MOON BRIDE IS AN AWARD-WINNING
SINGER/SONGWRITER + INDEPENDENT ARTIST
BASED IN NORTH CAROLINA
alt-pop/folk-rock
for fans of
Kate Bush, Lorde, Regina Spektor, St. Vincent, Tennis, Marina and the Diamonds
awards
2020-Winner, Best Direction (“Pollyanna”), Music Video Asheville Awards
2020-Winner, Renew the Arts Songwriting Contest through The Breath and The Clay
2018-Finalist, NewSong Music Songwriting Competition
2018-Winner, LEAF Songwriting Competition through NewSong Music
2018-Winner, Best Soundtrack (“Give Me A Likeness”), Music Video Asheville Awards
2015-Winner, Brown Bag Songwriting Competition
ARTIST BIO
North Carolina's alt-pop artist, Moon Bride, is a delightful contradiction. Behind the name is Carly Kotula, whose warm, airy vocals immediately captivate, while her lyrics—once described as “French press in a world of lyrical drip”—ensure listeners stick around for the long haul. Kotula's voice, at once timeless and modern, confronts the weightiness of life with a gentle spirit.
Inspired by the moon, which does not generate its own light but merely reflects the sun, Moon Bride sees herself as a conduit on a similar mission to illuminate the darkness with quirky, pure, and empathic anthems. She feels that as an artist and human, she has a responsibility to convey the truth with utmost care. The result—a wistfully insightful and dynamic deep dive packaged in colorful rhythms and surprising lyrical turns—rewards her listeners for their trust.
Moon Bride pairs her award-winning lyrics with stunning arrangements and memorable melodies that transport us to another realm. The balance of confidence and vulnerability invites us to wonder if we’re drifting into a dream or being jolted awake. This duality is clear in the opening track of her latest album which declares, “Rise up, rise up, why are you sleeping?”
Having long struggled to find her place within conventional music circles, Kotula eventually broke free from the constraints of labels to thrive as a truly independent and eclectic artist. Her work defies easy genre classification—a fact she embraces with enthusiasm. Moon Bride’s 2024 concept album, 'Insomnie', tells the tale of a sleep-deprived mind grappling with life and faith, as it meanders through a rich tapestry of genres—from 1930s crooner and 60s blues rock to 80s synth-pop and 90s alternative—proving that for Moon Bride, nothing is off limits.
Celebrated in North Carolina and beyond, Moon Bride continues to make her mark. 'Insomnie' earned its place among UTR Media’s top 11 albums of 2024, with the remark, "If the music industry were fair, this record would be a well-known chart-topper." Her 2020 EP, 'It Tends to Glow', garnered praise from CLTure, who dubbed her “one of the most fearless songwriters of western NC,” while Blurt Magazine hailed her 2017 debut, 'Reverie', “a start-to-finish, no-filler/all-killer gem—a veritable calling card to greatness if enough ears find it.”
SHORTENED BIO:
Moon Bride, the alt-pop artist from North Carolina, captivates her listeners with a timeless yet modern voice, memorable melodies, and richly layered arrangements that defy genre classification. Like the moon that lights up the night, the award-winning lyricist behind the name, Carly Kotula, speaks to life’s burdens while radiating hopeful resilience, as exemplified in her latest album, 'Insomnie'. This concept record, which weaves through genres from 1930s crooner to '90s alternative, chronicles a sleep-deprived mind grappling with life and faith.
Recognized as one of UTR Media’s top 11 albums of 2024, they remarked, “If the music industry were fair, [Insomnie] would be a well-known chart-topper.” Kotula has learned to celebrate her status as an independent and eclectic artist after years of struggling to find her place in conventional music circles. With praise from CLTure, NewSong Music, Blurt Magazine and others, her past works, including 'It Tends to Glow' and debut 'Reverie', solidified her as one of the boldest voices in NC indie music.
alt-pop/folk-rock
for fans of
Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, Lorde, Regina Spektor, St. Vincent, Lana Del Rey, Tennis
awards
2020-Winner, Best Direction (“Pollyanna”), Music Video Asheville Awards
2020-Winner, Renew the Arts Songwriting Contest through The Breath and The Clay
2018-Finalist, NewSong Music Songwriting Competition
2018-Winner, LEAF Songwriting Competition through NewSong Music
2018-Winner, Best Soundtrack (“Give Me A Likeness”), Music Video Asheville Awards
2015-Winner, Brown Bag Songwriting Competition
“If the music industry were fair this record would be a well-known chart-topper.”
- UTR Media
“A strong lyricist who embraces the timeless ideas of folk music and injects it into modern indie-rock sensibilities”
- Take Effect Reviews
“A fanciful and thoughtful writer, delving into complex imagery and social commentary without ever losing touch with pop sensibility."
- Alli Marshall, Mountain Xpress
“One of the most fearless songwriters of western NC.”
- Grant Golden, CLTure
ARTIST BIO
Moon Bride, the alt-pop artist from North Carolina, is a delightful contradiction. Behind the name is Carly Kotula, whose warm, airy vocals immediately captivate, while her lyrics—once described as “French press in a world of lyrical drip”—ensure listeners stick around for the long haul. Her voice, at once timeless and modern, carries life’s burdens with a gracious spirit. Like the moon lighting up the night, Moon Bride boldly address weighty issues while radiating hopeful resilience.
Moon Bride pairs her award-winning lyrics with stunning arrangements and memorable melodies that transport us to another realm. The balance of confidence and vulnerability invites us to wonder if we’re drifting into a dream or being jolted awake. This duality is clear in the opening track of her latest album which declares, “Rise up, rise up, why are you sleeping?”
Having long struggled to find her place within conventional music circles, Kotula eventually broke free from the constraints of labels to thrive as a truly independent and eclectic artist. Her work defies easy genre classification—a fact she embraces with enthusiasm. Moon Bride’s 2024 concept album,
'Insomnie', tells the tale of a sleep-deprived mind grappling with life and faith, as it meanders through a rich tapestry of genres—from 1930s crooner and 60s blues rock to 80s synth-pop and 90s alternative—proving that for Moon Bride, nothing is off limits.
Celebrated in North Carolina and beyond, Moon Bride continues to make her mark. 'Insomnie' earned its place among UTR Media’s top 11 albums of 2024, with the remark, "If the music industry were fair, this record would be a well-known chart-topper." Her 2020 EP, 'It Tends to Glow', garnered praise from CLTure, who dubbed her “one of the most fearless songwriters of western NC,” while Blurt Magazine hailed her 2017 debut, 'Reverie', “a start-to-finish, no-filler/all-killer gem—a veritable calling card to greatness if enough ears find it.”
SHORTENED BIO:
Moon Bride, the alt-pop artist from North Carolina, captivates listeners with a timeless yet modern voice, memorable melodies, and richly layered arrangements that defy genre classification. Like the moon that lights up the night, the award-winning lyricist behind the name, Carly Kotula, boldly addresses life’s burdens while radiating hopeful resilience, as exemplified in her latest album, 'Insomnie'. This concept record, which weaves through genres from 1930s crooner to '90s alternative, chronicles a sleep-deprived mind grappling with life and faith. Recognized as one of UTR Media’s top 11 albums of 2024, 'Insomnie' was praised with the remark, “If the music industry were fair, this record would be a well-known chart-topper.” Kotula has learned to celebrate her status as an independent and eclectic artist after years of struggling to find her place in conventional music circles. With praise from CLTure, NewSong Music, Blurt Magazine and others, her past works, including 'It Tends to Glow' and debut 'Reverie', solidified her as one of the boldest voices in NC indie music, while her music continues to shine as a beacon for those daring to challenge the norm.
'INSOMNIE' RANKED #8
TOP 11 ALBUMS OF 2024 BY UTR MEDIA
MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE - July 10, 2024
NOBODY KNOWS / KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON
A music video by Boy Howdy
Since first meeting at a public high school in Charlotte, NC musical artist Moon Bride (Carly Kotula) and filmmaker, Daniel Rosenberg promised that one day they’d make a music video together. Lucky for the world, that day has finally arrived.
Near the end of 2023, the two gathered a small dream team of other hometown friends and artists Zoë Lotus (Art Director), Pat Kotula (Assistant Director), and Victoria Singleton (Costume Designer, Hair/Makeup Artist) to reunite in the town where it all began.
The result is the debut music video by production company, Boy Howdy.
The music video is a medley featuring not one, but two songs off of Moon Bride’s latest album,
Insomnie.
Staying true to the album’s theme of restlessness and awakening,
“Nobody Knows / Keep Calm and Carry On” visualizes a woman breaking free from the mundane to find a world in technicolor, but no more answers than questions. The eccentric, retro-pop soundtrack quickly turns from a Judy Garland-style lullaby to an upbeat, rockabilly-grunge ballad with nods to Weezer and The Pixies.
In a whopping 3 1/2 minutes the team managed to fit 9 characters (all played by Kotula herself), a dozen different sets, and 9 outfits -
6 of which were handmade by Victoria Singleton. Singleton looked to the name Moon Bride for her otherworldly designs, as well as tastemakers of the 60’s futurism movement, like Pierre Cardin and André Courreges, whose shapes and color pallets inspired the playful, cosmic, and fashion forward pieces that became the final looks for the music video. Her iconic white dress blends bridal elegance with the spirit of the space-age.
Rosenberg, a compositing artist working in film and television, and Lotus, a motion graphics artist, spent months carefully curating the shoot and just as many editing in post. Invested in recreating the quality of traditional film processes, Rosenberg drew inspiration from orthochromatic film (“Nobody Knows”) and 35mm technicolor (“Keep Calm and Carry On”). The crew shot for 3 full days at NODA Art House in Charlotte.
The project was edited by Rosenberg in Da Vinci resolve, with motion VFX built in Nuke and Blender. It was shot on a range of lenses from modern Canon to vintage glass and a Soviet manufactured lens for an authentic vintage aesthetic. The music video was produced without a trace of AI technology.
The first collaboration between Moon Bride and Boy Howdy,
“Nobody Knows / Keep Calm and Carry On” is as playful as the songs it envisions. Taking inspiration from Old Hollywood classics and Harper’s Bazaar’s Man Ray with a sci-fi punk-rock spin, it is an artful, extravagant, and totally original trip through time and space. And worth your 3 1/2 minutes.
Produced by Boy Howdy
Directed by Daniel Rosenberg
Art Director: Zoë Lotus
Assistant Director: Pat Kotula
Costume Design / Hair and Makeup: Victoria Singleton
Post Production: Daniel Rosenberg and
Zoë Lotus
Filmed at
NODA Art House in Charlotte, NC
Special thanks to Daniel Harp, Tom Taich, and Hannah Glavin for their contributions!
