If you’re a longtime Studio One listener, you probably know who Elizabeth Moen is. Originally from Iowa, she got her start performing in Iowa City and released a few albums before moving to Chicago in 2020. So for the majority of her career now, she hasn’t been an Iowa-based artist, but we heard her first.
Since then, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag for Moen. Her songwriting, guitar playing and voice are all undeniable, as is her work ethic. And she’s definitely had some success recording and playing her own music, opening for Jeff Tweedy and spending some time as a member of Squirrel Flower’s band. But the music business is the music business, and talent and hard work don’t guarantee anything.
In a Substack post last month, Moen opened up about her experience of being dropped from a record label, which happened after her album was done but before it was released. In that same post, she opened up that for the first time in her career, she was really considering quitting music.
“This realization of not having anything to cover the debts or cover the expenses to come for this album left me frozen and embarrassed,” wrote Moen. “No record deal, no tour offers, no management, and a feeling I’d never felt before. To quit. In my decade long pursuit, I’d never even considered that. It felt terrifying and heavy. But I … love music? I love writing and playing shows? And I’m … good at it? Why would I quit?”
“And then BOOM. Bam. Pow. It slapped me. I need to find the joy in making music again,” wrote Moen. “If I want to ‘make it’ like I thought I wanted to, I have to let go of what I thought that was because I think making it is just being happy. If I can make music and be happy, that is my new definition of ‘making it.’”
With that in mind, Moen is back to releasing her own music, starting with the first single from her upcoming album. It’s called “Renaissance Man,” and we don’t have to guess what this song might be about, because Moen already told us in another Substack post.
“This song is written from the perspective of one of my favorite real life characters, the Chicago F***boy,” said Moen, who clarified that this person isn’t a specific person from her life, and isn’t necessarily a man, or even from Chicago. “This character is unfortunately in every city out there. Completely unaware (or aware and that’s even more terrifying to consider) of the damage they do whilst trampling over other people with their poor behavior.”
After “MANY edits and adjustments,” the song became “Renaissance Man,” and Moen recorded, it with Spencer Tweedy (Jeff’s son) producing. It’s available on Bandcamp and streaming services, along with the rest of Elizabeth Moen’s music.
