I wouldn’t claim to know Moi.
Our relationship can best be described as sharing gravity; some of his friends are my friends. When he sees me, he knows he should recognize me from somewhere. I wouldn’t presume to be an intimate friend of his.
However, sharing some of the same rotations of life have given me the privilege to watch him since the earlier stages of his career. The first time I saw Moi was at church. I thought to myself, “Who the heck is this guy?” Since I was a broke 16 year old at the time, my parents were the ones to buy his CD and it became a regular track in our home. As the years went by I would hear tidbits of information about him and his family through the spheres which we shared. When his second CD, Fire On the Mountain came out I decked myself out in Moi T-Shirts and Paul still has a favorite beanie. I watched as Moi and his bandmates got skinnier and their hair bigger (thankfully, it calmed down again). It’s been amazing to watch as their music and skills have evolved over the years.
That is the reminder I took away from the Roxy where I watched them play last night; it has been years. Many people may think he just showed up on The Singoff and killed it, as if he is some kind of overnight success. Those of us who have been watching and waiting know better. Moi has stuck with it; through good times and bad, through highs, lows and moments where success may have seemed to just slip through his fingers.
As an often times faint of heart artist myself, I have decided I want Moi to be my real life role model. I want to be like him when I grow up; someone who sticks with it. I want to be someone who won’t give up and who keeps on hustling. Someone who keeps going for as long as it takes.
Continuing the adventure,
Jessica
Below is a video of kinfolk9 performing “Let It Be” last night at the Roxy.
Jess Boctor 
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