Val Moogz is a queer Australian songwriter, recording artist and perfomer living on Brinja-Yuin Country on the South Coast of New South Wales. Drawing upon diverse musical influences ranging from Patti Smith’s powerful rock poetry, to Bill Withers’ great songs of soul, to the acoustic surf pop lullabies of Jack Johnson, Val Moogz generates a toe tapping, heart warming, cruisy head bopping performance that feels like a hug from your best mate!
Introduced to live music early on in life at Sunday church services in Western Sydney where they grew up, Val Moogz was drawn to the stage, quickly becoming a skilful guitarist and drummer. Val Moogz started playing shows at sixteen around the inner suburbs of Sydney under their name, Hannah Matysek, sharing their passion for storytelling through original songs with others. Having participated in the Talent Development Project towards the end of high school, Hannah was exposed to high profile industry participants and had the opportunity to record their track 'Oh Beautiful' with Sony Records, which featured vocals by Season 3 The Voice winner, Anja Nissen.
Through the Talent Development Project, Hannah was introduced to Janice Light, an experienced teacher and singer who had performed in some of Australia's largest operatic productions, and who they continued to received vocal training and guidance from for the next nine years. At age eighteen, Hannah was invited to perform at the Lesbians in the House Concert, playing original music alongside some of Australia's biggest lesbians acts including Judy Small, Bluehouse, Julie McCrossin, Kerrianne Cox and lots more at the Sydney Opera House. Despite nervousness around the public promotion due to still journeying through self discovery and acceptance, Hannah agreed to play as an emerging queer artist in front of 4,000 people, alongside other emerging artists such as Genevieve Chadwick and Gabby Dever. Hannah continued playing the Sydney gigging circuit for many years, gracing some of the city's best stages, including the (then-called) Sydney Entertainment Centre, The Basement, Oxford Art Factory and more, both as a solo act and in a duo called Hannah and Josh with their older brother, Joshua Matysek.
During COVID, Hannah focussed on readying tracks recorded by their brother, Joshua, for release and re-launched under the name Val Moogz. They released their debut single Gypsy in August 2021. Gypsy speaks to falling in love with fleeting ideas of who people are and in turn, is a song of lost loves. It resolves to learn the art of patience in life and in love, rather than grasping for untimely, unattainable loves. Val Moogz released two singles in 2022, The Sea and With You and toured the East Coast, as part of The Sea 2022 tour. The Sea, written almost ten years earlier in 2013, came into being an evening after a James Blake concert at the Sydney Opera House, where Val Moogz was inspired by the gorgeous vocal runs during his performance. Val Moogz is currently recording their debut EP, which is well underway and in progress for release TBA.
Val Moogz has supported some of Australia's leading acts including The Whitlams, Alex Lloyd, Kingswood and now resides on the South Coast of New South Wales, where their passion for music and community merged together to form the Val Moogz School of Joy. Val Moogz strives to promote inclusivity and a sense of belonging for all people, regardless of beliefs and walks of life. Authenticity and heart-led interactions is key and no topic is off the table in the songbook of Val Moogz.
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