Bad As I Wanna Be is the third album from acclaimed singer/songwriter and southpaw guitarist, Malina Moye. An album of genre-defying sounds that fuse elements of funk, rock, blues and soul and draws from Moye’s wide variety of influences.

A celebration of self, Moye draws from personal experience in songs like “Betta Than U” and “Enough,” the latter of which also appears in the upcoming film, The Samuel Project. Bad As I Wanna Be also marks Moye’s first #1 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart.

Guitar World recently spoke with Moye about Bad As I Wanna Be and more in this new interview.

You mentioned that Jimi Hendrix and Prince are huge influences on you and your playing. What was it about their artistry that appealed to you?

It was the freedom they evoked as artists in how they played; what they looked like, the clothes that they wore and the expressions they had when they played. With them, there was always one common denominator, and that was that it’s okay to be different. That’s what makes you you. I think that when it comes to the artists you love, in a crazy way, you see a piece of yourself in them.

How would you describe Bad As I Wanna Be in terms of its sounds and how it relates to some of your previous work?

It’s a continuation of my last album, Rock & Roll Baby, but with a more produced sound. I wanted to make it as close radio-friendly as we could, but not to miss the essential elements of the guitar. With Rock & Roll Baby, we made a guitar-driven record that showcased what I wanted to project. With this new record, I wanted to focus more on the songwriting and the melodic [and] draw on my influences from growing up in Minnesota. That sound is in my DNA. I wanted to explore that lane but at the same time continue to evolve and make it a little more contemporary. This album came from a very special place.

What inspires you when you write and create?

It could be many things. With the song, “Betta Than U,” that started when I was just tuning up. Other times, someone will say something or throw on a track and I’ll hear a melody and start to write. When someone touches a nerve, it’s amazing how your body and energy and the process of what you’re feeling reacts. It flows like a faucet.

Read the rest of my
Interfview with Malina Moye by Clicking Here.