Fly Moon Royalty

Dozens of musicians have covered Duran Duransongs over the years, but it's safe to say few have chosen to interpret Read My Lips, a track off the band's oft-overlooked 1990 record, Liberty.
Seattle duo Fly Moon Royalty has a good story behind their cover, though. Made up of sultry singerAdra Boo and DJ/producer Action J, here's how it came about, according to Action J:
Our friend Jenny George is a leukemia survivor who throws a fundraiser/birthday party every year around Valentine's Day called "Dancing on the Valentine." All the proceeds go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She picks one popular (older) artist, and all of her band friends get together and play covers of the artist's discography.
In 2012 it was Duran Duran. Since we are a more production-based band, doing a cover usually means rewriting the track completely. In fear of just making a bad karaoke version of the song, I decided to flip it entirely. I turned it into a song we would likely write. The lyrics have a whole new meaning when you hear Adra sing them. It's much more sensual.
I can think of no better way to kick off the week. Sit back and absorb...
Fly Moon Royalty just released an EP, Unfinished Business, that you can buy onBandcamp. Hear more stuff on Soundcloud and follow them on Twitter at@flymoonroyalty. - USA Today

Adra Boo & Dancers "Glistenin on y'all bitches"
The crowd was at capacity once Fly Moon Royalty took the stage. Adra Boo and Illvester brought some friends to celebrate, and the stage was filled with backup singers and dance troupes on nearly every song. Adra Boo does a lot the work of Fly Moon Royalty solo with a microphone; she sang better and stronger than I've ever heard over Illvester's P-Funkin' electric keyboard work. They debuted their five new songs as well as already-classics like "Lemonade" and "Roxy." There were even acrobatic dancers for the new song "DNA," whose performance raised the pressure on the sexual tension in the air to a level of overwhelming-pounds-per-square-inch. - The Stranger

It’s been quite a minute (two years, actually, since “The Birthday Song“) since we had new music from Fly Moon Royalty, which is way too long, really. The Seattle electro soul duo are making up for last time, going HAH on this new track, appropriately titled “Step Hard.” Bringing their by-now signature vocal prowess to a beat that could go 8 rounds with the Clipse’ “Grindin”, “Step Hard” is the ultimate warning shot that FMR is back in the arena. Okayplayer is proud to premiere the stream:

Best of all, this is only the first leak of a whole new EP called Unfinished Business, dropping Feb. 18th via Sport’n Life. We asked Fly Moon Royal Mike Illvester to give us an idea of what to expect from the projects (as well as a quick update on what FMR have been into since we last heard from them). Here’s what he said:
“Unfinished Business is a cross-section of us as a “LIVE” band and a studio based group. This album has some of our heavy hitters from the live show as well as headphone/car tracks that you bump by yourself. It’s a strong little EP and it’s setting the tone for the full length that should be out this year. Since the last EPDimensions we’ve been steadily busy performing all over Seattle and regional festivals. Shooting videos, raising money and constantly making new music. We’ve been focusing on crafting our sound and boosting the overall quality of everything we do. We’ll have some tour dates down the west coast as well as the midwest this summer. We should have a few videos to release in the next few months as well.” -Mike illvester - Okay Player

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock have creatd Spotify playlists that will reportedly "rev up Seahawks and Broncos fans before Sunday’s big game."

I don't know what game they're talking about—and let's not pretend for a second that some hip interns didn't put these lists together—but I must say that while Denver's has sass, ours has class. And better songs. Except for two of them.
Do enjoy these playlists, and read the Mayors' explanations for their song choices below.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s Seahawks Playlist:
1. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "Thrift Shop"
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis made local history this week when they took home four Grammys in one night, the most ever won by an act from Seattle. This is just the beginning for these incredible talents and we couldn't be more proud of how they represent our city. We chose ‘Thrift Shop’ because we’re putting some grandpa style on the line in our Super Bowl wager with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.

2. Fly Moon Royalty, "Lemonade"
An up and coming act, Fly Moon Royalty’s electro-soul sound is a 'perfectly fitting contradiction' of blues and R&B mixed with electronica and hip hop. This fun, talented duo is represented by Seattle's oldest locally owned and operated hip hop label, Sport'n Life Records and is one of Seattle's Best Local Bands as voted by local arts publication City Arts. Keep your eye out on these two. - The Stranger

Fly Moon Royalty have some unfinished business to attend to. That is, they have an upcoming EP entitled Unfinished Business that closes the two-year time gap since we last heard from vocalist Adra Boo and beatman Mike "Action J" Illvester (for me it was with 2012's groover, "Betta Have My Money") and has them reclaiming their rightful space in the funk-rock hybrid space. Still all this time off hasn't made them into softies; in fact, they have packed even more ammo in their arsenal as they howl back with the EP's introductory single, "Step Hard." An understatement the title actually is, as the bark is just as bad as the bite with the duo plowing out an aggressive hip-hop/R&B stomper that is splashed with electro-shocked grunge rock that is no doubt a nod to their Seattle homestead and assuredly gives them an edge above other future soul acts. You'll have to catch your breath when this one winds down, trust. And to think this is just the beginning of what is to come as all guns are sure to come out blazin' with these two on February 18th when Unfinished Business officially drops. - Soul Bounce

You know, here at NYLON HQ we are super fans of electro-grooved out jams from artists like Daft Punk and Chromeo, so when we heard this new track , “DNA,” from Fly Moon Royalty we literally bugged. The Seattle based duo dropped this slow jam on us just in time for some Valentines Day, candle lit, living room slow dance action.

Fly Moon Royalty is comprised of vocalist Adra Boo and DJ-Producer-Emcee Action J, and the resulting marriage of R&B-meets-electronica these two create is a wave we’re hopping right on. The duo set to release their Unfinished Business EP February 18th so until then we’re playing “DNA” on a head-nod repeat and hanging out on their Soundcloud HERE. You can find them on Twitter HERE and check out their Facebook over HERE. - Nylon Guys Magazine

ARTISTdirect and Fly Moon Royalty have teamed up to bring you this premiere of the band's new song "The Anthem" from its five-song EP Unfinished Business, out February 18. Enjoy this early taste of Fly Moon Royalty here and now.

"This song is basically 'I'm having a good time so kiss my ass,' which I wrote from the standpoint on the people who use to come to my DJ gigs back in the day. It was a great eclectic group of people coming out to celebrate music, have some drinks, dance with someone and we never had any problems. It was a great moment in time," the band's Mike Illvester told us about the song.

With that in mind, enjoy "The Anthem." - Artist Direct

Today Seattle duo Fly Moon Royalty premiere their brand new EP, Unfinished Business. The five-track project combines the talents of vocalist Adra Boo and the exceptionally versatile producer/musician Mike "Action J" Illvester who also doubles (or triples) up as an emcee.
What's awesome about the EP is the way both artists shine equally. Adra Boo’s vocals take the lead in the first two tracks “Pieces Of Me” and “No Pain No Gain” whereas the single “DNA” showcases Action J’s production abilities and even with the presence of airy, auto-tuned vocals, the song has the aura of a cool, spacey instrumental. On the final two songs “Step Hard” and “The Anthem” both unleash some of their renowned lyrical fire. This is that “Get up and bus’ a move” type of groove. There are elements of 80’s electronic and classic 90’s soul with a hint of futuristic goodness.
Unfinished Business is up tempo and delightfully diverse. It is an exhilarating 12 minutes and 55 seconds of soaring around the soul stratosphere. So fasten your seatbelts.
The electro soul pair also hit the road this week to kick off their west coast tour. - Afro Punk.com

Fly Moon Royalty. A somewhat unforgettable band name, even more unforgettable when you hear the soulful mixture of Adra Boo’s sensual voice and DJ Action J’s incredibly uplifting beats. Hailing from Seattle where grunge is dominant, this duo has comfortably created a concoction of soul, hip-hop and electronica; while this may seem like an unimaginable mixture of genres, the charm of Fly Moon Royalty lives within their songs. Fly Moon Royalty’s new EP, dropping on February 18th, aptly titled “Unfinished Business” is sharp, Boo and Action J created an EP that just seamlessly flows together into a big funk jam with infusions of hip-hop verses and club beats. “The Anthem” is easily their most ear-wormy and catchy songs, it’s hot, it’s sultry, it’s something you COULD hear on Top 40 radio, but underneath that is an honest independent duo, creating music, creating a genre that is all their own. With the rise of soul and R&B music in the indie charts–much thanks to Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Janelle Monae and Solange—Fly Moon Royalty fit into their carved niche of the genre. Their beats are fresh, the lyrics are sharp and witty, Boo’s voice is forceful yet elegant, and their live performance is phenomenal. Adra Boo is also a real women’s singer, she exudes femininity and can capture any listener with just the independence of her voice. This is what makes Fly Moon Royalty good, besides the funk and the soul, they exude confidence, they believe in the music they are making, and that is clearly evident on their new EP. If “Unfinished Business” is any indication of what’s to come, the Fly Moon Royalty duo is someone to keep your eyes and ears on. - The Most IndieTastic

The most unlikely duos tend to make the dopest music together: from Outkast to James Blake and Chance the Rapper, the melding of the minds can be a beautiful thang. Forming a yin of choice beats and eclectic stylings to a yang of lyrical flows and buttery soul, Fly Moon Royalty is one duo personifying the Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock-notion of it takes two to make a thing go right. Made up of song writer-songstress Adra Boo and producer/MC Mike “Action” Illvester, the duo just released their latest EP, “Unfinished Business,” putting a fresh new take on their hybrid brand of R&B/electronic soul. Always moving on a feeling, the duo have a heavy catalog of projects and LPs, steady working on new material to expand their sound and their craft. The 5th crew caught up with the Seattle pair right before they hit the stage at The Mint last week to talk about the new project, their creative process, and a typical moonlighting session at their day job. Hit the jump to check out the full interview.

5th Element: How’s life?
Adra: It’s been really busy.
Mike: Yeah, it’s been busy. We have our first tour, (and are) just balancing a lot of things hitting all at the same time – it’s been a real test of time management, but it’s all great, it’s just things all just happening all at the same time. We’re all still at the beginning of it, so my answer next week at this time might be a little different and it could be good or bad, but overall things are really good right now.
5th: You just released the “Unfinished Business” EP yesterday, have you guys heard or read any of its reception yet?
A: There’s been some articles that have been posted, some blogs have hit it up and so far people enjoy it. Everything that we’ve read up to this point has been super positive and a lot of people who fuck with us are so into it – I’ve been getting pinged for it being bought on bandcamp, but it’s still early.
M: It was good though, you know AfroPunk hosted the release so they did a write-up for it and that was super positive, and a couple blogs wrote about it, and honestly, it’s been some of the best write-ups we’ve had – like not one person just copy-pasted something from someone else, they all had their own well thought-out insight on it.
5th: Just to backtrack a little bit, you started working together because you met each other at a job and started talking about music. At what point, whether it was in that initial conversation or a little later in the relationship, did you guys come to that initial idea to start working on music together?
A: It actually might have been that day, because literally, we were both in different bands. Mike had only been in Seattle for five months and he was with his former band mate, and I was with my former band mate – we didn’t have a producer. We were just recording over tracks and so as soon as he (Mike) said that he produced, a lightbulb went up in my head. Just within us working together, I was like, ‘so.. how are we going to make some things happen?’
M: I’m just a naturally skeptical person. (Laughs)
5th: What was the transition from just helping each other’s respective (music) acts to forming a group together?
A: So I had this disc with these four random songs we had done on there, and he’s all, ‘alright, if you want to sing on stuff for my group,’ – it was like a you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours type thing. He would send me beats for my group and I would ask him what’s the scope on this one track and he’d fill me in. Whenever we weren’t at work, I’d try to put something together just based off the details he gave me. When it came for the stuff he made for my group, we’d meet up early and go through a run-down on what I wanted those tracks to be like. He recorded me once, behind my back.
M: Yeah, I remember watching it and just thinking it was the dopest thing I had ever heard. She was just buttery on these tracks that my former group and I had. There was this one track, probably the first one we ever made, called “Android Love,” from the first album – I loved this track and originally my band mate had attempted to write on it, and it just wasn’t happening. So I gave it to Adra and let her play with it, and she had added all these layers to it and 15 seconds in, and I was blown away. She made the song better, and from there I was sold; I was like, ‘that was all I needed to hear’ to be convinced. So we recorded that song, then we did another one called “Do What You Say,” which turned out really dope too, and that’s when we started thinking about maybe doing a side project.
5th: Did working a day job together affect the way you guys collaborated?
A: The benefit about working (at an outside job) with someone in your band is that we would work different sections – he worked in the back and I worked in the front – so when I would head into the back, he’d be playing some tracks he made years ago and I’d hear them and just want to make something dope out of it, the stuff he played back there would totally peak my interest.
M: Forty percent of those beats I had were when I was back in Michigan, and were all hip-hop focused. Adra would take them and flip them in a way that I would have never thought of.
A: Then I’d write to it and then go in the back and sing it right there.
M: We would collab in some fashion. All my lyrics would be written on little sheets of liner paper, hers would be written on butcher paper – essentially the first two projects were written at work. You could just sit there for hours and listen to music and write – and honestly I kind of miss that creative process.
5th: So what’s the process like now?
M: We’re still kind of in the same groove, luckily we spend a lot of time in that perfect incubator of collaboration when you spend a lot of time together. When you get to know somebody, you know the details, like their personal lives. There are many songs where we’ll have parallel situations. “In The Woods” I wrote the instrumental music about a very specific situation and Adra’s bit was perfect – that was one of the more conscious successes creatively we’ve had because it was like the intention was there long before it was created. We set a purpose and a mood, and we each did our part to meet our focus. We don’t make whole records and then move on to make a whole separate record; we’re constantly working. So the process never actually really stops. When we make a song together that we think is really dope, that’s the addiction, that high, that moment when you know it’s really good.
A: Sometimes when we’re practicing, he’ll start playing something that he was working on earlier and then I’ll just start to write to it. Our process is super organic; things just happen. We’re just in the space. Sometimes you just gotta move on a feeling. We’re so visual. Sometimes I’ll think something like, “oh, this sounds like you’re sitting on a porch and this is going on, etc.”
M: That’s why I like keeping the process fluid. We can stop working right now, and if we finished everything that we’ve started, we could still put out a few other EPs, maybe even another album. It’s like a sketchbook of concepts. “Piece of Me” started with me just playing this one bass line and the rest of the song grew around that. Originally we were supposed to record a completely different song but we changed gears the very last minute before we hit record.
5th: Essentially you guys feed off of each other.
M: That’s exactly how it is, but that’s how a partnership is supposed to work. We both seem to just be on the same page all the time, strange as it sounds, but it is because we both move on a feeling. I make this joke sometimes, where we’re the co-ed Outkast – I’m Andre and he’s Big Boi, where we’re kind of opposites, but use it as our strengths. We can also encourage each other to push further, like Mike was saying how this year he’s going to get more on the vocals with me. Before with his old band he stuck to being the producer, but I heard him spit once and was like, “you need to get on vocals with me.” We definitely encourage each other to step outside of the box, but you can’t do that without that good partnership, or else it won’t work.
5th: “Unfinished Business” sounds like it has a more electronic approach when compared to the previous projects you guys released. Where did that come from?
A: It’s funny with that question because people do notice those nuances and ask us about it, but we never actually think about what exactly are we trying to sound like. We’re just moving.
M: It’s like we record, stop and look back and ask ourselves, “What just happened?” Before “Unfinished Business,” our sole focus was dedicated to our album. So creatively, I was just really excited about releasing that (“Unfinished Business”) material. That actually came about because I was mixing the music and a friend came by the studio and asked what I was doing. I said, “Just working on this EP, just working on some unfinished business,” because that’s what those songs were. They’ve been part of our lives for a long time because we’ve actually been performing the songs off this EP live for so long. It’s just really good material and we wanted these tracks to be heard – I remember sitting back and thinking, “wow that’s a strong little EP for a five-track project.” One review called it “a mighty 12 minutes.” (Laughs)
A: With the songs on this EP, it’s like sending the kids away to college to make room for the new ones. I’m really excited for the next project after this that’s going to come out later this year, because no one has heard any of those songs. With this as our third project in, it’s a bit different this time ’cause we’re constantly growing as we work on our craft. Every time I step up to the mic, it’s a different approach because I learned something from our last session. Same with Mike, when he mixes now, he knows to look for different things and listening for certain things. We’re constantly learning and growing as artists and you can see that throughout our music if you follow the discography. Photos by Khris Griffis. - 5th Element Magazine

Seattle’s Fly Moon Royalty threads together soulful R&B with electronica in a haunting new-school manner made up of classic DNA.
Their tune, aptly titled “DNA” off the duo’s (comprised of singer Adra Boo and DJ/producer/MC Action J) Unfinished Business EP bridges the gap between early Daft Punk and Portisehead with its highly synthesized vocals and a steady, simple kick to keep the slowed, emotive pace.
Watch the languid movement and hear the sounds of cosmic space put forth by Fly Moon Royalty in the video premiere for “DNA.” - VIBE Magazine

Blending modern electronic with old-school soul, blues and R&B, this duo is quickly establishing themselves as one of Seattle’s crown jewels.

NAMES: Mike Illvester and Adra Boo
HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Mike) Seattle, Wash. (Adra)
HOMEBASE: Seattle, Wash. (Both)
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: What music are you currently listening to? Black Milk, Little Dragon, Janelle Monae, J Dilla, STS, Marvin Gaye. (Mike) Daley, Marsha Ambrosious, Sharon Jones (Adra)
DREAM SUPERPOWER: The power to make animals wear human clothes. Specifically double-breasted pin strip suits. (Mike) To have every super power at once in one!! Rogue x a million! *insert evil laugh here* (Adra)
FAVORITE VENUE: The Gorge Amphitheater, during The Sasquatch Music festival. Mainly because backstage there were massages and free booze.
PLACE I'M MOST CREATIVE: In my studio apartment, alone, in my underwear with the lights dimly lit. (Mike)
BEST SEATTLE BAND OF ALL TIME: Kingdom Crumbs (Mike) The Physics (Adra)
411: Since hooking up in 2011, the duo of Mike "Action J" Illvester and Adra Boo have become one of the most buzzed-about bands in their hometown of Seattle, drawing from a range of influences including J. Dilla, Steve Wonder and Betty Davis to create an eclectic blend of soul and electronic. Their EP Unfinished Business was released on February 18, 2014.
1. Tell us about your new EP, Unfinished Business.

It's some of our more show-performed tracks that weren't released and ones we like that we wanted a home for. Also, it cracks!!!

2. How did you guys meet and start making music together?

We met at our old day gig, and started talking music from day one.

3. Who are some of your musical influences?

We like Stevie Wonder, Dilla, Prince, Chaka, Marvin... We enjoy so many different music and sounds.
4. What’s your songwriting and recording process like?

Organically, one of us will have something dope to send to the other, or well get excited listening to tracks Mike created during a practice. No real form, just moves on feelings!

5. If Justin Bieber asked you to join him on tour, but you had to ditch one another, would you do it?

Adra: Fuck no! Wait, what kind of question is this even, hahahahaha!!

Mike: Easy... fuck no! - MY Space.com