+18 See How Moussa Won His Spot at Fallapalooza
See How Moussa Won His Spot at Fallapalooza
See How Moussa Won His Spot at Fallapalooza
See How Moussa Won His Spot at Fallapalooza
See How Moussa Won His Spot at Fallapalooza
Photos by Lia De Lemos
On September 16, students gathered for Mane Entertainment’s singer-songwriter competition to choose the opening act for Fallapalooza, LMU’s annual fall outdoor concert. The 19 competing performances included a range of bands, duos and soloists — but only one would win at the end of the night: Moussa.
The Living Room was packed shoulder to shoulder that evening with many audience members standing in the back; some even watched the performances through the windows from the outside. The event ran longer than its initial 8-9 p.m. schedule, extending until 10 that night.
During his performance, senior animation major Moses Kent — known as Moussa — made use of the small stage, dancing around and often interacting with the crowd.
“I take having fun very seriously, and it’s no fun to worry about who’s gonna win,” Moussa said. “I took that nervous energy and put it towards being as entertaining as possible.”
To determine a winner, audience members voted via a Google form accessed through Mane Entertainment’s Instagram. Moussa danced onto the stage when Mane Entertainment manager, Jorge Santana, announced him as the winning act. The crowd roared, half of them on their feet and chanting his name. Moussa’s success follows that of Hannah Salisbury and her band, Indigo Hills, who won last year’s singer-songwriter competition.
“Mmmm…. I’m a word bender. That’s my style,” Moussa told The Lion via Instagram when asked to describe his music. “[A] FONKY stream of consciousness,” he later added.
Moussa reflected on what this competition meant to him as an artist: “If art was about winning and losing… artists wouldn’t do it. So imma take this in stride, continue to relentlessly follow my heart, and one day we’ll look back on this event as the start of something colossal. All my love to my fellow artists.”
Fallapalooza is one of LMU’s most anticipated student events. Past headliners for the concert include The Neighborhood, Jeremih, T-Pain and Aminé. On September 23, ASLMU announced R&B artist Tinashe as this year’s headliner.
Moussa has the historic honor of opening for LMU’s first female solo artist at Fallapalooza on October 2. Listen to Moussa’s newest album mandrill mushu and watch his music video for Life Without Thursday!
