Roberta Flack has made an indelible mark on modern popular music. Over the course of her career, Flack wrote and performed songs that blended jazz, folk, gospel, and R&B into something uniquely her own — music defined by elegance, intimacy, and emotional depth deeply rooted in celebration of black American culture. From the quiet intensity of 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' to the gently insistent 'Killing Me Softly with His Song', her recordings remain timeless, proven again and again by the ways they’ve been reimagined.
In Real Black For Me, artist Zoe Moon and her band — featuring a live string section — revisit and reimagine this extraordinary body of work through a shared sense of the “strange kind of power” of self defined identity. These arrangements, which Moon has crafted alongside renowned Wellington big band leader, bass player and composer Seth Boy, bring fresh colour and sophistication to Flack’s most celebrated songs alongside lesser-known but equally captivating gems, tracing the arc of an artist whose voice could fill a room or break a heart with a whisper.
An evening at Meow for lovers of great songwriting, luminous vocals, and the enduring legacy of one of music’s finest storytellers.
Zoe Moon (Mahal) is an Artist with a wealth of songs bursting from her soul. Born in Hawaii, Aotearoa bred: this Pōneke-based music progeny, weaves a world of influences into an undulating dance between strength and softness. With a voice that effortlessly glides from resonant low notes to angelic upper registers, and an uncanny knack for distilling honesty in her lyrics, Zoe’s music is an unbridled and eclectic blend that she calls 'Folk R&B' and delivers with conviction.
Truth seeking with an insightful sense of lyricism, Zoe’s songs explore the interpersonal nuances of identity, life and self-love with a seasoned ear and an open heart. No longer apologizing for who she is, where she’s from or what she has to say, Miss Moon is strengthened in her resolve as a proud Black Kiwi-American woman on the rise and certainly an artist once witnessed, always remembered.
