Móa

Iceland native Moa spent years absorbed by the cabaret vocal approach of Billie Holiday, Louise Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald before stepping into a jazz-singer role while still attending high school. Completion of a full-length acid-jazz album prompted her shift into electronica. Guest vocal appearances on scattered techno singles led to a partnership with Eythor Arnalds that produced the industrial rock project Bong in 1994. Though the group enjoyed success in Iceland and drew press notice in England, Moa struck out on her own after Bong dissolved, fusing her foundational jazz, blues, and classical leanings with an affinity for dance, techno, and synth pop. Tommy Boy Records recognized the resulting sound and released her debut full-length, Universal, in 1999.