Portland Soul Singer Moorea Masa’s New Single Pays Tribute to Her Mother While Raising Awareness for BIPOC Mental Health

“I think about my mom, and I wish she would’ve had more access to the same resources that a lot of white folks do.”

Though her second album has been completed since February, Portland soul singer Moorea Masa felt that releasing new music amid the turmoil of this year didn't feel right. Until now.

"I had a lot to process," she says, "but it feels like what I'm writing about is relevant to right now, and I can release music in a meaningful way."

"Honey," her appropriately smooth new single, is inspired by her tumultuous relationship with her mother, a Black woman who has struggled with mental illness for much of her life.

"Everything that I'm doing for this album—and this song specifically—is to bring awareness to mental health and wellness in the BIPOC community," Masa says. "I think about my mom, and I wish she would've had more access to the same resources that a lot of white folks do."

For the virtual single release party, Masa has teamed up with Musicians in Solidarity—a local organization working to bring diversity training to music venues—to raise money for Radical Rest, another local organization offering free wellness services for BIPOC. Additionally, the first $500 in sales from "Honey" will be donated to an organization supporting Black Lives Matter.

"There's so much trauma in our world right now," Masa says. "For a long time I wasn't sure what my place was in all of it. But now I really want to put all my energy into organizations who are supporting BIPOC prosperity and wellness."

SEE IT: Moorea Masa plays her virtual single release show Friday, Sept. 25, at instagram.com/mooreamasa. 7:30 pm. Donations to Radical Rest encouraged. 

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