4 minute read
Steven Moore:
MUSIC AS AN OUTLET –AND A WAY OF LIFE
Written by CAROLINE NICHOLSON
Photos courtesy of STEVEN MOORE
Born in August of 2001, Steven Warner Moore had a fairly typical small-town childhood, one familiar to those of us who grew up unable to go to the grocery store without seeing a familiar face.
A Newnan native, Moore always knew how to dream big, starting as a young kid when he crafted a costume out of construction paper in the hopes of becoming Superman. However, as the years went by, he left that dream in the closet alongside his makeshift costume. Moore struggled to find the grownup answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
But there had always been one constant in his life: music.
Around the age of 10, Moore began playing guitar at First Baptist Church of Moreland. Music had been around for him before then; he says he grew up listening to country music from the 1980s and ’90s.
While learning to play, Moore didn’t think much about music. It was just something he was learning to do, he recalls; that is, until high school when his view on music changed. It was at this point that he went from just playing music to writing his own songs.
According to Moore, music transformed into something so meaningful.
“Music became an outlet for everything,” he says. “If I was having a good day and all this fun stuff was going on, I could write about it and have this memory and story about it. And if things were bad, music was a way to let it out and a way to cope with whatever. There’s so many different things you can do with it, and you can use it how you want.”
Moore exemplifies this idea – that you can use music however you want. His career started in the midst of a tragedy for the community he grew up in.
In late March of 2021, an EF-4 tornado ravaged Newnan, impacting the lives of those closest to Moore. At the time, he was attending Georgia Southern University in Statesboro when he got a phone call from the executive pastry chef at Heirloom Donuts asking if he would come play at a benefit event to raise money and support for those affected by the tornado.
This event opened the singer-songwriter’s eyes to the joys of playing music for people, and from there he began performing on a more regular basis. His first show after the benefit was at Abide Brewing Company in June 2021, and from there his music career took off. A few months after playing his first show, his first song, “Stuck,” was released in October 2021.
Moore shares that he draws a great deal of musical inspiration from his fellow Newnan native Alan Jackson. Making his debut all the more special was when, at his release party for “Stuck,” Moore received a video message from Jackson congratulating him on the new single.
Moore released two more singles in early 2022 and an EP titled “Got it All” last February. His dedication to music and performing is paying off. His shows are packed with fans and supporters, and he earned the second place spot in NCM’s Best of Coweta’s Best Local Band/ Musician category for 2023.
Along with strong lyrics and good musicianship, Moore and his band deliver a great show that’s bound to get the crowd moving. Moore says he and his band seek to get audience members of all ages up on their feet dancing and having a great time.
Moving forward, Moore plans to ride this music wave as far as he can. But at the same time, he understands how challenging the music industry can be and recognizes there are thousands of others who share his dream.
As a backup plan, he’s currently working toward getting a real estate license but spends the rest of his time focusing on music. He has shows planned for the rest of the year across Coweta County.
Moore’s small-town upbringing combined with his ambition and drive create an unstoppable young man who doesn’t shy away from the uphill battle it might take to achieve his goals. Above all else, he says, “I’m going to take this as far as I can; it’s too much fun not to!”
Keep up with Steven Moore’s upcoming shows at stevenmooremusic.com. NCM
