Amelia Moore

Uncovering New Beginnings After ‘teaching a robot to love’ 

By Lulu Moore

Artist Feature

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Artist Feature 〰️

On June 3rd, Georgia-born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Amelia Moore dropped her debut EP teaching a robot to love under Capitol Records. Amelia’s honest lyricism comforts anyone who ever felt they loved too much while unapologetically exposing those who love too little. Inspired by a ‘situationship’ breakup with an emotionless significant other, the project is a therapeutic heartbreak EP grounded in a metal-sounding world. Now based in LA, Amelia Moore is an icon in the making –– and she’s only 20-years-old.

Amelia explains that the title of the project, teaching a robot to love, is meant to give people another word to describe their partner instead of ‘toxic’ or ‘emotionally unavailable.’ Clapping her hands together, she says, “No babe, we are going to start calling these people robots.” The narrative project is a validating soundtrack for anyone who felt drained after trying to break down a robot’s steel emotional walls. But in Amelia’s fiery style, she goes beyond just providing solace: she wants to inspire others to “expose the toxic pieces of shit that did them wrong through songwriting and art.” 

Amelia immediately begins outlining these robotic behaviors on “intro,” the first of seven tracks on the EP  (“you plug me into your walls and use all my batteries”). She rejects the claim that sensitivity is synonymous with fragility in “i feel everything” (“I know you think it’s a weakness to be in touch with your feelings/Just get up off your pedestal it’s socially acceptable”).  She challenges the idea that one should feel ashamed of having feelings on “IFE_outro_VA_AM_24b.wa” (“if you’re a robot that’s fine, just don’t make me feel crazy for being a human being”). On the seventh, and final, track of the EP Amelia presents love as the defining trait that separates people from machines, questioning whether these robots will “ever know what it means to be human” (“teaching a robot to love”). Moore’s refreshing emotional intelligence combined with Pink Slip and Inverness's futuristic production revitalize pop music.

Amelia has already made waves since her ‘sweet and sour’ debut single release in October 2021. She has amassed over 43 million global streams, opened for FLETCHER’s North American tour, and sold out her first-ever headline show at The Sun Rose in Los Angeles on June 9th. Grounded in a glass-half-full mindset, Amelia says that “new beginnings often hide themselves in endings. That’s what I really felt this project [teaching a robot to love] was,” she adds, “a really big ending for me, but also a really new beginning too. So just always look out for the new beginnings.” 

While her neon-orange hair and vibrant personality might have you think otherwise, Amelia grew up home-schooled in a conservative Christian household in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She began playing the violin at 4-years-old but felt creatively restricted given its technical nature. After seven years of adhering to proper form and cadence, Amelia taught herself to play the piano. “It felt like complete freedom. I would just sit and watch YouTube tutorials all day long on my light-up Cassio keyboard that my dad bought me,” says Amelia. 

Similarly, Moore grew up singing in her church choir but was not permitted to listen to secular music; in fact, the first secular body of work she ever listened to was Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience album in 2013. Given her strict upbringing, Amelia encourages curiosity in all forms. As such, she gifted a few audience members with the access to freely explore all music after her first opening shows on FLETCHER’s tour. 

“After every show, I gave the first fan who came up to me a Spotify gift card because growing up I wasn't allowed to listen to that much secular music. So I wanted to give the gift of unlimited music to one of my fans who just became a fan,” says Amelia. Her unique approach to pop music stems from her ceaseless curiosity and inspires her to use more unconventional sounds. Amelia enjoys going to museums alone to get inspired. She likes to go to the Getty in LA, put headphones on––not play any music––and eavesdrop on conversations to soak up any potential ideas. 

Overall, Amelia’s story is one that encourages life in all of its vibrance. Having a heart is painful, but it’s what makes us human. While the whole EP taps into this message, the “i feel everything” music video directed by Sam Canon fully embodies it. The video begins with a pile of intertwining computer wires plugged into the back of a man’s silhouette as the viewer listens to a mechanically distorted audio. When the chorus hits, Amelia is struck in the chest with a beam of electric light. While a seemingly painful image, the only force that pierces through these whirring and revving noises is Moore’s intoxicating voice, singing, "you don't feel at all. I feel I feel everything.”

Listeners should feel empowered by their range of human emotion, but need to remember that “if they’ve tried to teach a robot how to love, it’s not worth it,” says Amelia. While she believes in failing-forward, one must recognize when to get up, and walk away, adding “we gotta make the right decisions here.” Ultimately, teaching a robot to love is about balance. Feel as deeply as your human heart allows, but know when to prioritize your head’s logic. 

Fans should expect more playfulness and personality in upcoming projects. Amelia remarks, “Not all my records are going to be sad, heartbreak songs…while I can be emotional and a sad bitch, I’m also a bad bitch” and “I’ve got a lot of tea to spill”. Moore lives outside of the box in fashion, in music, and in life. The well-received project closes the chapter on Amelia’s self-proclaimed “home school to Hollywood” journey. Now that she’s made it to Hollywood, we’re excited to see what the future has in store for the talented and charismatic force that is Amelia Moore.