Chris Moreno is no stranger to hard work in the music business. When you ask other songwriters about Chris that is one thing that always comes up. His peers respect Moreno for his willingness to grind. Chris Moreno got his start in music at a young age. However, his move to Music City was not always a certainty. Moreno has continued to push forward in 2020 by releasing some excellent music.
How did Chris Moreno Develop His Craft?
Chris Moreno is originally from Massachusetts, where he lived mainly in and around Boston. Moreno, like most singer/songwriters, developed a passion for music at a young age. Moreno said, “I got started in music around eleven years old. Music was something in which I could get lost. I would lock myself in my room for about four hours after school, which made me happy. While I listened to a little everything, I was mainly into rock music.”
Moreno was a guitar player first, like many others. Chris would take advantage of his ability to play guitar through high school. The singer-songwriter said, “I picked up the guitar and began taking lessons when I was eleven years old. I started a band with a few local friends, but I never really grew up being a singer. I sang in my rock band, but I was just a guitar player and songwriter in most of the bands I was in. There was a disconnect there, I may have wanted to be a singer when I was a kid, but I never learned how to do it.” However, for someone who never was much of a singer, he has a unique voice and is good at it.
Finding His Passion Again
I am sure many can relate to the next part of Moreno’s story. How many of you stopped chasing your passions? Moreno said, “While I played in bands during high school and into college, at a certain point, I went away to college, and the band broke up. It stopped being a priority. After I graduated from college, I took a sales job. I was doing the nine to five thing and focused on making money. Before I knew it, five years had gone by, and I didn’t play music anymore.”
Rather than live a life regretting leaving his dreams of a music career, Chris Moreno would eventually give up steady income for a musician’s uncertain life. The singer-songwriter said, “In my mid-twenties, I had an epiphany. I was asking, is this all there is to life? I was working during the week and partying on the weekend. It was fun, but it felt a bit empty. One day, I decided you have always wanted to make music, do it! I began taking singing lessons and writing songs. At the time, I had just gone through a break-up, so the songwriting came organically. I was so excited about writing songs and processing my break-up.”
The Decision to Move to Nashville
Chris began setting the wheels in motion that would eventually lead him to Nashville. Chris said, “About two years later, I started releasing some music and playing shows in the Boston Area. Over four years, I was playing full band shows and working my sales job. Toward the end, I was playing three to four shows a week. At a certain point, I was having some success. People liked my music, and I thought, what’s next? Basically, I studied the careers of the people who were where I wanted to be, the artists on the radio.”
Moreno seeming has used his sales experience to aid his music career. His research would steer him toward Music City. Moreno said, “I am a little bit of a country/rock hybrid, and it seemed like Nashville is where everyone moved. So, eventually, I quit my job and went full time into music. I always wanted to be the guy on stage, and I thought I had something unique to offer. It felt like I was shortchanging myself if I didn’t release my music into the world. A lot of people do what they think they are supposed to do, but I didn’t want to wake up at sixty and realize I failed to try.”
Chris Moreno is Forging His Path in Music
Chris Moreno is one of the hardest working guys in Nashville and strives to be different. The singer-songwriter said, “When you first move to Nashville, you have this desire to fit in and write songs that will fit perfectly on the radio. However, I realized whatever makes me unique; I needed to double down on that. I want to be different, ad not just another country guy.”
In the pre-COVID world, Chris Moreno’s work ethic was on display. While he is open to playing shows in Nashville, he spends much of his time on the road. Moreno said, “In 2018 and 2019, I played 150 shows each year. On the weekends, I am on the road. My mindset is this music career will happen regardless of whether I have a label or management. I am not about waiting around for someone to build my career.”
Whatever Chris is doing is working, because Moreno has built a dedicated fan base. Chris said, “I am lucky to have built a good fan base. Even with quarantine, I decided I wasn’t stopping. Every week, I have live-streamed. The fact that I can make music now, I don’t care if it’s quarantine or not. I am not taking any days for granted. Quarantine has been a blessing because it has allowed me to get closer to my fan base.”
Chris Moreno Releases “Used to This”
This year has brought some terrific music from Chris Moreno. On September 4, Moreno released “Used to This,” which is the follow up to “Where I’ve Been” and “Same Old Places.” Moreno said, “I came up with the concept and the melody, and brought it to Stephanie Joyce, one of my favorite co-writers. It’s a story about being guarded and meeting someone that allows you to bring those walls down. It’s a light-hearted song, but I am excited about it because it’s the sound I have been looking for. I think with my last two songs, I have hit on my sound. This song has gotten the best reaction of any unreleased song I have ever written.
The song makes you want to roll your windows down and hit the road. That’s precisely what Moreno wanted. Chris said, “I teamed up with Justin Wantz, who produced the single. Justin did a great job of seeing my vision; a darker pop meets rock meets country. It has a cool vibe, like a sunset with the windows down.”
“Used to This” Behind the Song
I was able to get Chris to go a little deeper with where he got the song’s idea. Moreno, like many writers, has to write what is real to him. Moreno said, “I try to write about what is going on in my life. Being in music has been tough on relationships. Life is not as good if you are guarded, and you have walls surrounding you. But, at the same time, me quitting my sales position of ten years, where I made good money to switch to an unstable job, made me focus. Since I am working from the ground up, I have been forced to have a shield up. I thought I didn’t have time to date, and I have to be 24/7 with music. However, at some point in the last couple of years, I met someone that made me think I could get used to this.”
Country Music Could Get Used to Chris Moreno
I believe Chris Moreno’s work ethic will pay off for him. Country Music could use Moreno, a male voice who is singing about real, authentic life experiences. Undiscovered Nashville will continue to follow Moreno and his music. We encourage you to do the same. Be sure to listen to Chris Moreno’s music on Apple Music or Spotify.
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