Zion Moore: A Refreshing Performer with Vintage Roots
Zion Moore is 19 years old, but he doesn’t look like it when he poses in front of a camera. Visit his Instagram, and you’ll see a lot of photos of him with affectations that have an element of soulful maturity. It’s fitting when you consider the type of image that he wants to cultivate.
Zion lives in a time where his contemporaries share little in common with him. When we sat down to discuss his music, he said, “Nobody has made be a better performer here in Atlanta, because, you know, they’re rap artists.”
Zion went on to say that he models himself after showmen like Michael Jackson and James Brown, who are “able to dance and sing the song and really just wow the crowd.”
His ability to invoke legends of Pop and R&B could very well be the key to future success. He has a tendency to wear sparkly jackets, employ flashy dance routines and sing songs that are unapologetically PG-13.
Zion’s music is certainly something different, and a welcoming break from the melodic trap music currently dominating the Atlanta scene. It also has a timeless quality that has the potential to persevere, even as more trendy genres peter out.
When he’s not posting smouldering pictures on Instagram, Zion is a happy-go-lucky kid, one that Corliss Moore, his mother and manager, has tried with some force to propel towards stardom.
You can understand why Corliss is committed. Zion has a natural charisma that you feel could emerge in earnest as he progresses. He’s had a lot of stage experience at such a young age, and you feel that his best moments are ahead of him.
Zion’s career began in 2016 after he recorded his first single, Splash. People seemed to like it, and as an emboldened 16-year-old, he decided to email an editor at Essence, a publication geared towards black women. Fast-forward a couple of months and he’s on stage in front of 50,000 people.
“It was such an experience,” he said, “When I looked up and I saw all those rows of people, I was like ‘this is it. This is the real deal.’”
The next notable moment came during Amateur Night at the New York City Apollo, where he came in first place with original music and a dance routine.
Zion’s recorded music has yet to reach the same level of popularity as his live performances, but he seems optimistic for the future.
“You know, practice makes perfect,” he said. “Keep elevating yourself, elevating your craft, and when you step up on stage you’re going to turn it up.”
Zion concluded our interview by thanking his fans.
“Everybody that’s been supporting me this far, I just want to let you know that I love all of yall. I wouldn’t consider you to be fans. I would consider them to be Zionators. It’s past fans, it goes beyond being fans. I know the love for me and my love for them is genuine. So I mean it’s just love all over. And I really appreciate that.”
