Moriah Formica Moriah’s on Fire - By Alexx Calise

Photo by James F. Wertman Jr.

You may remember Moriah Formica as the big-voiced chanteuse who turned all four chairs on Season 13 of The Voice with her spirited rendition of Heart’s “Crazy on You,” but the now eighteen-year-old singer, songwriter, and guitarist proves she is so much more than just an alumnus from a talent competition. An old soul who is wise beyond her years, Formica possesses an absolutely incredible, awe-inducing voice that only comes once every few decades. With millions of hits on social media (her recent post covering a Van Halen song has already received over one million views), and some of the biggest names in music calling her the next big thing, Formica is positioning herself to be a major figure in the rock world. We caught up with Formica about her newly formed all-girl band and how she’s been dealing with the pandemic.

Your voice calls to mind some great powerhouse female rock vocalists like ann Wilson and pat Benatar. Besides listening to a lot of these iconic musicians growing up, how else would you say you’ve developed your vocal timbre?

Well, first off, thank you so much for even suggesting my voice brings to mind Ann Wilson and Pat Benatar. They are both the “standard” for female rockers and to be mentioned with them in any way is humbling. I guess the most important piece of developing my voice is the music school I’ve been going to since I was nine. It’s called Modern Day Music, and I’ve been taking voice lessons there forever. I still go and plan on going as long as I can. I’ve had the chance to work with three different vocal coaches there (Lesley O’Donnell, Katie Johnson, and now Nicole Minielli). I’ve been able to incorporate several techniques from each one. Most importantly, they’ve taught me how to protect my voice and use my diaphragm.

You’re obviously a rocker at heart. Has anyone in your career ever tried to steer you in what they would call a more “pop” or “mainstream” direction?

Definitely. More so since I was on The Voice. I would have people in the industry try and steer me away from rock and metal. I understand where they were coming from, though. To try and write some mainstream hits and get your foot in the door, then you can kind of do anything you want after that. I actually did write a few with that in mind when I was fifteen to sixteen (“I Will,” “No Regrets,” and “Here’s My Heart”). I actually have written a lot of pop songs that people may never hear. However, I am incorporating some of those in my sound, and I think people will be surprised to hear some stuff I’m working on. I can guarantee everyone that every song I write and release will have real instruments and a definite rock edge.

You were on Team Miley on Season 13 of The Voice. How has being on the show changed the trajectory of your career? The show had a huge impact. It got my name out there to millions. It allowed me opportunities to play shows across the country. It probably was instrumental in having me open for Joan

Jett twice. So many opportunities came out of that. The thing is, with all of these shows today (and I was in Season 1 of American Idol last year for a minute), none of them are making stars anymore. It’s not like back when I was a young kid and Idol had Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, etc. That show was a new concept, and stars were made. There were no competing shows. Now, there are a million shows, and talent is watered down. So these shows are really only good for exposure for the contestants. That’s it. They’re only concerned about ratings, not making stars.

Lzzy Hale from Halestorm recently announced via an Instagram post that you were looking for some new bandmates. Have you put together your new lineup already? If so, can you tell us a little bit about your new members and where you recruited them from?

Lzzy has been amazing to me. I’m her biggest fan. I got to meet her first when I was fourteen after a show. I played in a music festival called Rock ‘N Derby, and they were headlining the same night I played. Anyway, she has been supportive of me in so many ways. Regarding the band, yes, we have a lineup. I am super excited about this next chapter. The lineup is Brooke C, a/k/a Rock Angel on drums, Ashley Suppa on bass, and Bella Perron on guitar. They are all amazing, beautiful, and badass women. I heard about Brooke a long time back from some members of my previous band, and I checked her out. I was floored. So my dad reached out to her dad last summer to see if there would be any interest in working