Under the Radar No More: Linka Moja’s Fearless Rise From Tahoe to the World Stage
Linka Moja has been making waves in the music scene, even catching the attention of Eddie Vedder and Jack Johnson. She might be flying just under the radar now, but not for long. The Lake Tahoe-born singer-songwriter and indie rock artist just wrapped her first international tour opening for legendary The Who frontman Roger Daltrey — leaving sold-out crowds in Brighton and London spellbound with her raw emotion and electrifying stage presence.
Check out our exclusive interview with Linka Moja below — and keep an eye out, because she’s an artist you’ll want to remember.
Your music blends classic rock with modern folk and soulful rhythms. How did you develop this unique sound, and what inspires you to merge these genres?
I think I developed this sound while I was growing up, listening to classic rock on the radio and just feeling the soul of it all in my own. I wouldn’t say that anything necessarily inspires me to do anything, or that it’s conscious, it’s very unconscious and more so a product of who I am and what my life has been that comes out in a song.
You’ve been praised for your raw emotion and electrifying energy on stage. How do you tap into that intensity during your live performances?
I have this crazy energy simmering below my surface like, 24/7. I think as a woman, or anyone really in this society is taught t to temper yourself and be amicable as much as possible…and so I just, drip that mask and let it out.
Opening for Roger Daltrey on your first international tour must have been a milestone. What was the most memorable moment from that experience?
Yes, it was!! It was surreal, really. I think the most memorable moment was performing at the London Palladium, whose history I am very well acquainted with and just picturing myself alongside all these legends who had been there before me. I swear their collective souls sang through me that night, as best I could.
Your new song and video, “Pyscho,” just dropped. Can you walk us through the creative process behind this track and what story you’re telling with it?
That track was born a while ago in the midst of a rough breakup, where I was forced to come to terms with not being chosen by someone else and how that had nothing to do with me. Or I mean, I had to accept that I was who I was and that it just wasn’t what the other person was looking for. So that song is me being sort of unapologetic, admiring to my faults and being probing towards the other person.
Being discovered by Eddie Vedder sounds like a dream come true. Can you share more about that chance encounter and how it shaped your career?
Yes absolutely, it was a dream come true. I swear it was like the hand of fate just took over my brain for a couple minutes and got me up on stage in front of him. And then I just did what I had been doing in my room for years, played an original song that had a piece of my soul imbedded in it. Right place right time. He took me under his wing ever since then.
6Your performances, like the one at Brighton Dome, have left audiences spellbound. How do you approach connecting with a crowd, especially when opening for a legend like Daltrey?
I feel a genuine relatability to everyone in the world, I think we are all a collective conscious and so I just see them as friends, as family. And I think that if you feel that way it comes through naturally and they feel welcome and invited to enjoy and listen.
You’re set to play the Austin City Limits Music Festival this summer. What are you most excited about for these upcoming North American shows?
I think I’m most excited to see those faces in the crowd and make more of those connections. Everything is worth it when I see people genuinely connecting with a song.
Your music is described as capturing the essence of human experience. What personal stories or themes do you find yourself drawn to when writing songs?
A lot of the times I find myself trying to release an unpleasant feeling, feeling inadequate, feeling like too much or not enough. It’s really hard to be a human and try to be everything that society tells you need to be. I think that’s the most therapeutic thing to write about because once it’s out I can look at it as just a feeling, and other people who listen to it feel less alone.
As an artist pushing musical boundaries, how do you balance staying true to your vision while navigating the expectations of the music industry?
That’s one of the hardest parts. Honestly. Writing a song and trying to just focus on how it makes you feel, versus how you predict it will make others feel. It’s really hard…the best way I can handle it is just feel. Feel and follow that feeling and block out everything else.
You’re carving out your own space in a competitive industry. What advice would you give to emerging musicians hoping to follow a similar path?
I would say that you need to just do exactly what you feel like doing, artistically, and making the most genuine reflection of you as a person in your art. That kind of art will be undeniable, and people will see it for what it is. You really can’t control anything else. Oh, and DON’T SIGN ANYTHING unless you read it all the way through and so do five other people that you trust.
Anything new on the horizon?
Yes! I just signed my first record deal with Thirty Tigers and I am very excited to get back in the studio and create something cohesive and beautiful. Stay tuned!
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