Singer Alto Moon has a clear philosophy when it comes to making it in music: keep showing up. After 11 years of pursuing his career, the Atlanta-based Future Soul artist has experienced the high highs, the low lows, and plenty of moments when the path forward wasn’t exactly obvious. But whether he’s dreaming of a Beyoncé sample, a ballad with Sam Smith, or finally getting that Big Freedia collaboration he’s been manifesting, Alto continues to believe the next opportunity is just around the corner.
For this edition of the Socialite Seven, Alto reveals his ultimate main-character anthem, the songs he wishes he’d written, and the surprising side of himself that loves sports and professional wrestling. He also shares his ideal espresso martini, his dream collaborators, and the simple piece of advice that’s carried him through more than a decade of chasing his dreams.
What is your ultimate main character song?
Ooh. My ultimate main character song. Oh, this is so good. My main character song right now is gonna be “party 4 u” by Charli XCX.
Which artist would you love to sample one of your songs?
I would say, let’s go with the queen herself, Beyoncé. I feel like that’s the highest honor. It means you’re making a cultural impact in some way, so I’ll take it.
I was very happy to hear Big Freedia on Renaissance. I’ve been a Big Freedia fan forever.
Ooh, same. I love Freedia. I think I’ve emailed Freedia 50 times “Hey, if you ever wanna, I don’t know, do an ad lib on a song.” I’ll get there eventually. I’ll get it.
We’ll put that out in the universe right now. So, besides Freedia, who would be your dream collaborator?
Ooh, my dream collaborator. This is a really good one. I actually think a ballad with Sam Smith and I would be crazy.
What is one song you wish you had written?
I have a whole playlist of stuff like this. One of the songs I actually wish I’d written – there’s gonna be two if I can – but I think “Neon Moon” is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. But I also come back between that and “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. They just do something to my heart and when I hear it, I’m like, “Oh, I didn’t even know you could write a song this good.” So beautiful.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
I feel like people don’t realize that I’m, like, a true athlete. I played basketball. I used to run cross country. I did the football thing for a minute. It wasn’t my preferred aesthetic. But I just love sports and the one that really shocks people is that I’m a huge professional wrestling fan. It’s just drag for boys. Costumes, flipping around, big entrances, big music.
If you had a signature cocktail, what would be in it?
Right now, I’m a barista. It’s like my Hannah Montana situation. I would say right now an espresso martini might be my current cocktail because I am a caffeine addict and maybe that’s just because of my ADHD. But, yeah, I think an espresso martini. It’s brown, it’s delicious. You can have it at night. And people do call my music caffeinated pop sometimes, so I think that’s a perfect drink for me.
Lastly, what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
The one that makes me so angry, but it’s so true, and it’s literally just to keep going. I’m in year 11 of doing this. I’ve had some really high highs. I’ve had some really low lows. Sometimes they happen back-to-back and literally the best things that have happened are just because I kept showing up and I just kept trying. The thing with Bob, American Idol, everything that’s gone right in my career is just because I thought, this is what I’m here to do. This is what I’ve been given. These are my gifts, and this is what I’m here to share. And even when it doesn’t seem like there’s a financial reason to continue to go or opportunities falling in my lap, I just keep showing up, and eventually those things do happen. And like I said, maybe five years from now, it’ll all make sense. But for right now, I just have that whisper in my ear every day that’s like, ” Don’t stop.” That’s the advice I would share to the next person is just keep showing up.
Follow Alto Moon on Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube. You can also visit his website.
