2016 will mark re-emergence of my music: Mandy Moore (IANS Interview)

After lying "dormant" in the music world since the release of her last album "Amanda Leigh" in 2009, Hollywood actress and songstress Mandy Moore is confident that she'll be back with a bang in 2016. She says she feels "unfulfilled" without creating music.

"I've been working on music steadily for the last couple of years. I guess 2016 will be the re-emergence of my music. That side of my life has been dormant for too long in my opinion," Moore, who is currently on a trip to India for a social cause and is curious to learn about Indian music, told IANS in an interview here.

What kept her away from music?

"I was kind of nesting and taking a break in my life since I had started working at such a young age," said the multi-talented "A Walk To Remember" artiste, whose debut album "So Real" came way back in 1999, when she was all of 15 or 16.

Since then, the "Candy" singer has doled out a total of six studio albums, including "I Wanna Be with You", "Mandy Moore", "Coverage" and "Wild Hope", apart from "So Real" and "Amanda Leigh".

As for her break from music, the 31-year-old said: "Maybe, I was putting my efforts and energy into some other parts of my career."

Moore referred to the fact that she has been devoting a part of her time and life to her role as the global goodwill ambassador of NGO Population Services International (PSI), which is also the reason why she came to India.

"It's a big part of my life now, but I miss it (music)... I feel there's something in my heart that's not being completely fulfilled, and I have to address it," she said candidly.

Moore, who split from Ryan Adams, her husband of almost six years earlier this year, also feels "refreshed" about making new music.

"I've a lot to say, I have a new zest for what I want to sing about... I don't know how that's going to manifest itself necessarily, but I'm excited to figure it out," she said, and added how "the industry has changed tremendously" since the time she forayed into the music world.

Contemplating on the changing dynamics of music globally, she said: "The means by which people consume music is completely different now. There's so much content out there, and there are so many different mechanisms through which you can release music now... that's exciting as an artiste."

On the film front, she has finished filming "47 Meters Down", an underwater survival thriller, directed by Johannes Roberts.

"It's totally shot underwater in Thailand. It was a pretty interesting and crazy experience," recounted Moore, adding that "I'm at that point of my life when I want challenges... I want something new, and want to be able to learn something".

In the meantime, she is also flexing her vocal skills as Rapunzel for a TV series based on the 2010 animation entertainer "Tangled", in which she famously gave a voicever to the lead character and even sang "I see the light".

"The show is going to be really cool. I have started work on that and there's music in that as well... It will be worth the wait, and I'm sure we will do a good job with it," she said.

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)