David Ghan/The Falcon Senior Moorea Seal is a songwriter and musician, as well as tbe promotions manager for KSPU.

SPU is home to a budding community of exceptional musicians. Senior Moorea Seal is one of them.

A songwriter and musician, Seal pays a lot of attention to harmonies, plays with guitars, tambourines and shakers, and uses whistles, snaps and claps in her music. Seal released her album "Be My Friend" in 2006, showcasing what she calls a "girly-girl" sound. Her influences include Cat Stevens, My Bloody Valentine, B.B. King, and Joanna Newsom.

Seal can be seen playing at the Emerson Coffee House and other events on campus. She hopes to branch out into playing around the city next year.

She also moonlights as the promotions manager for KSPU.

A Moment with Moorea Seal

How her music style has changed in the past three years:

The first three years of making music, I never shared it with anyone. It was very private. So the first time I recorded at SPU, I projected my voice. And then, when I discovered I could harmonize on my Mac Book, I elaborated more. And then when I was able to harmonize and make melodies without guitar, I sort of discovered a new style.

What fans can expect from her upcoming music:

I hope to make more experimental music with lots of harmonies and less guitar, probably. I'd like to just feature my voice. But then I also hope to make, um, how do I explain it? ...music that has deeper meaning in the lyrics and more storytelling. And less stuff about love...more about the beautiful things in life besides love.

On the community of musicians at SPU:

I feel like there are many more musicians on campus than anyone knows about....You forget that there are people in different departments besides the music department that are multi-talented....For me, with having a community of music artists, it's more support than anything because I get more embarrassed for some reason with my music, so it's hard to find people that will understand, or else feel intruded upon with sharing their music. But I have found people to collaborate with, such as [sophomore] Emily Landfair, [sophomore] Lauren Begun, [sophomore] Vanessa Carmon, and [freshman] Stephen Rickard.

On which artists/bands she thinks SPU students should be listening to:

I'd say Deerhoof because they're so innovative with their music and crazy mixed rhythms...really experimental. Paul Simon because he's so classic, but his songs aren't dated, and they're really comforting and inspiring and just beautiful. Joni Mitchell...she's my biggest inspiration...we have a similar wide range, and she can make so many different sounds with her voice. So if I could write any music, I would hope that one day it would become as good as her music is. And Mirah... I think she is a musician that can experiment with every genre. Not enough people give credit to female musicians. People need to be more open to and expect more from women in music.

On whether the indie genre is dead:

The indie label is real silly. When you think about "indie," what should it really mean? It should mean an independent record label. I feel like it shouldn't be a genre. So in that way, I don't think it's dead, but I am really over the use of "indie" in reference to really popular bands, because it's all about what's popular right now, and that makes me really bored. "Indie" and "trendy" are one in the same right now. But their definitions should be opposite.

Her favorite Beatle:

Georgie, because he is the quietest one, and the quietest ones are the cutest. And his jams are the best.

Word Association:

Yoko Ono: The coolest person ever.
American Idol: Goofy.
Fall Out Boy: Boring.
Springtime: Allergies.
Reggae: Jammin'.
The Stones: Classic. Or just rolling.
"Engaging the Culture, Changing the World": Livin' it.
Kanye West: Bomb.
"Rock of Love": Greasy.
Poetry: Makes life worth living.