Born in Southern California and raised between there and Accra, Ghana, Moses Sumney has been making music since 2014. He started his music career in Los Angeles while in college, finding his footing in the industry locally before moving to North Carolina a few years later. Today, he splits time between his spot in the mountains and an apartment in Brooklyn. “I think all of those places have probably influenced my style in some way,” he says.
I become a fan when I first heard his gorgeous debut album, Aromanticism, in 2017. He’s since made another studio album, along with a live album, countless features, and even acted in Sam Levinson and The Weeknd’s The Idol, as well as MaXXXine. When we meet over Zoom to do this interview, he’s already back in North Carolina working on his third album. Below, Sumney and I discuss finding and nurturing his passion for music, lessons he’s learned from acting, using clothing as a way to express himself, and plenty more.
Fit One
Coat and vest by Lemaire, trousers by Balenciaga, and shoes by Jésù Ségun London.
When did you first find a passion for music?
I just always knew that music was my identity—who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. When I was a kid, I just felt it. I heard it pretty loudly. Since I was seven, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of music, and I’ve been writing songs since I was 12. It’s always been a part of me.
How do you continue to nurture that passion?
I’m constantly thinking about music, and anyone who’s around me knows I’m singing all the time. I’m incredibly annoying in that I never, ever stop singing. Right now I’m making my third album, so I’m thinking about lyrics and words and concepts and sounds, and fishing and hunting for sounds as well.
I love your debut album. Do you see parallels between where you are today and where you were when you made it?
There are some things that I would do differently now, but I believe that an album is a snapshot of a moment in time, and so I stand by all the decisions. I really love listening to it. I love the minimalism of it, and the wandering soul of it is pretty consistent with what I do today. I’d say now I feel a little bit more hopeful about the world than what’s expressed in that first album.
Fit Two
Vest by Paradoxe Paris, sweater by Aaron Esh, trousers by Pet-Tree-Kor, vintage sunglasses, and boots by Telfar.
Do you have any general advice for up-and-coming musicians?
Quit and do something else, honestly. That’s what I always start with. I don’t know why you would want to do this as a career. If you’re foolish enough to not listen to that advice, then I would say listen to your gut and get off your phone.
Has acting taught you anything new about yourself, as a person or as an artist?
Yeah. I hate being an employee. That’s what I learned. I love being in charge. I love acting, and I deeply respect and appreciate the ability it gives me to have immediate access to my emotions—or, how it demands that I access my emotions with a certain immediacy that has been new. Because even though my music is very emotional, that emotion is not necessarily immediately accessible to other people. I’ve learned that maybe I can do it. I didn’t even know if I could do it. Being able to audition for roles and get them and act alongside real professionals was a huge learning curve and I’m really grateful for that. But I’m also excited to be in charge again.
I was going to ask: Do you want to do it in the future?
Maybe if the right project comes along? I don’t think there are many good scripts. Especially when you’re black and six foot four. So let’s see.
Fit Three
Sweater, shorts, and sunglasses by Our Legacy, necklace by Emanuele Bicocchi, and shoes by Martine Rose.
When did you first become interested in clothing and style?
I come from a family that doesn’t really know anything about fashion, but knows a lot about style. When I was growing up in Ghana, it was customary to go to church and be as well-dressed as possible. Go to the market, buy fabric that you love. Go to the tailor and tell them what you want and have your clothes custom made. I come from a culture in which people are very sartorial and also learn a sense of what their personal style is from a young age. My dad’s a pastor. He’s very stylish. He was always wearing either suits or Kente cloth and traditional Ghanaian garb while he was preaching. My mom was a seamstress in the ‘90s when we lived in California. I was always clothing aware. Then in the 2000s when there was this hip-hop dressing boom, I just became very style conscious. When I was a teenager, I would wear Phat Farm and Rocawear. Then I transitioned to being preppy and wearing polos and slim fit jeans. I’ve always been aware of it and as I’ve grown into my artistry, it’s been a beautiful tool to be able to continue to express myself. All the things that I can’t say through music, I can say some of them through clothing, which is really beautiful.
Has your style changed much since you first became interested?
I’m always learning. I’m most inspired by trying things on and trying to make things work. There are some things even during our shoot that I was just improvising and trying to make them work. I’m not sure that they all did, but I’m most inspired by like, “What if we put this together?” I’ve always been really influenced by clergy, by the way the pastors dress. The long flowing garb of a monastic priest has always been super inspiring to me. The Gothic era and Romantic era have been inspiring. Grace Jones. Huge, hugeinspiration. The Matrix and Blade from the ‘90s were huge inspirations as well. When I lived in London really briefly, being around people who wore black all the time, I always thought was so cool and really intimidating. I realized that wearing black made me take myself a lot more seriously. European street style in some ways has been influential. Really traditional African menswear has been, too, mostly because it’s actually quite unisex.
Fit Four
Vintage jacket by Comme des Garçons, scarf by Rick Owens, trousers by Ami, and shoes by Christian Louboutin.
Does style play a role in your performances?
Style is a big part of my show. In my headline show, I will usually have three different outfits. There are no pauses in the music, but I will do three dress changes. There’s always a moment where a coat has to come off in quite a dramatic way, and after the encore there’s got to be a new look. That’s really important. But I also plan out my outfits with the set list. Like, okay, “At this point in this song, there must be a change. At this point, I must be wearing a cape where when I talk about wings, you see the wing of the cape.” I think, in truly traditional theatrical and operatic terms, it’s important for there to be a synergy between the clothing and all of the visual aesthetics and the music performance itself.
Could you give me, right now on the spot, three non-negotiable albums everyone should listen to?
Joni Mitchell’s Blue. This is such a crazy question. In Rainbows by Radiohead. Songs in The Key of Life by Stevie Wonder.
Fit Five
Coat by Maison Margiela, shirt by Bianca Saunders, trousers by Han Kjøbenhavn, sunglasses by Our Legacy, necklace by Emanuele Bicocchi, belt by Palwy, and boots by Ann Demeulemeester.
Can you remember your first significant purchase?
I remember being on my first tour years ago, opening for a band called Local Natives. We went to this vintage shop in Lawrence, Kansas and everyone was shopping. I was quite broke. And I remember there was a $90 poncho and I was like, “I can’t get this. This is more expensive than anything I’ve ever bought.” And they’re like, “What? You’ve never spent that much money on clothes?” And I was like, “No. I’ve never spent more than $100 on anything.” And they’re like, “One day you will, kid.” And I was like, “I will never.” They were right. Weirdly, the first thing I remember purchasing, I don’t even know what the designer’s called. It was a hundred-pound black coat I bought at a vintage shop on Brick Lane in 2014. It was my last a hundred pounds. It was this coat cape that I could wrap around my head. I still have it. My first designer purchase might’ve been a pair of Margiela boots. The first expensive, “Oh my God, I can’t believe I did that” kind of purchase.
What’s your most recent purchase?
My most recent purchase is an Our Legacy sweater that I actually wore in our shoot.
If you had to wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it consist of?
Well, first of all, it would be my birthday suit, but if there had to be actual clothes, it’s a Yeezy Gap, Balenciaga hoodie that I just love so much. I wear it almost every day. It’s so comfy. I’d wear these pants I’m wearing now by Korean brand called LE17SEPTEMBRE. And I’d wear these black Louboutins boots that I wear almost every day.
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