Camouflage – Jess Moskaluke Interview & Country Wild Photos
Jess Moskaluke is kicking off the summer season with a brand new single, and Camouflage is ready to be a hit!
The fourth single from her 2017 Past The Past EP, Camouflage has been released to radio, and offers fans another opportunity to call their local country station to request the three-time Canadian Country Music Association’s Female Artist of the Year.
We caught up with Jess in Cobourg before her headlining set at the Country Wild Music Festival to talk about the single, where she’s at in her life and career, and what’s coming next for her both professionally and personally.
To say that things are busy right now for Jess Moskaluke would be an understatement. In fact, when we both settled on that word to describe her life over the next few months, it came with a smile to acknowledge that it should probably include an “incredibly” in front of it. With the release of Camouflage as a single there will be press to do to spread the word. And that’s just the start of it. Leading up to the release there was marketing work to do, and while Jess was working on that she was in Nashville for a week that included fittings, photo shoots, songwriting sessions, and planning for the summer.
Note: The Camouflage work will also include shooting an official music video. And to our excitement (and hers) Jess has recruited Wes Mack to direct the clip. She told us that they’ve known each other for a few years now and that she’s been trying to match up with him for a shoot for some time. Now, it’s happening so stay tuned for that!
While we sat at the small table in her trailer backstage, we talked about Camouflage as a story song that most everyone can relate to. In the past, we’ve talked to Jess about country music and the perception that women are always singing to women, and men are singing to men and women are listening in. Jess admitted that the opening line of Camo is very female specific, we agreed that the rest of the story is universal. I admitted to her (sorry dudes) that I don’t know a guy that hasn’t put on a face to tough it out through a heartbreak or a breakup. And when I hear this song, those are the times I know I’ve been through, and I also know that I’ve been part of the camouflage for my friends.
I got my high heels on, got my hair down and done, pink lipstick touch up, girls coming to pick me up… – Camouflage, Jess Moskaluke
As we talked, we touched on legacy, and while it can be awkward to think about things like that when an artist is as young as Jess Moskaluke, it’s a real conversation already. Her last five years have been a rocket ship type ride through Canadian country music. She’s taken home trophies, gold and platinum plaques, played the biggest stages, and has now found herself as a headliner during festival season. None of those things are small feats, and she takes none of them for granted. But for the first time on Saturday we asked her what it’s like knowing that young girls coming into the world of country music right now are playing her songs as online covers or as part of their set when they take the stage.
In (typically) humble fashion, Jess told us that it’s cool to think that she’s seen that way by a new generation of artists. She also said that she’s happy to see it, not because these performers are choosing her songs, but because country music, and the music industry in general needs more women standing in front of a microphone and singing their hearts out. Jess added that she’s happy to take two seconds to leave an encouraging comment or message when she sees a cover of one of her songs online. She knows the value of that encouragement, and (while she knows that if they make it they’ll be her competition) she’s willing to be the one to give it whenever she has the chance.
Our conversation with Jess turned back to the present when I asked her to project forward with me to the upcoming highlights in her life and career. It was a backwards question, where usually we’d ask her in the fall or winter to look back with us on the summer months, but this time we flipped it on her.
On stage, Jess told us that she’s looking forward to playing Craven Country Thunder, which is close to a hometown show for her, and a festival that she’s been involved with going back to her early, early days as a 16-year-old performer. She also pointed to the Big Valley Jamboree, which is a massive deal. And the third festival that she’s most looking forward to (off the top of her head) is Calgary’s Country Thunder, where she’s looking to redeem herself after the tumble that ripped up her ankle back in 2016.
Jess also mentioned Paul Brandt’s upcoming Not In My City charity event that she’ll be a part of this June. She gave a ton of credit to Brandt for being so heavily involved in the charity and said it was an honour to be included in the 2018 event.
Away from the stage, Jess Moskaluke is still busy and has highlights to look forward too.
This summer she will get married and share that excitement with her friends and family at home. She and her fiance are adorable, and if you follow Jess on any of her social media channels we’re sure that you’ve had a peek at their love for each other. We are very excited for her and wish Jess and Clay all the best.
With Camouflage coming as the fourth single from Past The Past, we asked Jess about new music and the next project. She told us that things are starting with the writing process now, and she feels like her most recent trip to Nashville was productive in that sense. Jess did admit that she’s not sure whether her next release will be a full album, an EP or a set of singles, but she does know there will be new music.
She also told us that there are studio sessions coming up for a project that she’s very excited to share more about soon. We’re excited too… it’s going to be awesome.
But that’s all in the future. For now, Jess is excited about the response from fans about the release of Camouflage to country radio. She talked about the positive messages that she’s received from fans telling her how happy they were to hear that this was the choice that was made. And we talked about the advantage to a single coming from an album that has already been released. Her diehard fans have already heard the song, they can sing along at home and at live shows. And now, Canadian country fans are going to tune into their local stations and hear Miss Moskaluke belt out what should become her next top 10 as they enjoy the sunny summer weather of 2018.
It feels like Jess Moskaluke has been part of our country music lives forever, and at the same time, we know that she’s still just getting started. We can’t wait for her to show more and more music lovers what makes her special and has her in the upper echelon of country music talent in Canada.
For now, we’ll have the volume up on Camouflage. You should too.
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[…] Two years ago, we sat with Jess Moskaluke and talked about legacy for the first time. She had reached the point where young artists were starting to cover her songs on YouTube. She was becoming the influence for a new generation of women hoping to make a career for themselves in country music. She had already earned it then, by becoming the first Canadian woman since Shania Twain to earn a Platinum plaque (Cheap Wine And Cigarettes) and by being one of the faces of the class of young women making waves in Canadian country. […]