Linka Moja Talks Her Music, Touring The UK With Roger Daltrey In 2025 And More

The Lake Tahoe-born artist Linka Moja released her single ‘Serial Monogamist’ as well as a cover of ‘Where Is My Mind’ by Pixies in 2024. As she gears up to tour as the special guest for Roger Daltrey’s April 2025 UK Tour, we chatted to her about her music and more: 

When did you begin songwriting?

I wrote my first song at 12 years old as my father’s birthday present. He was always very supportive of my music but I never considered it to be a viable career path for myself. I really got back into writing as a way of journaling in high school, getting my emotions out about ex-boyfriends and such…and that’s when some actually good stuff came out of it.

What is your earliest musical memory?

My earliest musical memory is practicing piano in my teacher’s living room with rubber balls under my palms while she held a ruler over my wrists. She was trained in Japan…I didn’t last long there.

Your single ‘Serial Monogamist’ came out last year. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Yes! It’s a little confusing putting stuff up on Spotify so it’s actually two songs, ‘Unravel Me’ and ‘High and Dry’ but I guess I labelled it as a single. ‘Unravel me’ is definitely the star of the show so…the inspiration behind that song was the deep desire I felt to untangle myself from a past relationship that was really dragging me down. It wasn’t a boyfriend…it was someone who had been in my life a lot longer, but it’s easier to make it about that. I talk a lot in the song about how I was trying to convince myself that “he’ll be fine”. That lyric specifically is really representative of why it’s so hard for me to do what’s best for myself: out of concern for other people’s well-being.

Where did you record the song and who produced it?

I recorded the song in LA after 2 years at UCLA and my producer was a great guy names Oscar Neidhardt.

 Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

It was my first time in a real studio so I think I was a little too nervous and focused to do anything funny! I know I was under a lot of pressure to make social media content so I kept trying to take selfies and I would get embarrassed when he turned around and saw me. Haha.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

We did a lot of layering so everything is really difficult to differentiate but I am playing a very old nylon string acoustic guitar for most of of the rhythm parts and that guitar is very dear to my heart. My mom bought it at a thrift store when I was ten and it was my first time ever being able to play around on a real guitar. It’s so old it’s cracking everywhere but I love the sound…

Was it a difficult song to write? 

No, it came out really fluidly. Most of my songs do. Either they take 20 minutes to come out or they’re not gonna happen at all.

Which of your tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

I think ‘Unravel Me’ is my most reflective song…I’d say then ‘High and Dry’ is my most pumped-up angry song, and I don’t know if I can say I have any happy songs yet but ‘Blood Orange’ is pretty upbeat.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage? 

I hope to have really connected with the audience through eye contact and just genuinely recognizing them and the energy they’re bringing…and also to have been a perfect singer. Which never happens.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Honestly I’m still figuring out my performance set up, I never played instruments on stage when I was younger I always just sang so learning how to use pedal boards and stay in tune is all a little stressful at the moment. I love it when I get to use a wireless mic on a song that doesn’t need me on guitar and I can just run around stage and go crazy.

 Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

I have two hometowns…Sonoma, CA and Truckee, CA. Sonoma in five words is: green, lush, safe, wealthy, and old. Truckee would be: dry, rugged, gritty, beautiful, and seasonal.

How do you look after your voice? 

That’s actually also a recent development. I think I learned how to sing wrong when I was young so I’ve been spending a lot of time un-learning my old habits and building new ones. Nowadays I really warm up before any strenuous singing and make sure to keep proper form the whole time. I try not to smoke…

 You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Oooh! Cool question…writing a whole score would be really overwhelming. But probably “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler because I really believe that the message needs to be seen by the world. Remind us of what we have to lose.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

I love 90’s rock and indie rock, I would say the most influential artists in my youth were the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Coldplay, and Twenty One Pilots (which is really out of left field haha). I went through an emo phase. My current recommendations would be some indie girls I’ve been listening to, I used to be a musical mysoginist unintentionally and I only listened to men so I’ve been doing better now and actually these girls are my favorite artists overall at the moment! Phoebe Lou, Indigo de Souza, Adrienne Lenker, Lomelda and Slow Pulp. Definitely give them a listen, my favorite song is “High” by Slow Pulp.

This year you will be touring the UK as the special guest for Roger Daltrey. How did that opportunity arise and how are you feeling about the tour? 

Yes! I am so excited!! I can’t even believe it. I’ve been doing a lot of preparation with the band so we have a really cool set planned with a lot of new Linka Moja music. The opportunity arose through my manager Mark Smith, who also happens to manage Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. I’m really lucky to have him on my team…

Do you have any further music releases planned for 2025?

A LOT of new music. I’m looking to drop a single before tour and another one right after, and have a lot of new stuff in the works at the moment.

What makes Linka Moja happy and what makes you unhappy?

A lot of things make me happy and a lot of things make me unhappy. I really feel emotions deeply and excessively… although I wouldn’t have it any other way. Some things that make me really happy are nature, our whole living ecosystem and the beautiful delicate balance of it all, taking walks and hikes outside, cooking, eating home-cooked meals made with love, reading and writing, talking about anything and everything with people who want to listen and aren’t scared to be controversial, baths, swimming in clean water…and it’s funny, a lot of those things can make me sad too. I get worried a lot about the state of the world and nature and the state of my own relationships. I tend to overthink everything, really. I get sad when I see sadness and hardship for others or when I feel like I’ve failed someone. I’m working on it 🙂