Meet Brenda Nicole Moorer: American actor, singer, songwriter, and nonprofit arts leader

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brenda Nicole Moorer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brenda Nicole, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
I have two pre-teen daughters and a baby boy on the way! I became a mother at age 21 and I’ve essentially grown up with my kids. But, also I had to grow up a lot faster than my friends who didn’t have children so young. I had to learn a lot of lessons on my own, and being a single mom just made it so much more challenging to continue pursuing my artistic dreams. It takes an incredible amount of courage and faith to pursue your dreams. We all have obstacles to face, and the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that ‘you have the power to manifest anything you desire, if your heart is good.’ I tell my children all the time, if you don’t remember anything else I tell you, please remember that your words and thoughts have power; that you have the power to manifest and transform; and that is great responsibility. I hope they retain that lesson most of all because no matter what they do in life, that knowledge will help them.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a multi-disciplinary artist and work in lots of art forms; however, I am mostly known for my work in music and film. As a singer and songwriter, I’ve released three albums and one EP over the years since 2011 and have had the opportunity to perform alongside some legends. I’m most proud of my last album MARROW, a collaborative concept jazz record produced by Troy Miller (Gregory Porter, Jacob Collier). That album landed me on the Grammy ballot this year, which I’m extremely proud of. As an actor, I began working in theater in high school and transitioned to film a few years ago, and the RESPECT movie is my proudest achievement so far. My success as an artist is because of connections and friends I’ve made over the years, as well as a lot of hard work. I also think my choice to take risks helped me gain success. You may not always know if the step you are taking is correct, but just taking the risk and having faith has yielded greater good more often than not. This is not an easy thing to do. I think once I realized that as an artist your plan needs to include a great sense of ambiguity, I started to feel more comfortable. We live differently that most people who know for months in advance what their salary will be and what their work will be. As artists, we have to accept that not knowing is a huge part of our life and we plan and live accordingly. I try to create as honestly as possible. I hope that people get something fufilling to their lives from my work in some way. After all, I truly believe that I’m creating the art for other people’s benefit. I think as humans we all need to be doing something that is for the greater flourishing of others. I hope that when people hear my music, they feel hope, love, and some shared emotion to know their experience in life has been lived and there’s always a way through it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love Atlanta so much! Ok, so we would go to Gilly’s for coffee in the morning and breakfast at Folkart. Then I’d take them to Woodruff arts center, edgewood to see all the street art, We would go to the Atlanta Beltline and ride bikes to Piedmont park. The, have lunch at Krog Street or Ponce City Market. We would go to an amazing concert that evening maybe at Venkman’s or Variety Playhouse and have dinner at Agave. There is so much to do and see in this city and each year it just gets better!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Wow, well there are so many people I would like to shoutout. I’ve been fortunate my entire career to be surrounded by amazing artists who believe in lifting each other up. I’ve had s many mentors and artist friends in music and film that have helped me. But, I think one of the things I’m most proud of is my role in the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic ‘RESPECT’ starring Jennifer Hudson. I would have to shoutout my friend the Broadway star, singer and actor, Saycon Sengbloh for rooting for me and helping me through my first movie process. She has been an inspiration to me and rooting for me for over 10 years. It’s so great to have someone who you look up to so much, believe in you.

Website: www.brendanicolemoorer.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/brendanicolemoorer
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Image Credits
Brenda Nicole Moorer