Electronic Wunderkind Moore Kismet Is Dedicating Their Debut LP to ‘Every Weirdo That Might Feel Out of Place in the World’
When Moore Kismet (Omar Davis) put out their first EP on Never Say Die in 2019, they were the youngest artist to do so on the label, at 14 years old. Galvanised by the honor, it also felt to Davis like the right moment to celebrate their sexuality.
“I was just like, you know what, this is like a crowning achievement in my life,” says Davis, effervescently nostalgic. “I’m very proud, I’m very happy — f–k it I’mma just tell the whole world I’m gay! Like, let me just go full force with this!”
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It was a momentous occasion in the EDM producer’s journey that, to date, has been studded with superlatives. They were the youngest artist to perform at Lollapalooza and EDC Vegas in 2021 and next month, will be the youngest to play Tomorrowland. Notably for an artist working in bass music — the whitest, most male-dominated corner of a very white and male-dominated electronic music industry — they’re also Black, non-binary and pansexual, and last night (June 23) released their debut album, Universe, at the party end of Pride month.
Importantly, their richly textured productions are as captivating and unique as their persona, earning them support from scene heavyweights such as Illenium, Alison Wonderland and fellow wunderkind Martin Garrix, who recently posted an Instagram story of himself enjoying Davis’ career-best set at Coachella with the caption “YOOOOOO @moorekismet”, plus a flame and a heart emoji. (Davis reposted the story with his own caption: “YOOO WHAT THE F–K.”)
And yet, Davis is still just 17 years old and talking to Billboard over Zoom from their childhood bedroom in Adelanto, California after a day spent collecting their high school diploma, going grocery shopping and taking a call with Spotify bigwigs. Davis has been navigating this seesaw between normal teen life and hyperreality since large music events resumed last summer and they balanced their studies with performing to tens of thousands of screaming fans across the country. A trusted support team including manager Anthony Baca of Prodigy Artists helps keep them grounded, along with their beloved tour manager, stylist and mom, Taurica A. Davis, better known as “Momma Kismet’.
“She taught me everything I needed to know so that I could be a fully functional human being by the time I was like, four or five years old,” says Davis, an old but excitable soul who laughs heartily, curses profusely, and frequently speaks in caps.
Davis started producing at around seven years old using Fruity Loops. At 12, they were ready to find an audience. “My mom and I had went to Palm Springs for a church retreat and I was like, ‘Mom, I wrote a bunch of tracks and I’m gonna put out a mixtape tonight at midnight,’ and she was like, ‘OK sweetie,’ and then fell right back to sleep.” Appearing briefly in Davis’ cluttered bedroom during the Zoom call, Momma Kismet laughs, confirming the memory.
Even back then, Davis understood the importance of good marketing. Their early remixes of popular songs attracted attention when no one knew their name, creating buzz on Soundcloud before they began sharing their original tracks. (They’ve released three EPs and at least 16 singles since 2018, with the entirety of their catalog collecting 6.8 million U.S. on-demand official streams, according to Luminate.)
Revealing their sexuality, however, was never a strategic move — though that didn’t stop the accusations of gimmickry coming in by the time they released their debut EP.
“People just started ragging on me for no apparent reason and acting like I wasn’t just like a normal human being, just trying to navigate life through my identity, because everything about me — my queerness, my Blackness, my youth, everything — is directly linked to my music. I’m not using it for clout, I’m using it as inspiration. I’m using it as passion and fuel,” says Davis. “I’m not using it to get money. I’m not using it to get fame.”
Being proud of who they are hasn’t made Davis immune to the abuse that has been hurled at them along the way, culminating in a suicide attempt a few years ago. “Getting called homophobic slurs at 13 years old, that shit is traumatizing,” they say. “It really f–ked with me to the point where I was like, do I even deserve to live anymore?” The following night, they poured their pain into music instead, writing a song called “Rumor”. Many of the tracks on Universe, out on Thrive Music, are similarly stormy, broaching Davis’ anxiety, depression, jealousy and a toxic relationship.
“I would describe Universe as a collection of pieces that encapsulate my life experiences as a Black trans teenager,” says Davis. “It’s an album about identity, love, self-expression, acceptance and tolerance and it’s dedicated to every weirdo and every human being that might feel out of place in the world.” Sonically, it’s also their boldest work yet, juxtaposing the crunch and whomp of bass music with pretty pads, glittering synth lines, and plenty of skittish, thrilling detours. “It’s a lot more refined than anything that I’ve released in the past,” says Davis. “It’s a lot more raw, it’s a lot more experimental. It’s very out there.”
Being a trailblazing Black queer artist in a monocultural scene is something that Davis, who was booked to play EDC two years in a row in 2021 and 2022, doesn’t take lightly. “That to me is making genuine change — just putting your best foot forward and showing people that we matter and that we’re here and that are not going to stop going as hard as we can and that we’re the best possible fit for your shows,” they say. “I want there to be a genuine change and inclusion and diversity in the electronic scene.”
Their growing prominence is, slowly, paving a way for that to become reality, before they’ve even turned 18. Next, they plan to launch their own production company (Davis is also a voice actor, visual artist and character designer), expanding their vision for the electronic scene to the entertainment industry as a whole.
“Queer people are such an integral, powerful part of that [industry] and telling our stories and reassuring other people that it’s okay to be yourself, I think that’s one key thing we’re missing,” they say. “I would like to help rectify this with the company and with the projects that we will be creating under this banner.”
With their track record of overachieving, it seems that any and all of Davis’ dreams are within reach.
