Getting to know Merché Moore is almost as easy as looking in the mirror, if you are a teen. Lay aside her amazing vocal ability and the fact that she has been singing and performing since she was a toddler, and it appears Merché is your typical 21stcentury teenage girl – complete with a healthy text messaging habit and a young R&B crooner by the name of Chris Brown serving as the man of her dreams. Additional clues to her youthful personality rest in her infectious smile, and let’s not forget theloves of her life – God, family, music, shopping, and FOOD! However, dig just beyond the surface,and you’ll find that there is truly more to this young artist than meets the eye.
Today, Merché is the first digitally exclusive artist on the EMI Gospel label, and she’s ready for her first digital singles , You’re the One and Pray, to hit airwaves and mp3 players across the country. On the first single, You’re the One, Merché shares writer credits with noted industry producer David “Da Monsta” Lynch. You’rethe One is an upbeat, Pop/R&B-influenced track with lyrics that remind the listener that “No matter what we’re going through, Jesus has been so good,”says Merché. Pray, written by Antonio Neal, balances out the two tracks with a ballad-like, sultry flavor and a heavy guitar melody.
As a young girl, Merché could often be found dancing around herhome in a pair of her mother’s high heels to complete her dress-up attire. Barely out of the toddler stage, Merchécould belt out Ce Ce Winans and Yolanda Adams tunes like Alabaster Box and Open MyHeart, verbatim. It’s not surprising that these artists are still two of her favorites in gospel music today.
Merché’s attentive parents went right to work cultivating herobvious musical gift. She beganaccepting paid singing engagements at the age of six and has, since, recorded several songs, shared the stage with gospel greats, Mary Mary, opened forNicole C. Mullen, and worked with Nicole’s husband, prominent music producer, David Mullen. By age ten she had released three CD projects – Keep theFaith, Merché, and Introducing Merché.
Her flurry of performances paid off, and Merché soon caught theattention of a representative from Big Idea, Inc., the Franklin, Tennessee based home of Veggie Tales. At thirteen years old, Merché embarked upon one of the largest performance opportunities of her life, to date, becoming one of the cast members on the thirty-one city Veggie Tales Rockin’ Tour Live.
Family is the backbone of Merché’s success, and she readilycredits her parents for where she is today. “They’re really encouraging,” she says of her mom anddad. Dad faithfully guides herthrough the daily grind of life as a recording artist, while making sure she balances her gift with knowledge of her industry, as well. “He tries to get me to better understand the industry,” says Merché. “He wants me to learn more of thebusiness side, too.” Meanwhile,Mom is her designated shopping partner, be it just for fun or shopping for the stylish outfits Merché rocks on stage. Of course, every sixteen year old girl needs a thirteen year old brother working diligently to keep her grounded. “He gets on my nerves. We’re close,” she says, seemingly in one loving breath, of her relationship with her brother, Mercedes.
With a heart to make music for her generation, Merché’s signature sound of Pop with Hip-Hop influences hits all the right notes. “I want teenagers to see that sometimes they get caught up on what they think the music should sound like. If it’s traditional theydon’t want to hear it,” she says. “So I try to approach them with the style of music they may already listen to on their iPod, but I keep it positive. If they like the music, maybe they’ll pay a little bit more attention to the words.” Merché packs that same spirit into each live performance, with an explosive team of four dancers helping her to rock the stage.
Beyond the music, Merché is a sixteen year old aspiring poet who proudly lists shopping and eating atop the list of her favorite things todo. Her favorite foods are spaghetti, pizza, and chocolate ice cream, and unlimited text messaging is her best friend. She’s an avid R&Band Hip/Hop fan, but when it comes to her career in music, the Clark Sistersare her role models. At the end ofthe day, Merché is all heart. Shehas a heart for God, a heart for music, and a heart for her generation. Effortlessly, she bundles allthree of these elements and delivers the powerful and inspiring message of Jesus Christ to the world in a language everyone can understand.
