Heather Christie, a versatile musician, DJ, and devoted mother, introduces her new artistic identity, Moonbabe The Artist, with the release of her debut EP. This project marks an exciting evolution in her career, blending chill electronic, deep house, and indie pop into a captivating sound.
“Moonbabe The Artist” EP is something that she describes as “Ritual Deep House,” with a strong emphasis on the first two words, as she produces enthralling beats and oneiric melodies to elevate our state of consciousness into a place where medicinal mantras will hopefully heal our spirit. From the poignant “Where the Moon Goes,” featuring her daughter Naya, to the nature-inspired “Earth Moves,” the EP captures the essence of motherhood, connection, and cosmic reflection.
Raised in Santa Cruz among Grateful Dead fans, Christie’s musical journey began at five and has spanned various genres and projects, including “Feral Fauna” and “Silk Drop”. She gained national attention on American Idol and made headlines for breastfeeding while DJing, showcasing her dual commitment to artistry and motherhood.
Now, with her debut EP available on all major streaming platforms, we’re eager to delve into Heather’s creative process and the inspiration behind Möonbabe.
Tell us about the origin and meaning of “Möonbabe”.
The name Möonbabe just came through one day while driving in Topanga Canyon, which I love, early in my pregnancy. It originally came through as a label name, which I created 3 years ago now in Fall 2021, and has since emerged as a concept; a symbol of what is feminine. It’s a name that encapsulates my commitment to nature connection, and following the phases and cycles of nature and the moon as my greatest sources of inspiration for all that I do.
What inspired you to create the “ritual deep house” genre, and how does it differ from traditional deep house music?
I think it differs from other house music styles in that it carries within it the intention of rental, ceremony, or prayer. I am around a lot of medicine music and a lot of world instruments and music as well. So I think the intention of the healing journey that is imbued into the tracks gives it that ‘ritual’ title, as well as permission for the dance floor to engage in a space that FEELS like something deeper than a dance party—something that actually gives the space and power to heal and shed layers on the dance floor. I feel like the world right now needs more prayer, and there aren’t a lot of socially accepted spaces to do it unless you’re religious. Even though I’m not religious, I want my music to give the dance floor and everybody on it permission to pray, permission to feel & heal, and permission to go as deep as they need into the ceremony of the dance. THAT is when it becomes a ritual: when you emerge feeling changed and different than when you came in. That’s the power of dance, and specifically the trance of house beats.
Can you elaborate on the creative process behind each track in the EP? How did personal experiences influence the songwriting?
“Where the Moon Goes” is the first track on the EP, but the final song written for this body of work, just before my 35th birthday. It was written in my home in Topanga, while my 2-year-old daughter Naya was breastfeeding. That’s why she’s featured in the track, she actually wrote her own vocal line for it while I was listening to the production on repeat, singing vocal line ideas into my voice memos.
This song came at a time when I was feeling the death & rebirth of my sense of self after becoming a mother, holding space for my husband to go through cancer and chemo, and having lost my brother in a tragic overdose.
The sadness AND joy wrapped up in my experiences can be felt in the somewhat nostalgic lyrics and melody, as well as the simple beauty and prayer of the dance. It felt like my first conscious foray into the genre of ‘ritual deep house’, and acts as a kind of opener and ode to my commitment to living an authentic life connected to nature and the cycles of the celestial bodies as a reminder of my own humanity and wildness.
“Earth Moves” was written up on a mountain ridge under a hot sun in the Santa Monica Mountains on a long hike one day. It’s a multidimensional story of how we, as humans, mirror the celestial bodies and that the gravitational force that moves all things is attraction.
“Moon & stars” is about how we all have these secrets in our hearts, yet they’re really just love notes to the cosmos, and when these secrets are spoken to the moon and the stars in the night sky, they can become prayers and amplified. It was written at my home studio and features my husband Vir on the cümbüs (the Turkish banjo).
“Earth & Sky” was the first song that came through in this body of work, as I was laying nude in a cold river on the summer solstice of 2023 in Southern Oregon. I got a strong idea in the river to make dance music that was mixed with simple heart songs and elemental lyrics. I looked toward Bob Moses for production inspiration, and traditional circle songs for lyrical inspiration. In the reimagining of this song, my friend and mixing/mastering engineer Theo Grace really took this one to the next level with an upgraded bass and synth line in the chorus.
The rest of the songs came through over the course of a year, and I completed the writing and production of the EP exactly a year later, on summer solstice 2024.
How did your daughter Naya’s spontaneous contribution to “Where the Moon Goes” shape the song’s final version?
She was and usually always is in the room with me when I create and when I DJ. Sometimes she’s even onstage with me. She’s been such a part of me, it’s like I have to just find new ways of flowing with it all: being a mama (and working from home) and being a creator. Now that she’s finding her voice, so to speak, it gives me so much joy to include her in my artistic process in simple, fun ways.
In “Moon & Stars,” you mention turning secrets into prayers. Can you discuss the significance of this concept in your life and music?
Yes, this roots back to the concept of ‘ritual deep house’ as a genre, and the connection to nature and the elements being the strongest inspiration behind everything I make.
To me, the moon is an ultimate symbol of the feminine. It waxes and wanes, as women do through our menstrual cycles. We tend to feel the pull and significance of the full and new moons even more deeply when we are in touch with how we literally mirror the celestial cycles. This means we can tap into the personal nature of our relationship with the moon & stars anytime we need to.
To me, the meaning of this song is a bit like a confessional – or a diary – something that is sacred, belongs only to you, and that recipient you deem most worthy of holding that secret with you. Secrets point to desires we haven’t fully acknowledged yet. Desires point to our deeper yearnings, our deeper truth. Exploring this is a path to our intuition, the magic of life.
How has becoming a mother influenced your music and artistic expression?
Becoming a mother has completely shifted the way I do music and life. I was so scared for years to go down the path of becoming a mom because I thought I would have to choose between fully pursuing my music and raising a family. The moment I realized I could say ‘yes AND’, and forge my own path of doing both, that was the moment I stepped into my deeper calling. Now, it’s everything I stand for: the crossroads of music and motherhood. I still think we don’t have a ton of great examples for how to do it—not because there AREN’T a ton of awesome moms who are living their music, but because culture does not center around the mother experience, and it’s still an echo of a martyr-mother stereotype who DID have to give up her artistic dreams like possibly our mothers or grandmothers did.
Now, everything in me comes from a place of having understood what it is to girth broth to another human—something that literally rearranges the body, so even the voice comes from a different, deeper place than before. The devotion is real, and the music has to happen in shorter spurts of creative output. Let me tell you, now that I’m a mom, I know how to make a song in 30 minutes or less! Necessity breeds creative evolution.
Can you share more about the founding of Möonbabe Records and its mission to support mothers and women in the music industry?
Like I said, I was afraid to become a mom for years because I didn’t see a lot of great examples of women doing both in the world, save for big stars. So I thought I had to choose one or the other. When I realized that this is something that still needs work and that mothers need a place in the music industry to be highlighted and specifically supported to do all that we do, I created Möonbabe Records. It was also something I didn’t see enough of happening: places that GET what it’s like to be at the unique crossroads of music and motherhood and be lifted up for that. That’s what we’ve been creating at Möonbabe Records for 3 years now: a platform and community for women and mamas to shine, thrive, and be supported in their music.
Also, I had been a part of a few indie labels, and I didn’t like how they took 50% of my master’s and created what felt like a non-artist-centric label model. I also wanted to create something different from that.
You have a diverse musical background. How have your experiences in classical choir, Broadway, and electronic production shaped your current sound?
My dad was a ‘space music’ artist and worked at NASA (think Brian Eno and analog synths, plus throat singing and rain sticks), and my mom was a Dead Head (i.e., into the Grateful Dead and jam band/festival culture), and my grandparents were drama teachers and musical theatre fanatics. My earliest musical background as an infant was the space music (early electronic music) of my dad, the first show I saw was The Grateful Dead at age 4, and my first introduction to a Broadway musical was at age 5.
So I always see these 3 main musical influences have been like a braid that has woven through my life, guiding me into the directions I’ve gone and the genres I’ve now cross-pollinated. I will say this: my 5-year plan is to do a musical theatre house remix album!!!
What was it like to gain national attention during American Idol, and how did that experience impact your career?
It was a VERY interesting experience to be on American Idol. In short, it made me realize what I DID NOT want to do, which was get involved in the ‘belly of the beast’ of the major label music industry. I met Taylor Swift’s former Nashville manager, Rick Barker, on the show, and he taught a course called the ‘Music Industry Blueprint’.
After a rather awkward situation involving one of the producers of the show telling me what to say to the judges during my Hollywood Week audition, which led to me getting booted from the show, I vigorously threw myself into studying what it takes to be a successful indie artist. I became an AVID musicpreneur and REALLY felt the fire to take my career and keep it in my own hands.
I also realized fame was a bait that was fed to these kids on the show to keep the drama running, and what I truly desired from my career was longevity, respect, the ability to make GREAT art, and the ability to make a comfortable living doing it while remaining a healthy, balanced human. The ‘fame game’ for me, truly dissolved at that moment.
Are there any future projects or collaborations on the horizon that you’re excited about?
I am always excited about my collaborations in the works; I have a new album underway, which I might even submit for consideration to the Grammies next year for the first time!! I have a harp player and a hang player I’m collaborating with, as well as about a dozen other singers and producers, mostly all women!
And then there’s my girl band, Honeywild, which is a 3-part harmony folk band that I’m simply in love with! That might be the closest thing to my heart: harmonizing with other women. I feel that it helps heal the world to hear people sing in harmony. It gives us a Sonic blueprint for how to really live that way.
