Andreas Moss

SSW: Let’s start from the beginning, with your background. Your bio is nuts! From childhood to where you are right now, it’s like you have lived so many lives within just this one! People wouldn’t believe it’s a real story!

Andreas Moss: Well, it is! Fortunately and unfortunately! [laughs]

So you were born in Sweden and grew up in a big family?

Yes! It was 4 of us kids and my parents, who were evangelists. Even before I was born they traveled full-time. They were going to different churches, where they would sing together and preach. We came over to America in 1991 for the first time, and then we moved back and forth my entire life. We made albums when I was little. My first album came out when I was 6! When I was 9 we started to travel as a family full-time.

I also saw that you started singing when you were even younger!

I was 2! And it’s funny—my daughter now is the same way. She’s memorized around 60 songs and she is not even 3 yet!

Wow, that’s crazy! So you and your family just traveled around together and settled down a few years later?

Yes, we rented an RV! Have you see Breaking Bad? That RV that they make meth in is exactly the one we had. I saw that show and I was like, “Oh my god, they are making meth in my house!” It was a 1989 Bounder, that exact one! We were mostly in Florida and Sweden. We stopped traveling when I was 14, then I went to high school and  graduated early. I went to Bible college for a year when I was 16, decided that I wanted to do artistry, and recorded an album.

How many albums did you have? When I was reading about you and all the albums you had released, I lost count!

Yeah, it’s a lot! With my family we did five!

Are those still somewhere out there?

Yes, but I hope people don’t find them! [laughs] So there are five of those, and I had five solo ones as Jonathan Thulin. My first one as Andreas Moss is about to come out. I had an EP come out as Andreas Moss already.

I love your EP, and the new song “Ever Was” is absolutely amazing!

Thank you so much! That’s from the new album.

Growing up, was it your dream to specifically be doing Christian music and to continue being part of the church?

Yeah, that was my entire worldview, and that’s all I had ever known, so it felt like the right thing to do. I was raised with very beautiful parents—they are such loving people! So even though we disagree on certain things, they really taught all four of us to love other people really well, and they loved us so well, so I’m really thankful for that. I had a lot of traumatic things happen during my childhood in the church, but it wasn’t my parents, so I had a safe space there. But in church you get taught a lot of things that are really unhealthy. I knew I was gay growing up. I think when I was 7 was the first time I ever heard someone speak negatively about homosexuality. I never thought that it was strange or weird; I just knew I was attracted to men and I didn’t know why at that age, but I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

I think that now I don’t know where I am at on a religious basis. I think I believe in God. And if you look at what Jesus actually said, it was wonderful, but people are not representing that. That’s what happens in religion in general: people mix their pride with religion and become even more entitled. If you believe in something and it makes you into a hateful person, then you probably don’t believe in the right thing.

I agree—if you mix all those beautiful things with ego, that’s exactly what happens!

I think if you believe in something that makes you kind humble, that is the right way to go. For me, the one thing that I have taken away from the Bible is the Fruit of the Spirit. If the foundation of what you are saying and doing is love and compassion and gentleness and self-control, then the fruits of your labor will be good! That’s what I try to do. I am a human being and I fail all the time, but I always try to put those things first in my life, to be forgiving and to try to see things from other people’s perspective. I try to be proactive in the way that I approach situations. I believe in love and I think that love is something really powerful.

What I find really interesting is the actual perception of love in society. We really put that word into a box as well. When people normally talk about love, they tend to refer to personal relationships, but it’s so much bigger, it’s about loving everyone. And people consider themselves being loving people only in the romantic aspect or only towards their closest friends and family, while at the same time they can hate so many other people.

Exactly! But a lot of things have been romanticized: not only love, but religion as well! And I think that’s the problem. People need to find the beauty in what life actually is, and live every single day being thankful for everything we have. Sometimes our perception of what love is supposed to look like creates really unhealthy perceptions and expectations that are unrealistic.

It’s the same thing about kindness. we have these things we do and think we are so kind. When you start working on yourself, you catch yourself being angry or not treating people right, not being kind in simple daily situations. When you think you are done working on it, these situations still pop up all the time to challenge you, and when you react it’s like “ugh I still need to work on this.” You think you learned a lesson, but it never ends!

We are going to be learning for the rest of our lives!

I was listening to a lot of your interviews, and what I love about you is that you are always so honest about what your songs where written about. When you talk about your song about addiction and what you went through, you don’t sugarcoat it! Normally when people share it’s just a very vague version of what the struggles were all about. Not too many artists are really diving into the exact details of how dark it was and how bad things were, and you actually are.

When we can be honest about the stuff we are going through, it breaks down the barriers between human beings. A big part of the reasons for racism, homophobia, and any type of hate is because of fear. If it’s fear-based, and you don’t know about the other person, if you don’t actually sit down and talk to a person that’s different, then you are never going to learn anything. I think the more we can share, the more people will think they can talk about what they are going through too.

Did it take you a while to be ready to share these things?

I don’t think so… but I think I was so ashamed of everything and I was immersed in a culture of shame, guilt and fear, so I didn’t wanna share anything. When I got older I became the opposite! I think it’s important to talk about our fuck-ups.

Absolutely! I watch interviews sometimes, and think it’s awesome to hear things people share about successes and cool things, but I wish I could hear more of the stories of how people hit the rock bottom and then stood up and kept going. It would help so many people that are currently down to see that the tide is always changing, and they can get through anything!

My big thing is that a lot of people stand up on stage and they say “I used to deal with this!” It’s great to hear those kind of stories, but I think it’s also great to hear “I’m still dealing with this. It’s happening right now!”

There is a song on my new album called “I Don’t Love Me” that I wrote in 10 minutes. I was in this session I didn’t want to be in and I was trying to cancel because I was not in a good head space. I ended up writing this song, and I deal with self-hatred all the time.

There is so much power in our thoughts and in our words. I used to wake up and immediately say to myself “you are a monster,” and “you are disgusting.” I would wake up every day like that, and if you are approaching your day this way, you won’t get good results. It’s not something that’s entirely in the past. I’m trying to move forward, but I think that often we deal with that stuff and we make it seem like we are done with it. Sometimes we have to move through these things, and I think it’s amazing to have people listen to music and have the chance to move through that with the artist, rather than thinking that the artist is now this great example who is through all this shit. I mean, I’m through some shit, but not all of it.

Yeah! I think it does help when people talk about their past struggles, but also it makes you think “well yeah ,of course they are better than me, so they succeeded, and I am where I am.”

Yeah, and that ruins the whole vibe. I always want to be an approachable person. People forget that being an artist is a leadership position, and some people become really famous, but they are not leaders and they don’t know how to deal with it. That’s why they end up treating people badly, because they panic. I just want my arms to always be open.

Just learning about your journey is going to help a lot of people too!

I hope so!

When you started the new chapter in your career, transitioning into pop music, you decided right away that you were going to change your name. What were your steps at that point, since you were known as Jonathan and you were starting from scratch?

We were very secretive for two years. I got signed at Curb, and I told them I wanted to change my name. They are not a typical label, and they are very family oriented. I feel so supported by them. My management has been phenomenal as well! Currently I’m with Kevin Jonas Sr., and he is the kindest human being! There are so many amazing things happening, and things are taking off on many different levels. And it’s crazy that it all happened after the divorce. It was like the Universe saying “Okay, this is your time now, you have made the right decision.”

You went through a lot of changes very quickly with a new music project,  a new record label, and a divorce!

I got married at 20, and she was 19. I look back at those years and we had so many great moments, but I’m gay and it just wasn’t going to work. We both knew that going into it, but I guess we just looked at it differently. We thought that it was something that would go away. But now we are best friends. We got to keep a really beautiful part of our marriage, which is our friendship. It’s been a journey, and it’s one of those things that I guess has a lot of trigger points for many people. I’m just trying to approach it differently. I’m so thankful for my marriage and I’m so thankful for my daughter! I got to build a relationship with the human being that I love so much. Getting to have that relationship with her is absolutely amazing. So I don’t see my marriage ending as a failure; I see it as the beginning of a new season in life.

I think these perceptions of failure just come from us thinking about what other people might think about us. Everyone is so different, and we all have different journeys.

It’s just comparison! And isn’t it a funny thought: the majority of society is built on catering to the 1% of people that get offended by things, instead of them maturing and not getting offended by shit that’s stupid.

That’s the truth right there! So currently you are focusing on both songwriting for others and recording for yourself?

Yes, and both are going really well! I want my own artistry to work, but I know songwriting definitely will, and that’s what I do every day! So even if my own recording doesn’t take off for some reason, I have realized that I really love developing other artists, and I find so much joy in getting to be a part of other people’s successes.

What is your favorite song you ever wrote, either for yourself or other people?

That’s a hard one, I have so many that I really like. “I Don’t Love Me” is one of my favorites, because that one exudes a lot of emotions for me. I have one called “Fucked Up” on the album, and that’s another one that means a lot. I like the songs that really have depth and that I have really thought about lyrically. For other people I have written some songs that I’m really proud as well, especially for Melanie Pfirrman.

Do you know yet when your new album is coming out?

Next year!

That’s amazing! Are you currently performing a lot?

Not right now. We are really focusing on promotion for the album, and once it comes out there is going to be a lot of stuff happening! We have just been waiting for the right time, and I feel like it’s perfect now. Everything is going to be great!

It definitely feels like you are doing exactly what you wanted to do, and now you have this sense of freedom.

Yes, and again that has to do with the label. A lot of labels don’t respect the artists. They see it like commerce, it’s a business for them, and ideally making music shouldn’t be run that way. My label gives me the opportunity to be the artist that I am and has respect for me as an artist.

I think it’s so important for labels to let the artist be creative. They can bring so much to the table, and when labels let them and run with their ideas and simply help execute them, that’s where the partnership becomes even more successful, and the audience can feel the honesty and authenticity in it. But I’m sure it’s not that easy to find management or label that will do that.

My label has been like that from the beginning! They are very unusual in that sense. And I feel very respected, loved and encouraged. It’s the same with my management. I feel very much like I’m taken care of, and I have so much respect for and trust in the people that I am working with. I’m really excited about this next season, especially with songwriting! Even though I have been writing my whole life, I’ve only been doing it in pop music for two years, and to see what’s already happening gives me so much hope!

Your ability to tell stories in such an honest way is so unique. There are only a few people I can name that I personally feel have the same ability, like Jessie Reyez, Julia Michaels, and Ryan Tedder. As a songwriter for other artists, you can definitely help to convey their message in such a beautiful and raw way. It seems like you are so passionate about supporting other artists in the industry and I really admire that!

Thank you for saying that! I have always wanted to in such a way so that when I die people will say that I was a faithful friend, I was a trustworthy person, and I was there when they needed me. And I want to start cultivating that kind of thing in the industry: for all of us to genuinely be there for each other.

It’s always interesting how people in music industry always talk about how terrible it is, but it starts with us! If every single person starts being supportive and respectful, it’s going to change from within. If we support each other, a lot of beautiful things can happen!

Of course! And as you know, there are already very many kind and amazing people out there. I have not yet run into very much of anything bad in the mainstream industry.

Well, your vibe attracts your tribe, and whatever you put into the universe returns! So it’s no wonder that you’ve attracted good people. With your experience, do you have any advice for songwriters that are just starting out?

As a songwriter, the biggest thing is to just write a lot! Stevie Wonder wrote a song a day just to keep it going, and he has some of the biggest hits ever. Every song is not going to be amazing, but if you feel like you have an ability, cultivate it. When you have high levels of talent, people will be drawn to you. As you do things and put yourself out there, you are going to attract the right type of people. Stay confident in yourself and your abilities! You will have people telling you every day that you are not good enough and that you are never going to make it. You’re going to hear a lot of voices all the time, and even your own voice may be mostly speaking ill about yourself and saying that you are not going to be able to do it. People that succeeded are the ones that didn’t quit! For some people it takes just one song to break, and for some it’s 15 years, so you’ve got to stay focused and fight through that! If you know that you are good at something, be confident in that.

That’s such great advice. I got one last question for you! Thinking of yourself as a soul on Earth, what do you think your purpose is?

I think my purpose is to be kind and love people. To me that’s enough. Every day waking up and being able to do anything for someone else, living my life with other-centerdness is my goal. It’s not about not taking care of yourself: it’s about making the effort to fully love other people and be genuinely kind to people and let them in and help them. That gives me so much purpose.