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In House With Willy Moon: Rising Rocker Blends Hip-Hop, Soul and Tailored Style

Gino DePinto, AOL Music

Vanguard of eccentricity, bastion of style and angel-faced beatmaker, Willy Moon wastes no time establishing his presence in a room with quiet insistence. Reposing on a couch in Spinner's New York offices, Moon looks as elegant as the celestial body he chose for his stage name.

Despite the electrifying nature of his recent single "Yeah Yeah," which has reached insta-fame through the ever ubiquitous nature of the Apple iPod commercial, the singer is quite soft-spoken and reserved in person. Striking in a perfectly tailored vintage suit, the New Zealand native's fashion choices are just one facet of his extremely individual nature.

"My parents were very sort of unorthodox people and I suppose they passed a lot of that onto me as a person," he says. "I was looking after myself from quite a young age and I had to fend for myself a lot. When I was 18 I came to London, to pursue my dreams and see what the world had in store for me and see what I was made of -- and I wound up making records."

Watch Willy Moon's "I Wanna Be Your Man" Video


The 23-year-old finally found his inspiration in Berlin, where he had few friends and worked odd jobs while making music. Lacking a drummer, Moon experimented with making beats, a practice that quickly led him back to hip-hop.

"A lot of my time in Berlin was spent there trying to work out how I could make music, and kind of do my own thing. I didn't know anybody in the city who played music, I didn't know any other musicians or any other people, and I didn't really want to get together with anyone else," Willy says. "So I started making my own records at home. I didn't have drums so I started programming drum beats and that kind of made me think and connected me to listening to hip-hop records, so it was sort of this whole process in my mind."

The elements of sampling and rhythm that Moon singer incorporates into his work are certainly indicative of the hip-hop sound, but the rest of his musical influences flesh out the songs with bluesy, rock and soul elements. While critics are eager to liken him to everyone from Bo Diddley to Swizz Beats, it's a famed jazz cat that Moon cites as his own ideal comparison.

"I find the comparisons quite funny, because I don't think there's really anybody that does something quite like what I do. Well, I hope they don't do it quite like I do. In my mind I'm like Cab Calloway, but that's my own comparison."

Style-wise, Moon certainly emulates Calloway with his fondness for the sleek tailoring of 1930s cinema. While Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant are influences on his style, ultimately he just prefers to be dressed up.

"I'm trying to follow my own interests and passions in it. I'm a big fan of tailored clothes, obviously. I think it makes me much more interesting and much better to look at. That's just the way I feel about it. I wish more people wore tailored clothes. It's what I wear in my life, at home, it's what I feel comfortable in now. I don't feel comfortable in jeans now. I was trying to because I was at home and doing some decorating, it just didn't feel like me."

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Moon is the kind of artist who regards all aspects of his life as part of his art, whether it be his clothing, music videos or the songs themselves. It was this precision, no doubt, that attracted the attention of an equally meticulous musician -- Jack White.

"Somebody played Jack some of my records and he really liked them, and they got in touch and wanted to see if we wanted to do a single with Third Man Records. I wasn't sure if I could because I'm signed to another record label. We had to convince them to allow us, which they did and they were very good about it.

"Then I went on tour with him, which was really exciting for me. I've always loved him as an artist, I've always thought of him as a very inspirational person. I've always aspired to be someone who had the same sense of flair and artistic creative control. He's very independent and very clear about everything he does."

As far as touring and performing goes, Willy's female guitarist and drummer have a flair of their own. The contrast between Moon's own studied elegance and two ladies rocking out onstage makes more of an impact than words on paper can convey.

"They're fantastic. We're really lucky to find them. I just felt like it was the right thing to do. I never wanted to be onstage with guys, that never interested me. I'm so sick of seeing guys play music. It's so boring. So I spent a lot of time looking for girls, but sadly, there's not that many girls that play music. I wish more girls would play music. So hopefully having a girl band inspires more women to play instruments," he says.

Although there are hints of blues and softer elements of rock in his music, Moon is adamant that he'll never go in an acoustic or folk direction. Instead, the 23-year-old dreams of working with hip-hop heavyweights like Kanye West or Wu-Tang.

"I'd love to work with Kanye West. He's absolutely, a real singular person. There's nobody else like him. I really loved My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, such a fantastic record and I also loved the Wu-Tang."

With a pedigree in old school hip-hop and a studied commitment to aesthetic perfection in all realms, Willy Moon is set to take the world by storm. His short self-titled EP is currently available on iTunes, but a full-length record is already recorded and set for release next spring. If 2013 is bringing in acts like him, it's definitely going to be a good year.

Watch Willy Moon Perform "Yeah Yeah" on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" Video



Download Willy Moon Songs | Buy Willy Moon Albums

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