadence music from Dominica. What are the influences behind Cadence music? Is it African, Reggae, soul etc.?
“… It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful sound. It’s like African influence, and sometimes you listen to certain Cadence sounds and it would bring a kind of feel of Zouk. It’s French music from the French islands as well. But it is also a part of African culture…Dominica has quite a unique history with Caribbean music. While many of the islands are familiar with Reggae, Soca, and Calypso music; Dominica’s influences have been shaped by African and French culture. Musical styles such as Zouk, Cadence-lypso have emerged from Dominican. Bouyon is an example of a genre that has emerged specifically from Dominica.”
Is it different being a musician here in the US versus the Caribbean?
“Well, it is. The market here is bigger and you get to understand the culture a little more because in Dominica we mainly did... I learned to do R & B and Soul and get more into the culture. It expanded my reach for this genre.”
Do you consider yourself a socially conscious artist?
“Definitely, for sure. People go through a lot in their life. I think as an artist it’s my job and you know it’s almost like a duty to make sure I speak about those type of topics. Because a lot of people who do music, we want to talk about a lot of different things, but mainly thinking about what my job is as a musician, I have to try my best to speak about these topics and it was inspired by many different emotions and you know it was just my time to speak about it…so yeah.”
How was it moving to the US and assimilating to American culture?
“ I learn quickly. Before that I always traveled through cruise ships. So, I was already socializing with the culture, the genre and the people. But living here is a different vibe because you have to learn so much at once, but it was like a quick process for me and I had to grasp everything at once. For me I’m a quick learner, it just happened naturally.”
What do you want your listeners to get from your music?
“I want them to be inspired as well. Whenever they listen, I want them to feel that they want to come back and listen again. I want them to get substance from the music, feel like it makes them want to think. I think that as a writer, you should get a story from my music, from my lyrics. Lyrical content should make you think or feel. That is what I want my listeners to get from it.”
Samantha’s song, “ I love You” went viral on YouTube and has been praised for its content and the singer’s vocals. Her message of spreading love and positivity is inspirational.
In a world overrun by a global pandemic and racial, gender, and minority injustices the public has witnessed in the last six months, Samantha’s music is a breath of fresh air. Her single “I love You” is available on major platforms such as iTunes.
To learn more about her, check out at Samantha Moon Music.
