Ahead of 2024 tour, Niko Moon opens up about the guiding star in his sobriety journey

Niko Moon carried the bundle of firewood across the backyard where his wife and child huddled, their backs turned against the crisp November day. It has been a challenging year for the couple, balancing parenthood, making music and fighting their own battles with physical and mental health.

But they still exuded an unwavering positive warmth.

“As long as I can remember, anxiety and depression have always just kind of been a low-level thing in my life that I've had,” said Niko Moon. Meanwhile, Anna Moon struggles with a rare genetic disorder that causes chronic pain.

The country music couple sat down with The Tennessean, ready to share their stories and how they hope to channel their struggles into support for others.

Who are the Moons?

A Nashville-based country singer, Niko Moon is best known for positive songs "Good Time," "Paradise to Me" and "No Sad Songs," from his most recent 2021 album.

In "Good Time," with his raspy country twang, Moon sings, "We just tryna catch a good time / Even if it takes all night / Pass that bottle 'round the campfire / Sippin' apple pie moonshine."

But he acknowledges that it isn't realistic to always have a "good time."

"It's not an easy life in modern America,” Moon said. “And sometimes people just need a positive song. And then sometimes people need more than that. They need a positive conversation.

“And therapy for me has just done absolute wonders," Moon added, noting that one of his battles has been alcohol addiction. Anna Moon, he said, was a guiding star, helping him find his way back to himself.

She is also a songwriter and musician who co-writes much of Niko’s music. The two met back when Niko Moon was still playing honky-tonks outside of Atlanta. Around 2012, a few years into writing music for Zac Brown, Moon and Anna hit it off, connecting over their love of music.

Anna Moon was also a Georgia-based artist at the time, and after getting together the two decided to pack up and move to Music City around 2017. The couple welcomed their first child, Lily, last year.

Over the past decade, Niko Moon's songwriting and solo career has taken off. He's written eight #1 hits and over 40 major record label cuts for artists including Morgan Wallen, Avicii, Dierks Bentley, Pitbull, Zac Brown Band and Rascal Flatts. In 2021, he released his hit debut album "Good Time."

Recently, Niko and Anna Moon released a holiday cover of "All I Want for Christmas is You" and song "Falling for You," a single that will be included in their upcoming co-written album "Better Days," which is slated for Jan. 19.

In February, Niko Moon will embark on a 2024 tour.

Niko Moon's mental health nonprofit and sobriety journey

Moon isn't moving away from the positivity and upbeat nature of his songs, but he is opening up about personal struggles in hopes of giving back to his community.

"We got these party songs, you know, so we're saying this really is chapter two, because we're talking about mental health for the first time," he said.

After a painful breakup about 15 years ago, Moon found himself turning to alcohol to cope.

"I didn't really realize what I was doing and I just kind of became an alcoholic," he said.

In the music industry, sometimes your office is a bar, he added.

"And so you're in that environment and you're going through heartbreak, and you don't know how to deal with it," Moon said. "You know, it's pretty a natural thing."

And though he has worked hard to heal in his addiction journey, Moon has found himself navigating his relationship with alcohol for many years. Four years ago, he switched to only drinking socially.  Six months ago, he chose to give up alcohol for good in order to fully focus on his career and fatherhood.

"I think that I'm in a place where it's time to move on to the next chapter of life,” he said. “Without alcohol."

Though Moon is fully embracing a sober life, he is happy to still be performing his upbeat country rock for fans that may be raising up their drinks in the audience—he considers himself a “live and let live” individual.

Now, Niko Moon can fully focus on the simple joys of a family lifestyle—like stoking backyard fires with his wife and daughter this winter, serenading Lily on the living room couch with guitar in hand, and spending time in the kitchen, working to master the art of healthy cooking, beginning with a more nutritious sweet tea and brownies.

It was a journey for Niko Moon to arrive at these personal realizations, and one that took professional guidance. "I think that mental health is a lot like physical health, sometimes we all get a little out of shape," he said. "And when you need to, get some help from someone who is trained in helping you untangle the mind."

In January 2024, Moon is launching the Happy Cowboy Foundation, a nonprofit that will help provide access to therapy and destigmatize mental health conversations. He aims to raise awareness for other organizations who are providing local help to communities through financial support.

Moon, who grew up with a truck driving father and waitress mother, understands what it’s like to be a member of the working class, and he wants to be able to ensure mental health care access for those who share his backstory.

"It's why I'm starting this nonprofit, because I love working class people, working class America."

The profits from the lead single on Moon's upcoming album, "Better Days," will be donated to the nonprofit. Every time someone streams the song 100% of the streaming revenues will go to Moon's foundation. A dollar from every ticket of Moon's upcoming tour will also be donated.

Amid illness, Anna Moon advocates for understanding one's genealogy

Niko Moon attributes much of his lifestyle changes to their daughter, Lily.

Since having Lily, Niko says life is "much more meaningful," adding, "I was the main character of my life. And now, Lily is the main character." He elaborated, "The switches that it flips on in your mind to step up and go to another level is pretty amazing. I'm not sure if I would have switched those flips on my own."

Anna agreed, saying it also brought her newfound confidence. "I'm Lily's mom. So, I'm like the most powerful person. You cannot eff with me because I'm Lily's momma."

This newfound confidence, coupled with the responsibility of parenthood, draws her to speak out on her own personal health journey.

In 2020, Anna Moon was struggling with abdominal pain. When she went to the doctor, they discovered large fibroids in her uterus and diagnosed her with a condition called hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC).

The condition carries a high risk of kidney cancer and requires regular testing in order to catch cancer before it spreads.

While Anna lives in pain with reoccurring fibroids, her pain is largely manageable as she arms herself with knowledge in the form of genetic testing. "That's one of the ways that I stay positive, is knowing that I'm doing everything I can and I have all the information that I can as well. That brings me a lot of peace," Anna said.

Now, she tells everyone to take charge of their health and test their genes for diseases that are in their family history or could be passed on to children. “It helps me sleep so much better at night,” she said.

Now more than ever, Niko and Anna Moon recognize that their space in country music provides a powerful platform.

Niko Moon said, "There's always been a deeper meaning behind why we do what we do. And that is that we love positivity, and that music can be therapeutic and helpful to mental health.

"And so with the second album, we've really been focusing on making music that delves deeper into the why of why we do what we do in music, which is to encourage people.

"Because there's just so many things out there that make it difficult to stay encouraged. So just being one of many voices that are out there, that's just trying to be an encouraging, loving, kind of voice in country music ...that's where our heart is."

Fans can learn more about Anna and Niko Moon's music and story at nikomoon.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville songwriter Niko Moon on his sobriety journey's guiding star