'Neo-soul' vocalist Love Moor is breaking out

Erica Andrew, a young Birmingham vocalist who performs as Love Moor, is not yet working full-time as a musician.

However, she thinks a full-blown music career may be drawing closer.

“I’m in that transition,” Andrew said.

In fact, the transition seems to be happening quickly.

In 2017, B-Metro called Andrew’s voice “stunning and smooth.” 

AL.com included Andrew — whose sound is often labeled “neo-soul” — on its list of “25 essential Alabama musicians to know for 2018.”

Her EP, “Simp Girl,” is getting substantial airplay and good notices, with music writers comparing Andrew favorably to artists like Erykah Badu and Valerie June. 

She’s appeared at Secret Stages and Art on the Rocks. 

In March, Andrew performed at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas -- where NPR Music included her among their handpicked "Austin 100" --  and will be at Sloss Fest this summer.

And perhaps best of all, Andrew believes that her burgeoning music career could give her the freedom she craves, the lifestyle she wants and the ability to fully pursue her creativity.

Andrew, 27, was born in Brooklyn and raised in Miami, but she moved to Birmingham with her mother about 15 years ago. A Jackson-Olin High School graduate, Andrew lives in Ensley.

As Love Moor, she released the EP “Blu Polka Dots” in 2015 and “Simp Girl” in 2017. Andrew, who’s also recording a full-length album, said “Simp Girl” has been well received, even better than she expected.

“I’m excited, and I want to run with it,” she said.

The EP has gotten airplay on Birmingham Mountain Radio and Substrate Radio, as well as 97.9 JAMZ in Montgomery, according to her manager, Rashid Qandil of Lobotomix.

It’s been played often by The Expedition Radio Show, which streams internationally, and by Godfrey Fletcher, known as DJ Niceness, in the U.K.

Andrew rejects easy labels for her music. 

“I don’t want to be just one thing,” she said. In addition to soul, she draws on R&B and hip hop.

“And there’s some island flavor, because that’s where my parents are from,” said Andrew, who mother is Antiguan and her father Bahamian.

“It’s a well-rounded sound,” she said.

Andrew, who cites Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and Bob Marley as inspirations, writes her material and usually starts with a mood or emotion.

“Most of the time, I’ll be feeling some type of way — happy or sad or whatever,” she said.

She then typically reviews beats sent to her by various producers.

“Whatever grabs me, I’ll work on it,” she said.”I’ll be feeling some type of way, but it’s usually the sound that moves me.”

“Simp Girl,” like much of Andrew’s work, deals with the joys and pain of love.

“It’s about falling in love with someone and being willing to do much for them, and they don’t want to do the same for you,” she said. 

The EP is based on Andrew’s personal experience. “I was real simp for a guy with nothing really coming out of it,” she said.

“Simp Girl” is “very raw,” she said. “A lot of the lyrics were written, literally, minutes after something happened. I think when something’s genuine, people can relate to it.”

“Simp Girl” gave her another chance to work with her favorite producer, Suaze, who also produced several tracks on “Blu Polka Dots.”

But Andrew — with the passion of a true star — loves performing live and calls it her “favorite part” of the process.

“The energy’s always crazy, so if I get to perform, if I have my full band, the sound comes through the floor and it comes through my feet, and I get to vibe with the audience,” she said.

The energy goes from her to the audience, then back again, according to Andrew.

“It’s always a great experience,” she said. “I love it so much.”

Andrew is currently pondering her tantalizing career possibilities for 2018.

“On my heart is that there is so much unknown and that things are just kind of falling into place,” she said.

She’s excited about playing festivals. “My first one will be SXSW, which blows my mind,” she said ahead of her performance.

And she dreams of the freedom a music career could bring her.

“You can always make money, but you can’t buy time, and I’d have that free time to be creative and soak up the sun and travel,” she said. “I know that’s what would make me really happy.”

But nothing will likely make her feel happier — or more free — than making music.

“Nobody can tell me what to do,” she said. “It’s just how I want to express myself. From my mind and heart, it’s just a clean canvas, and I can do whatever.”

Love Moor’s EPs are at bandcamp.com. She is on Facebook @LoveMoorisme.