Kelly Moe

Kelly Moe is an American artist, producer, singer-songwriter, and philanthropist known for blending Pop R&B vocals with Electronic New Wave instrumentals. Moe channels a cool vibe by combining experimental production values with androgynous, velvety vocals that express his raw viewpoint. With 30 studio albums to date, he has carved out a reputation as an indie artist of remarkable stylistic range, sculpting a repertoire of pop hits and hypnotic hooks.

Over the past two decades, Moe has written, produced, recorded, and independently released albums that have drawn attention from MTV’s Logo network, Beth Ditto of The Gossip, and filmmakers James Westby, Madsen Minax, and Florencia Manóvil. He starred in The Gossip’s gender-bending video “Listen Up” in 2006, and in 2007 Westby directed the video for “Voodoo Engine,” which became a Top 5 Best Song on MTV/Logo’s NewNowNext Poplab. Moe also headlined the 10th Annual Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festival and the sold-out 2007 Erotic Ball at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom with his band Basic Fix, which appeared in Westby’s 2008 film The Auteur.

Following his 11th studio album and West Coast tour in 2009, Moe’s music was featured in Madsen Minax’s 2010 documentary Riot Acts: Flaunting Gender Deviance in Music Performance. His 2012 self-titled 17th album resulted from a two-year collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Trevor Gates, known for Get Out, Us, and Atlanta, and in 2013 he released a deluxe version combining the original album and its B-side. In 2014, Moe consolidated multiple independent releases into The Catalogue and contributed the theme song for Florencia Manóvil’s Dyke Central.

Moe’s 2015 album Ego Throughout the Ages featured collaborations with Portland’s diverse POC and LGBTQIA+ community, and by then he had released 26 albums. His SHADES events have raised funds for nonprofits including Community Warehouse, PFLAG Portland Black Chapter, Portland Black Pride, Cascade AIDS Project, AIDS Walk Portland, OGALLA, Trans Lifeline, Q Center, SMYRC, and SARC, while he has also participated in peaceful protests alongside Janelle Monáe and supported social justice causes.

In 2017 Moe began emceeing and hosting dance parties, working with Beyoncé’s dance captain Ashley Everett at Dogpatch Dance and Yoga in San Francisco, and released Catalogue 2. He continued refining his emcee and DJ skills hosting multi-city events like SLAY, CAKE, and SHADES. Between 2018 and 2019 he wrote his 24th album Peak, released on Valentine’s Day 2020. In 2021 he launched The Kelly Moe Show, released his 27th studio album Valleyspeak, and held a digital audio-visual release party co-hosted by drag icon Poison Waters and DJ Stanley Frank Sensation. In 2022 he released his 28th album Instrument of Nature, inspired by 1990s European electronica, and celebrated with debut appearances tied to his live music showcase and dance party OH MY!, which ran from 2022–2024, as well as Portland’s long-running queer event Blow Pony. In 2023 he released the full, unedited Season 3 of The Kelly Moe Show, and in 2024 dropped five hit singles including If These Walls Could Talk, Queen Larva featuring Kizmet, Love Confessed, and Cameo of My Dreams featuring RJ. In 2025 he released his 30th studio album, DIRTY 30.

Moe grew up in Portland, Oregon, and the San Francisco Bay Area. He remains politically engaged and active in social justice causes as he navigates his art and evolving relationship with the United States. Moe is currently in production on his 31st studio album, Outlander, created in loving honor of his late mother, Michelle.