Henry Moodie talks creative growth and self-discovery in his debut album Mood Swings.
MOST Malaysian fans came to know of Henry Moodie back in 2023, when his sophomore single Drunk Text drew attention on TikTok. The single, upon a year of its release, found commercial success among Malaysians, peaking at number one on the local music chart.
What followed after is a series of hit singles and two music EPs, which amassed the British singer over six million Spotify monthly listeners and a series of sold-out shows, including a performance at Zepp KL in July, as part of his 2025 Asia Tour.
The 21-year-old is now set to mark a brand new chapter in his musical career, with the release of his debut album Mood Swings. Embellished with his signature heartfelt lyricism and dynamic melodies, the album explores the joys and complexities of love, identity and self-discovery.
Over a Zoom call, Moodie chats with theSun on the process of bringing the album to life and his remaining plans for 2025.
Did you find the process of recording a debut album to be ‘harder’ than an EP?
I actually found it easier because I was working towards a body of work instead of a standalone. With the EPs, it was more of just writing these standalone songs and putting them together. Whereas with the album, every song I was writing had creative cohesion with the others. I remember thinking “is it going to make sense with the album?”
Having that sense of cohesion really helped me create the album. It gave me a clearer direction of where I was going. I loved having that big picture in mind versus just having a few single small songs. So, I really enjoyed the process, and bringing this album to life is easily my favourite period of writing.
A lot of the songs are more upbeat on Mood Swings. Was that intentional?
Yes, I wanted the album to capture all the different emotions I felt. My early 20s have been a mix of upbeat and depressive moments and I wanted to capture the emotional spectrum of that particular period of my life. So we tested a lot of different things with the production before deciding on what exactly would be best on the final output. I also think that it isn’t sustainable to be doing ballads only for your entire career as an artiste. It is nice to have a variety.
Any current favourite tracks from the album?
My favourites are track five Growing Pains and the last track Dear Drew, which is about my relationship with my school bully. A big reason why I got into music was because I got bullied in school. Should I go through something, I would write about it.
So the irony is, I would not be here if it was not for that situation. I am really proud of every track on the album and each one has been my favourite at some point in time, but these two tracks will always feel bittersweet.
How do you hope for people to react to Mood Swings?
I am really hoping that people find a track on the album that they can each call their personal favourite. There is a song in there for everyone, whether you are going through a best friend breakup, a relationship breakup and even if you are dealing with insecurities. So, I hope that people find the song that is for them and that it helps them through their difficult time in life.
What are your plans for the remaining months of 2025?
I am going to be touring Australia, and that should be really fun. Aside from music, I am planing on doing a lot of socialising… Just catching up with friends and maybe even go on a few dates. Then, I will probably start writing my second album. Songwriting never stops for me and a lot has happened in my life since I have written my first song, because I wrote my first song. So, I am just going to keep writing and getting things off my chest.
Will you be visiting Malaysia again?
Hopefully, yes. We just did a tour in Asia a few months back and I came then. We will wait a little bit, but I will definitely come back to Malaysia. It is one of my favourite places. The show that we did in Malaysia was one of my favourite shows. The crowd was amazing. I will never forget walking into The Exchange TRX (mall) and filling it out. Malaysia has so many amazing memories for me.
