Photo Credit: Anna Haas
[Andreas Moss](https://www.instagram.com/theandreasmoss/?hl=en) has come a long way in his musical journey, and he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. Hailing from Sweden originally, the recording artist and his family came to the States for the first time at 3 years old, traveling full-time as missionaries doing Christian ministry. At 21 years old, he became a Christian solo artist and garnered a name for himself in that world.
5 years ago, Moss fondly remembers sitting on stage during a sold-out show thinking in his head, “I should feel really happy right now, like I accomplished something.” He explains, “It was all under the guise of having to not be who I was. I decided I needed to stop. I cancelled all my tour dates and disappeared for 2 years and restarted over again in pop.”
A truly humbling journey with his own identity and sexuality, Andreas not only creates meaningful, heartfelt pop music, but gives hope to the masses that they too can be themselves — while spreading the awareness for self-love and self-acceptance. Most recently, the queer pop artist released the official music video for “KUDOS,” with the song’s focus centered on self-love.
Flaunt caught up with Andreas via FaceTime, who was located in Nashville. Read below as we discuss his upbringing in Sweden, the turning point in his career, biggest influences, writing “Minivan” and “KUDOS,” studio essentials, and more!
Photo Credit: Cody Burdette
**You say you went through phases, can you describe that?**
I went from straight, to bi, to gay. I was married when I was 20 to a woman, we were married for 11 years and had a child. We have a 4-year old together. It was hard because we love each other a lot but we both knew it was the right decision for us. It ended well. We’re still best friends now, but we’re divorced and I’m fully gay which is amazing. I was always fully gay, but it took me a while to realize it.
**What was the household like growing up in Sweden?**
Sweden, I love. Everything culturally in the sense of food and the way we do holidays are still very very Swedish. I grew up in a different Sweden than the rest of people did, because I was very entrenched in the Christian world. Music’s a huge part of our culture. I write for other people in the industry. Being Swedish and a songwriter is the most cliche thing ever, people are like “of course!” When you’re in a room and say “I’m from Sweden,” people say intrigued. A lot of Swedish people write the majority of the hits, there’s something in the water there. I love it. When it’s not COVID, I’m still there at least twice a year. I’m very involved there. I sound super American but in Swedish, I sound super Swedish. I have a good middle ground.
**At what point did you realize this music thing was for real?**
I’ve always done it, as far back as I can remember. When I was 6, I recorded my first actual track. We started recording albums very young, we’re doing that for a living my whole life. In high school, I had a job at an American Eagle. I worked at Target once for 3 weeks, really the only time in my life I haven’t been doing it. On a songwriting and artist level, I really invested.
I could stay with my family for free. I never had to go through living in my car phase, which I really admire those people for doing that. I started doing things for free, showed up when I needed to show up and met the right people. I got my first record deal, it was shitty but from that record deal I met more people. You get into it and start networking, I love the industry. It has its ups and downs, definitely has its shitty moments but I don’t know anything else.
**When’d you change your name to Andreas Moss?**
Andreas is my middle name. My Christian artist name was Jonathan Thulin, which is my name. I wanted to switch to something completely different because I had too much of a brand under my actual name, so we switched it to Andreas Moss. I was talking with my friend, maybe going to call myself Moss as an artist name, but my management at the time wanted to call me Andreas. Andreas is George in Swedish, the most common, ugly ass name. I didn’t want to be called that.” \[laughs\] My friend said “what about Andreas Moss?” It ringed! That feels right.
**Who inspired you musically?**
I’ve been influenced by a lot of things. My favorite artists are people that do full, concept albums. Stromae and Jon Bellion are artists that really move me artistically. Beyonce has been my everything since I was 7, I’d sit and practice her runs at 8 years old. Watching her career unfold and see her take it to the next level always,she’s so tremendously inspiring. A lot of female vocals. I grew up listening to Christian music, I was only allowed to listen to Christian music. Rachael Lampa, Stacie Orrico, those people back in the day were my inspirations.
**Who or what inspired your single “Minivan”?**
After being a Christian artist for that long and having to deny myself of who I was for so long, I really got into what I wrote. I love that it’s in 2020. I wanted to do something overtly gay, overtly sexual. I’ve always had to be ashamed of sex, always had to hide all that part of me. People against people being gay think that us holding hands is explicit, so I’m taking it there and doing it. I’d never heard music, especially not anything with rap really talking about another guy in that way. I knew it was definitely something people would say “oh wait, what the hell is this?” I loved going into the studio talking about gay things, it was great.
**One thing you want fans to get from “Minivan”?**
“Minivan” is about turning up and fun. We joke a lot as gay people that we’re trying to turn straight people gay, which is actually really toxic in real life. I wrote it with my other gay friend, we were laughing. That song was a joke, we did it at a songwriting camp. We get together with producers and songwriters, we write all week long. At the end of every day, we do this songwriting game where you have random words in a jar. You pull it out, you have to write a song called that in 2 hours. I pulled “Minivan” out of the jar, but then we did it. This is actually dope. After it ingrained in me, I put this out. It was a very personal thing, me breaking free from a lot of things. That was my Miley moment, it felt awesome. I wanted to do something that I haven’t seen, I hadn’t seen a Swedish guy rapping about gay sex. \[laughs\]
**What about “KUDOS”?**
“KUDOS” is really about self-love. In the gay community sometimes, people can jump from the next person to the next person to the next person. In the dating community in general. That song’s saying “I’m a bad bitch, do you want me or not? Tell me.” \[laughs\]
**Recommendations on how to be a baddie?**
That term now ‘s changing for me. The people I think are the most badass are the people that are kind, honestly. If you’re humble and kind, that’s the most badass to me.
**What was your creative vision with the visual?**
Videos are something I’m really passionate about. Later on when I’m 48, definitely not talking about dicks anymore. I love film and love directing. All the music videos I put out, I edit them and direct them myself. In “KUDOS,” I’m a gamer. I love video games, definitely. I wanted to do something retro and 80’s. It’s funny because Boomer Banks is in it, a really famous gay pornstar. Everybody would assume “oh, you’re doing this because you get to kiss him in the video” but I didn’t do any of those things. I wanted to try to win him, then not at the end. Much more funny thing. Interesting when I first posted him because all of my gay friends said “is that Boomer?” You’ve been watching porn! \[laughs\] The whole video was so much fun to shoot. I got to feature a lot of my really close friends in the video, which is so fun. I’m friends with a lot of dancers who work in the industry so I end up having a lot of dancers in my videos because they’re my besties. \[laughs\]
Photo Credit: Cody Burdette
**3 things needed in the studio?**
Water, good energy with the producer, and pad thai. I love having friends there.
**I love the positivity you push on your platform, how important is it to have good energy?**
Especially now, that’s vital for us. As a human being, I went through a lot of things growing up. I dealt with a lot of self-hatred, truly genuinely hating myself. I got to a crossroads where I can be bitter and angry, which I was for a time, or I can make sure the people in my life don’t ever have to feel like that. That love is something so powerful. I always want to be an open door, I want my arms to always be open. I want my fans or anybody that’s listening or meets me, to know that with me you’re accepted. With me, you’re loved. There’s nothing you can’t do.
These songs are my love letter to the gay community, it’s comical too. It’s light-hearted. I wanted to take it to the extreme, I had so much fun doing it. I’m doing everything in phases. Starting next year, I’m going back to singing. Singing’s my main thing, I was never leaving that. The songs coming in the next phase are very important and heartfelt, I want to talk about real issues. Another reason I did these songs, I wanted all the Christian fans to think “he’s only talking about sex. He’s being exactly the stereotype we thought he was.” I care about things, I have a lot I want to say. Overall I’m an artist because I want people to feel accepted and loved. I hope they feel that in my music, they can relate to anything. Even straight people, I want everybody to get something out of it.
**Anything else you want to let us know?**
A lot more music coming, I'm super excited. I never adhere to one thing, it’s always going to be new and fresh.
