“I missed it so much,” Irish singer-songwriter Fia Moon smiles, as she reflects on her return with the release of her powerful new single ‘Back To Me’. “It feels amazing to be back releasing and putting music back out in the world”.
With over three million Spotify streams alone and having garnered 48 million impressions on Irish radio; Fia’s name has been one of the hottest in Dublin’s burgeoning pop music scene. With tracks such as ‘Better Days’ and ‘Falling For You’, Fia has become the voice of heartbreak and pain, her work reflecting on broken promises, overused excuses and the hunt for something purer than what came before. Despite her previous single ‘By Now’ being released last year; there’s little doubt that ‘Back To Me’ marks the end of a series and the final chapter of a whole era of Moon’s career. She’s dealt with the pain, let go of the past, and is finally remembering what it means to be whole again
“After ‘Back To Me’ was written and we broke up, I found myself having to start again and rebuild myself in many ways,” she recalls of a time which also saw her write ‘Let This Go’ and ‘By Now’. “It’s a full circle moment – the song that catapulted me into songwriting and learning about myself, is the final one of this chapter to come out and while it has a very nostalgic place in my heart, it also symbolises new beginnings and the rebirth of the person I thought I had lost”.
Written in the summer of 2018, the track was produced in collaboration with Rob Harvey (Clean Bandit, Jess Glynne, The Streets, Tom Walker) and Dan Dare (Charlie XCX, MNEK & Joel Corry, Marina and The Diamonds, Wiley) at Harvey’s Leeds home. It was the first time Harvey and Moon had worked together, the beginning of one of the most important creative relationships of Moon’s career to date. “I felt honoured to share a creative space and to write this song together with him as I have always had so much admiration, not only for his creativity, but for his outlook on life,” Moon recalls of the early days of the collaboration. “Every session and interaction has taught me a lot, and there are key moments from that particular session that will always stick with me. Up until that point, I had only ever really worked with Dan so it was a first to have someone else in the room and a third perspective. The conversations with Rob that day really inspired me to remember the importance of storytelling in my music. We’ve written multiple songs since then, with ‘better day’s being released, and I now find myself naturally beginning a song by setting a scene, at a time and place. And I’ll always be reminded when I think back to that first session with Rob”.
The track is accompanied by a short music video, which was shot over the course of three days in Brighton by director Marcus Prouse Jr and editor Willow Kennedy. The video, featuring Moon and actor Jack Furssedonn-Coates, depicts a relationship with not only another but also with herself. The video closes with a gorgeous sunset, signifying Moon’s freedom and being set free from the constraints of others.
“I would love viewers to go on the journey of the song as the music video develops,” Moon explains of the video. “From being in a relationship to being completely good on your own. Going between night and day and the time and work it takes to reach a point where you don’t need anyone else but yourself”.
“The process of creating this music video was a journey in itself and it made me grow a lot. I am so lucky to have connected with such talented collaborators such as Marcus (director), Willow Kennedy (editor) and worked alongside Laura Marina (stylist) and Jack Furssedonn-Coates (actor). Shooting the music video was so fun and I couldn’t have done it without them.”
As this chapter of Fia Moon’s story comes to a close, it’s only right that she goes out on a high. From the hope of ‘Falling For You’ to the pain of ‘Better Days’, it’s time for Moon to write her own story on her own terms. “This single is very much the start of a more confident body of music,” Moon notes. “I cannot wait for people to hear it”.
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Words: Cailean Coffey
