Where Are They Now: Joanna Mosca

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This is the first in the series of articles on cabaret performers who have moved on to other performing adventures.

Joanna Mosca

Joanna Mosca’s career in music started with a highly successful series of three one-woman shows in Manhattan’s legendary club Don’t Tell Mama as well as widely received praise from Backstage Bistro, The Village Voice, and Cabaret Scenes. From there she began a singing/songwriting career and released three singles in 2007 and 2008, all of which landed in the Top Ten on FMQB’s Adult Contemporary Music Charts. In 2010, she was voted one of the top 100 Independent Artists of the year, and in 2011 she released her critically acclaimed, debut self-titled CD. This included six self-penned tunes, one of which, “Keep on Going,” landed on Billboard’s top 30 A/C chart. This song crossed over to the country music market and brought her to Nashville where she began working with some of the top Country songwriters, musicians and producers.

“Singer-songwriter Joanna Mosca has what it takes to make it in the country music industry. Her voice is captivating, smooth, and brings you into the music.” – Nashville Music Guide

Her 2012 EP, Let It All Begin, was produced by Grammy-winning hit-maker Bryan White, featured her fiery duet with Richie McDonald of Lonestar, on the track “Where Does Good Love Go?” It also contains the anti-bullying, self-empowerment anthem, “Dream on Savannah.” The music video of that song has had nearly two million views on YouTube and Joanna has received thousands of messages from young fans expressing how the song has helped them. “I’m thrilled the song has inspired and touched so many with its positive message.”

That year also brought the honor of being included on the CMA Close-up Magazine’s “Who new to watch list.”

Mosca’s latest EP, Have a Little Mercy saw several more Music Row charting songs and her most current release, “Hand Out the Window,” hit the top 40 Country Billboard Chart. Accolades for that year included a spot on Digital Journal’s “Top 10 Female Country Singers to Watch List” and the Examiner.com’s Country Music Columnist named Mosca among “The Top 5 Female Country Newcomers”.

She’s also garnered new fans and again impressed the critics with her live shows, which featured opening spots for LeAnn Rimes and Martin Sexton, on his international tour, as well as performances at the prestigious CMA Music Festival and the legendary Bluebird Cafe, both in Nashville, country music’s capitol of the world. Joanna’s country-pop sound, which has been compared to Reba McIntyre and Martina McBride, has found fans not only in the U.S., but also around the world, with her music played in Europe, Scandinavia, Canada, and South America.

What are you working on right now?
I’m busy with the promotion of the new song release, “Out of my Life.” Without the usual radio tours, live tours, interviews, etc., we have to be creative. Everything is virtual now, but that’s getting to be the new “normal.” I’ll be doing a few socially distant local outdoor house parties to perform and promote the song and I may do a Facebook on-line concert as well. I wanted to start my charity work with a local animal rescue, but I’ve had to put that on pause because of COVID. My work with the Yale Alumni Service Corp (YASC) has also been put on hold. I really enjoyed my work with YASC over the past two years, working with the Mojave Native American tribe in Arizona and making a trip to the Dominican Republic to work with the marginalized Haitian population.

How long have you been writing songs?
I started writing music with Franni Burke (vocal coach and composer) around 2003 and went on to work with several wonderful writers, including Ty Corbett who co-wrote and produced my new release. My songs encompassed a variety of genres, including pop/r&b and blues. In 2006, I made my way to Nashville where I continued to hone my writing skills and that has shaped my singing and songwriting ever since.

What made you change from performing in cabaret to writing songs and performing those?
I didn’t plan on leaving the cabaret world, but I began delving into other musical avenues. Because I was writing all my cabaret pieces, several songwriters suggested I try my hand at songwriting. I had several successful co-writes which resulted in radio play, and because of my love of lyrics and story songs, I then went down to Nashville to focus on country music.

What made you decide to move out of New York to where you are now?
The majority of my work took me to Nashville and other parts of the country, and in my personal life, it was a good time to switch gears. My kids were away at college and my husband and I really wanted to be near or on the water. I live in Connecticut so I can still get to New York City pretty easily. One of my son’s lives in Manhattan so my heart is still there in many ways. I STILL LOVE NEW YORK!

Has your experience in cabaret informed what you do now?
ABSOLUTELY!!! I have been told so many times that I really know how to connect with an audience when I sing and I credit my time in cabaret with that. I also learned to be a little more fearless and roll with the punches since anything can happen in a live performance. In cabaret, you really have to think on your feet. Also, by singing a wide variety of music in cabaret, I was able to determine what type of music I loved singing and what direction I might head in my career.

Have you performed or written anything that you would like to bring to New York?
Once COVID is resolved, I’d love to get back to the City. What’s particularly appealing to me are guest appearances, either doing original songs or covers. Once clubs and theaters are up and running again, I’d love to coordinate something with my cabaret/theater friends!

Keep up to date with Joanna at www.joannamosca.com