Mandy Moore Just Released Her First Original Song in 10 Years
Mandy Moore is going back to her singer-songwriter roots. The star, who has been focusing on acting, including in a starring role on This Is Us, broke onto the pop scene back in 1999 with her debut album, So Real. Her smash single at the time, “Candy,” rivaled the best of them (Britney, Christina, and the like). But then she has put her music career aside for Hollywood—until now. Today Moore released a brand-new single, titled “When I Wasn’t Watching,” and it’s her first original track in more than a decade.
The new song showcases a more chill, California-sounding Moore than some of her previous work, which veered toward bubblegum pop. The video, directed by Lauren Dukoff, shows the singer in a body of water or in an open field with the wind blowing in her hair (as one does).
“When I Wasn’t Watching” is part of an upcoming album Moore plans to release next year. The song is also her first original tune since releasing 2009’s Amanda Leigh, her sixth studio album. While she occasionally sang in some of her acting roles—in Disney’s Tangled, for instance, and she covered Little Feat’s “Willin” for the This Is Us soundtrack as well—this song marks a new focus for Moore.
“The idea of diving back into music after so much time and personal change was really intimidating to me for a while,” Moore said of the project. “But then I finally realized: I’m the only person who can make this move. It all has to start with me.”
Moore’s husband, Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith, also collaborated with her on the upcoming album. He teased to People of the process, “I watch her light up as she gets to express herself again as a songwriter and singer in a way she hasn’t in a long time. It’s so inspiring. Everyone that is a part of it, we’re always just making sure it’s something she identifies with. She’s our captain, she’s steering the ship, and that’s how it should be. We’re really just there at her service and it’s been a true joy.”
Originally Appeared on Vogue
