Talking Identity, Grit & Rebirth Through Music with ARYEL MOON
It’s a Friday afternoon — my favourite time to record — that magical moment when the week is done, the fear has lifted, and you can just be—perfect timing, then, to sit down with someone who brings their own props to the party. I had a disco ball; my guest had a glowing cube. Beat that.
This week on MyMusic, I’m joined by the extraordinary Aryel Moon — or should I say, Donatella, because as you’ll hear, identity is a layered, shifting, powerful thing for this artist. What began as a solo project has evolved into a band: a collective of voices, roots, accents, and influences that somehow, beautifully, feel like home.
In this episode, we talk about:
✨ Floating roots and found belonging — from Sardinia to Bologna, Edinburgh to Balbriggan, and how accents become a map of the soul.
✨ The alter ego as armour and liberation — why “ARYEL” protects “Donatella,” and how the two now coexist.
✨ Falling out of music — and climbing back into it — the emotional cost of being silenced, and the spark that brought songwriting roaring back.
✨ Growing up on distortion and riot grrrl — from Sonic Youth to L7 to Bikini Kill, and how Irish grit now mixes with Italian fire.
✨ Why every great singer once hated their own voice — and how connection, not perfection, is the real magic.
✨ The Cranberries, freedom songs, and healing — how "Dreams" helped soundtrack her rebirth.
✨ The absolute necessity of funding the arts — and stuffing cash into the pockets (if they have them) of gigging musicians.
✨ Their debut EP — dropping 20th November, with a launch show in Dublin on the 28th.
Aryel Moon are fresh, fierce and full of heart — an alt-rock sound that is Irish in spirit, European in roots, and utterly their own.
And trust me: punk is their favourite colour.
Stick around to the end to hear how you can support them, buy the music, and maybe even buy the T-shirt (I’ve demanded one).
