Belfast-born musician Stephen Moreland - better known by his solo moniker Steeky Momo - is stepping into a new chapter with his debut EP 'Something in the Water'. After years refining his craft in student band ANOMALyS and cutting his teeth performing in bars across Northern Ireland, he’s now channelling six years of experimentation, growth and graft into a sound that blends folk, soul, R&B and classic singer‑songwriter storytelling. 

With support from the Youth Music NextGen Fund, Stephen approaches this moment not as a sudden breakthrough, but as the culmination of countless small steps. We caught up with him to dig into the journey behind the music. 

Your upcoming EP blends folk, soul, R&B, and singer‑songwriter influences. How did you arrive at this particular mix of sounds for your debut

Trial and error to be honest. I tried to be a folk singer-songwriter when I was 17 but I wore my influences a bit too much on my sleeve, and I had to add more to my music to keep myself from borderline plagiarism. The title track is RnB, with more B than R, but I wrote it in a fairly modern way. I thought a lot about how the song gets to and from the hook without making it overly repetitive or shallow, so I tried to combine modern songwriting with more old fashioned genre influences. When I was working out the large arrangement that's when the ‘soul’ part fell into place. The other songs are more traditional singer songwriter, stripped back recordings focused on just voice and a guitar/piano. I wanted the short runtime of the EP to be varied, and I spent so much time figuring out "Something In The Water," maybe deep down I’m just lazy and wanted an easier time with the rest of the songs.

What did being in your previous band ANOMALyS teach you, and how did it shape the artist you’re becoming now the solo act Steeky Momo?

It’s good to have other people relying on you when you’re starting off in music, to make sure you actually pull the finger out. We started at Uni and went through the full spectrum of local band experiences. Playing to just the bar staff in empty venues as the opener for the opener, to a packed out Mandela Hall at our alma mater Queens. We immersed ourselves in the Belfast scene as an escape from our studies. We wore many different hats musically, but eventually found our sound after an experimental EP, and we put a lot into a follow up single that was our biggest success. Mainly it taught me the importance of committing. You’ll always have doubts about if the sound you’re going for is the right one for you but if you don’t fully commit then it’ll always be wrong. And I can say I’ve fully committed to these songs.

You’ve spent the past year performing in bars across Northern Ireland. What have those audiences taught you about what resonates and what doesn’t?

It’s the best experience you can get as a musician. You’ll have great days and bad days, and you’ll definitely know which since the feedback is instant and obvious. I’ve played in many different venues with different crowds at different times so planning a set meticulously is a waste of time, you have to be ready to improvise. You can choose a ‘wrong’ song and feel yourself losing the crowd, but when you choose a right one (sometimes the exact same song in a different setting) they respond instantly and you’ve got them on your side. You earn goodwill, which I usually cash in by playing a song I love that no one knows. Plus it's just good to put the hours in. I don’t get nervous about performing now, I just get nervous about whether there’ll be enough plugs at the bar for my PA or if I’ve mixed myself badly or if the crowd will even be up for live music. But I just power through and look forward to the next one.

After writing songs for over six years, when did you recognise that these tracks were finally 'ready'?

The songs on the EP all have very different writing timelines. "Something In The Water" was the quickest. When I finished it I gave it time to breathe, came back to see if I would change anything and was happy with it as is. I’m sure most songwriters will agree, that is a rare feeling. The final track, "Would It Be Enough?" was started in 2019. I’ve written loads of songs and they’re all at various stages of ‘finished’, but when choosing ones I wanted to record I realised I hadn’t changed a thing about this one in a few years, which was a good sign. Basically I wanted to free up space in my notes app and just decided enough was enough. 

Connect with Steeky Momo:

Instagram: @steekymomo

TikTok: @steekymomo

Check out Steeky Momo's debut single below: