Artists MOZIAH and John Mark Nelson release their new single “Do the Right Thing” after only meeting and collaborating virtually. The single, both groovy and upbeat, still hits on a relationship topic that is hard to discuss or anticipate—the unexpected and how that affects the outcome for couples.
“I had recently dated someone who got the opportunity of a lifetime,” MOZIAH mentions, “and they decided they wanted to be single for it. The supportive/right thing to do was to let them go after what they want; but in that case, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. I think the biggest obstacle of dating when you’re young is that you still have your whole life ahead of you.”
Speaking of the unexpected, COVID has given artists more challenges to create music, but MOZIAH and Nelson have found ways to do this safely while still producing a well-mixed track. Using the popular social media platform to their advantage, MOZIAH and Nelson released a full teaser video on Tik Tok of their single along with a part 1, part 2, and part 3 series on how they both created “Do the Right Thing” over virtual meetings.
Photo by Shervin Lainez
Courtesy of MOZIAH
When mentioning their collaboration, Nelson recalls that he, “...could tell right away that [MOZIAH] could excel at pretty much anything thrown his way,” says Nelson, “so the range of possibilities in collaboration was huge.” Nelson has an arsenal of music experience with several albums under his belt, Four Days a Way, I’m Not Afraid, and Sings the Moon, just to name a few amongst the many. With Nelson’s experience and MOZIAH’s collection of funky EPs/albums combined, such as Zyeboi and Dax Nextdoor, among others, their talents were sure to create a classic track.
“Do the Right Thing” is filled with so much soul that it’s hard to believe the creation of it was done through virtual collaboration during a time of forced loneliness. However, what this says about the future of music is astounding, considering the connection between artists be as strong as MOZIAH’s and Nelson’s. Whatever that may look like, hopefully, we know from now on what it looks like to do the right thing.