Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 8/12/26 – There are some performers whose presence seems to transcend generations, and Melba Moore remains firmly among them.
The Tony Award-winning, four-time Grammy-nominated singer, actress and Broadway legend recently joined The Hollywood Times from West New York, New Jersey, for a conversation about her new single, “Love Wins Every Time,” her forthcoming album, and her upcoming performances at the Blue Note Los Angeles.
Warm, funny and refreshingly candid, Moore spoke about what love means to her today, the importance of continuing to evolve creatively, and the sheer joy she still finds in walking onto a stage.
“Love Wins Every Time” may initially sound like a romantic declaration, but Moore sees something much deeper in the song.
“I’m a mature person,” she told The Hollywood Times. “Of course, we all love romance, we should always love romance,” but she explained that at this point in her life she wanted to approach the song from a broader and more spiritual perspective.
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One lyric in particular stood out to her:
“You turn the dust to devotion.”
For Moore, the song speaks to the idea that love ultimately carries people through life’s challenges.
“In the end, love wins,” she said. “It’s really from a mature spiritual point of view, as well as a romantic point of view.”
And then, with the humor that surfaced throughout our conversation, she added that she is “not trying to catch no date.”
That sense of perspective is part of what makes the song feel authentic coming from Moore at this stage of her remarkable career. It is not simply about romantic love, but about something more enduring, love as devotion, connection, healing and resilience.
Moore has also been fascinated by the ways listeners are finding their own interpretations within the music.
She said audiences often hear things in a song that she herself may not have considered.
“They have whole different perspectives than I do,” she explained, adding that listeners have shared observations about the music and lyrics that might have escaped her if she were looking at the work strictly from her own viewpoint or that of a professional critic.
While Moore hears a wonderful beat, she said listeners have also been telling her the record feels fresh.
That openness to interpretation is fitting for an artist who has spent decades crossing musical and theatrical boundaries.
After a career spanning Broadway, R&B, television and recording, Moore has certainly earned the right to rely on what has always worked.
Instead, she continues to adapt.
When asked how she maintains both her voice and her creative spirit, Moore was wonderfully straightforward about aging.
“Oh, my God, I’m getting older,” she joked, describing the adjustments that naturally come with different stages of life, from changing eating habits to heading back to the gym.
“At each stage of your life and your age, things require different things, so you keep making changes,” Moore said. “And so far, I keep getting another chance, but nothing’s guaranteed.”
Perhaps that willingness to continually make changes is one reason Moore still sounds so engaged with the present rather than simply looking backward at an extraordinary résumé.
Her upcoming album, expected this fall, reflects both the realities of today’s music industry and Moore’s own personal evolution.
She noted that artists once concentrated heavily on making songs “radio-friendly,” while today there are podcasts, internet platforms and many more ways of reaching listeners.
Her own path through a changing industry unexpectedly gave her new creative freedom.
After losing many of the traditional industry connections and systems surrounding her career, Moore found herself working more often with newer songwriters, independent producers and creators who brought different ideas to the table.
“I was free and open to try something,” she said.
In fact, Moore estimates that she has been experimenting musically for roughly 20 years.
“Now, it’s always an experiment,” she said, describing how those experiences have helped her remain connected to what is happening around her rather than simply recording what is familiar or comfortable.
That spirit of experimentation appears to be central to the forthcoming album. Rather than trying to recreate an earlier chapter of her career, Moore is allowing the music to reflect who she is now.
Southern California audiences will have the opportunity to experience that combination of history and evolution when Moore performs at the Blue Note Los Angeles on September 4 and 5.
And she has plenty planned.
Fans can expect signature favorites including “Love’s Comin’ At Ya” and “You Stepped Into My Life,” along with songs from her Broadway career.
But Moore also plans to honor two legendary women whose artistry helped shape American music: Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald.
Because the Blue Note has such a deep association with jazz, Moore believes the setting creates a wonderful opportunity to expand her program beyond her own hits.
“I’m a fan of them, like everybody else,” she said of Horne and Fitzgerald. “I can sing their music, and I think it just rounds things out, and it makes it enjoyable for everybody.”
For longtime fans, the shows should provide plenty of memories. For anyone seeing Moore perform for the first time, they will also get a glimpse of the range that has defined her career from Broadway to soul, R&B and beyond.
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After all the awards, hit records, Broadway triumphs and career milestones, I asked Moore what still excites her most when she steps onto a stage or walks into a recording studio.
Her answer came immediately.
“Well, first of all, that I can still sing.”
She laughed, then added, “Because these days it’s an athletic activity.”
It was a funny answer, but also a revealing one.
There is genuine gratitude in Moore’s recognition that she can still do what she loves and do it at a level that continues to connect with audiences.
Of course, singing is only one part of the Melba Moore experience.
Fashion remains another source of enormous pleasure for her, and Moore clearly delights in the visual side of performing.
She works with wardrobe designer David Joseph, who creates something special for each venue.
The outfits may range from elegant evening looks to something appropriate for an outdoor park performance, even if sneakers are required.
Moore loves seeing the audience react.
Sometimes, she joked, she practically has to delay singing for a moment and simply walk around the stage so everyone has a chance to take in the outfit.
“I am there to impress them,” she said. “I care what you think. And we’re going to have a great time before we even start the show.”
That statement may capture Melba Moore better than almost anything else said during our conversation.
After decades in entertainment, she still cares.
She cares about how she sounds. She cares about what she wears. She cares about what a song means. And perhaps most importantly, she cares about what an audience feels when she shares it with them.
There is no sense that Moore is simply revisiting her past. She remains curious about the next song, the next interpretation, the next audience and the next opportunity to reinvent herself.
With “Love Wins Every Time,” a new album expected this fall and another return to the Los Angeles stage ahead, Melba Moore is once again reminding us that longevity in entertainment is not simply about surviving.
It is about continuing to grow, continuing to connect and continuing to show up with something meaningful to say.
And, in true Melba Moore fashion, making sure you look fabulous when you get there.
