Moss Kena Reveals Life Affirming New Single ‘Light It Up’
- by Adam Bailey
- in Latest
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Moss Kena kickstarts 2023 with the irresistibly uplifting anthem ‘Light It Up’. The feel-good tune recalls hazy summer days, reflecting on Kena’s own troubled past and overcoming his struggles with addiction in order to bring light and love to the world. Watch the official video below.
The British singer songwriter has attracted acclaim from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Elton John, Zane Lowe, and Lenny Kravitz. His mega-hit collaboration with Purple Disco Machine ‘Fireworks’ has been streamed well over 170 million times worldwide and counting and has been a multi platinum #1 radio hit across Europe. Not to mention his latest hit with Alle Farben “Forgot How To Love” which raced up the Airplay Charts in Germany.
‘Light It Up’ combines synth-pop inspired production with uplifting guitar hooks. Kena’s instantly recognisable vocals carry the listener on a sun-kissed melodic journey incorporating a catchy-as-hell chorus you’ll be humming along to immediately.
“‘Light It Up’ is about euphoric recall,” explains Kena, “It’s nostalgic; me remembering a time when I would go out seeking connection to music and to people. I was doing this to escape my reality of active addiction. I was trying to fool myself that I was happy but at the same time I was in love. And in love with music too. I was trying to reach a higher ground.”
“This song invites people to feel that feeling, when you’re in a crowd or at a festival and you just want it to last forever, you just feel love. It’s that love and togetherness that really lights up the world, without sounding too cliche that’s what we all need. And I hope this song takes you there.”
It took Moss a while to get to that high feeling in his life. He grew up detached from the world he’d one day come to dominate. In Harefield, a run-of-the-mill town outside of London, he was an outsider for much of his childhood; disinterested in the typically laddish activities, galvanised, instead, by the kind of creative ambition that drew ridicule from school bullies.
He signed his first recording contract at 18, releasing a series of R&B led EPs which drew to critical acclaim. But behind the facade of success, Kena was struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. It wasn’t until the start of the pandemic and the first lockdown in 2020 that he made the first steps to saving his own life.
“At the age of just 22 my drug and alcohol addiction had nearly killed me,” he explains, “everyone thought I was going to die. I wasn’t a bad person trying to be good, I was a sick person trying to get well. Addiction nearly took everything from me, but now I’m grateful for every day.”
Kena co-wrote ‘Light It Up’ with fellow UK artist and producer duo SUPER-Hi, who have worked with the likes of David Guetta, Charlie Puth, James Arthur, 5 Seconds of Summer, Alesso and Green Day as well as producing several tracks on the brand new No 1 album from Louis Tomlinson. SUPER-Hi said: “Moss is a triple threat.. an amazing singer, massively talented writer and a lovely genuine person. We loved this record the day we wrote it with him and are SUPER excited for the world to hear it.”
“Meeting Super-Hi was like meeting the wizard of Oz, I was able to see behind the curtain of some of this generations most loved music, working with the boys was so easy, they took care of me and beautifully translated my thoughts and feelings into music, it was a hugely inspiring experience to witness their genius.” says Moss about working with SUPER-Hi.
The song adds yet more weight to Kena’s impressive back catalog, which showcases an artist capable of moving from smooth R&B, to intelligently written pop, via hands-in-the-air dance anthems with unfathomable ease. With ‘Light It Up’, Kena demonstrates his ability to draw on the darkness from his own past and transform it into an overwhelmingly positive message to both inspire and encourage his growing community of fans.
Now with new found clarity in his life, Kena is about to embark on possibly his most exciting year of music to date with a collection of new songs ready to release, an EP due out in the spring and a return to the live stage which is where his music shines brightest; having already toured with icons including Lewis Capaldi, Bastille, Rita Ora and Jess Glynne.
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