Listening to Moonchild, one word keeps returning: permission. Acacia Grace gives herself room to occupy softness, sensuality and emotional uncertainty on her own terms. Soul, jazz and funk provide the album’s vocabulary, while its personality comes through restraint.

Released on June 24, her birthday, Moonchild follows the 2021 EP Vulnerable with a fuller sense of scale. Isai Galvez and Desmond Parson contribute to arrangements that move easily between neo-soul, jazz phrasing and funk rhythm. Their presence serves the songs with restraint, while Grace’s voice remains the fixed point. The genre changes follow the subject of each song; every shift gives her another way to approach closeness, desire and self-examination. The album’s polish carries a quiet confidence, though its real appeal lies in the personality beneath it. Grace sounds comfortable with tenderness and equally interested in the work required to reach it. It presents growth as an active practice, shaped through choices, revisions and an increasingly precise sense of self. We spoke with Acacia Grace shortly after the release. The album sets the mood; Grace takes it from here.

Hi Acacia, it’s lovely to speak with you. Releasing Moonchild on your birthday makes June 24 both deeply personal and very public. What made you want those two moments to share the same date, and how do you imagine spending that morning?

Hi Acacia, it’s lovely to speak with you. Releasing Moonchild on your birthday makes June 24 both deeply personal and very public. What made you want those two moments to share the same date, and how do you imagine spending that morning? For me, it was a special moment. The past year has not been great: I’d given up my work due to illness along with my livlihood. I had to let go of someone very dear to me and in this moment of challenge I found myself. I found strength, clarity and determination. This body of work is comprised of 3 years worth of writing and collaborating. Releasing on my birthday was actually a birthday present to myself and my accomplsihement. The next morning, I was very happy, I prompty turned on Spotify from my Roku and played my entire album on the TV while having breakfast and a cup of coffee. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so proud of myself.

I have to ask about the title. Who is the Moonchild you had in mind when the name first appeared?

I have to ask about the title. Who is the Moonchild you had in mind when the name first appeared? My astrological sign is Cancer and Moonchild (or Moon child) is what we are referred to as our emotions are ruled by the moon. We keep our friends and family close, we love hard and defend our honor harder. Because there’s alot of emotions in this album, Moonchild was felt very fitting for a title.

You’ve said living part-time in Paris shaped the album, and I want to get specific about that. Which musical choice on Moonchild can you trace directly to your life there?

You’ve said living part-time in Paris shaped the album, and I want to get specific about that. Which musical choice on Moonchild can you trace directly to your life there? Island Man. My move was motivated by a French Caribbean man. Although things didn’t work out, at the time I wrote this song this is how I felt about him. Immersing myself in not just French culture but French Caribbean culture has been a dream. If you told me I’d be in France 5 years ago, I would not believe you.

From the outside, Infatuated, I Don’t Need You and Beautiful Souls suggest three very different emotional positions. What connects those songs in your own life, and when did you understand that they belonged on the same album?

From the outside, Infatuated, I Don’t Need You and Beautiful Souls suggest three very different emotional positions. What connects those songs in your own life, and when did you understand that they belonged on the same album? Beautiful Souls just seemd like a song that’s much needed in the world. Alot of chaos and anger and it was something that was just on my heart last summer to write. When I lived in California, I had a colleague who told me I had a beautiful soul and that she loved my spirit. I do have a bubbly personalty and people tend to be drawn to me once they know me. In that moment last July I just remembered this intereaction and that’s how the words came. Now, let me preface this by saying that my lbum does follow a story, there is an evolutiont aking place from begining to end. Infatuation is about my realization that some men think that they are in love with you but it’s really infatuation. This can also apply to women but this is drawing from my experience from men, especially French men. some intial interactions have began with strong attractiona nd then the proceeds to relentlessly chase and then go cold. These type of interactions I realize aren’t organic, and it forced me to re-examine what kind of man I even want to entertertain at all, right? So that’s what Infatuated is about. I Don’t Need You draws from my experience of the same type of guy who I had the misfortune of being in a relationship with then I break things off but they don’t get the message. Real talk, I’ve had a few stalkers in my life and this song was a way of asserting my boundaries. “Don’t try to call, you’re blocked”, that’s a reference to a guy who had decided to try to contact me from another number when blocked. These 2 songs in particular is a statement of I know exactly who I am and what I want.

You speak about sensuality with real ownership on Moonchild. What made this the right chapter of your life to explore emotional and physical intimacy so openly?

You speak about sensuality with real ownership on Moonchild. What made this the right chapter of your life to explore emotional and physical intimacy so openly? Well, I am almost 50, perimenopausal and I’ve been through some things. This is an introduction to a new chapter in my life. However, since I am recently an empty nester, I wanted to choose this time to go into my soft girl era. As somebody who grew up in the church, I was conditioned to think sensuality was wrong, it’s shunned and I want women to know that it’s not. We are human and we are absolutely allowed to be sensual and it’s normal to long for physical intimacy. And physical intimacy doesn’t always have to be sex. It’s the tender moments, hugs, kisses, cuddles.

Soul, jazz and funk each give you a different way into a song. When you begin writing, which usually reaches you first: the groove, the vocal melody or the words?

Soul, jazz and funk each give you a different way into a song. When you begin writing, which usually reaches you first: the groove, the vocal melody or the words? It depends, but usually when I hear the melody I find the words. I have to listen to the song to feel the mood so I know what direction I want to go, and that starts with how I want people to feel when listening to a song. For my spoken word pieces where I add jazz or soul instrumentals, I always write out my poem first and then add music later.

Working with Isai Galvez and Desmond Parson brought two distinct musicians into a very personal project. Tell me about a moment when one of them played or sang something that made you rethink your own part.

Working with Isai Galvez and Desmond Parson brought two distinct musicians into a very personal project. Tell me about a moment when one of them played or sang something that made you rethink your own part. For Desmond, we agreed to cover Georgy Porgy and I had some ad libs I wanted to add to make it my own. However, when he sent over his vocals, I decided to leave it as the orignal arrangement. Being that this song is mostly male driven, I didn’t want to take away from his performance adding whistle register runs and changing the mood of the song. So my rule is that when you don’t know where else to go, leave it alone. So I left it as it is. I spent alot of time getting the pitch and sounds right studying my part. It was kind of challegning to get it right.

Five years separate Vulnerable and Moonchild. During that time, which creative habit did you outgrow, and which instinct became stronger?

Five years separate Vulnerable and Moonchild. During that time, which creative habit did you outgrow, and which instinct became stronger? I honed my vocal technique, I learned how to write more efficiently (hence my book) and learned how to ask for help. I had to get over myself and learn how to accept valid criticism. Taking private guitar lessons helped impove my ear and made me a better producer also. I’ve come a long wat since Vulnerable, and if I had to reimagine that album it would have been written and arrnaged alot differently. But, that was the season I was in at the time and I have to respect that.

When the final master was finished, where were you, who heard it first, and what did you do next?

When the final master was finished, where were you, who heard it first, and what did you do next? So I worked with Merker Miyagi on this album, I met him when I was finished with writing my album Follement Amoureuse. It was such a random encounter and it’s wild because he speaks French! (he’s French Canadian) so i saw that as a sign that I was supposed to release that project. Now we did each song one by one so up until the last song which was Worthless, and when that song was completed I felt a total sigh of relief I let my daughter hear it first because she wrote the first verse and the chorus. It’s also my most emotional song about trials and triumph so it was very symbolic.

What does Acacia Grace understand about herself after completing Moonchild? Finish this sentence for us: “After making this album, I know…”

What does Acacia Grace understand about herself after completing Moonchild? Finish this sentence for us: “After making this album, I know…” I know that I am confident, I am brave, and I know exactly who I am. I know that I want to make more music and evolve as an artist.

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