Monica Aben, hailing from California, is a singer-songwriter whose music exudes passion, authenticity, and a profound love for life’s adventures. Monica’s musical journey began at a young age, mastering the piano and guitar while growing up in a music-loving and rhythm-filled home. Her mother, a professional Hawaiian / Polynesian dancer & her father a vinyl enthusiast. The connection between her poetry and melodies led her to discover her unique gift for songwriting, drawing inspiration from iconic talents like Keane and Ben Rector. Monica’s captivating melodies and thoughtful lyrics have earned her a growing fanbase not only here at home, but in the UK as well, which is where part of her team is based. Monica defines success as being wholly authentic and creating music and art that resonates with her audience, regardless of societal expectations.
“I was in a songwriting accountability group that my friend Rainee started and I had one of those “WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!” weeks, as artists do… A new song was due so I just sat down and started playing this piano riff that had been haunting me and WHAM! This song came out in its entirety. Never changed a lyric. And now that it’s finally coming out with the EP, I find it’s the song, the reminder, I need the most these days.”
“This song was a download from my higher self, my spirit guides, whatever you want to call that. When it fell out of me, I knew there was something there, but nowI find myself needing to trust in the unknown more than ever. I hope it can be a lighthouse for anyone listening, because that’s what it has become for me.”
On your new EP there’s a tight connection between regenerative farming / sovereign holistic health & music. Can you elaborate on this?
Music & health are inextricably intertwined for me because I found songwriting after suffering a vaccine injury in high school. I took guitar lessons at school because everyone was worried about my mental health with what I was going through. I started singing along to the guitar, writing little poems, and NOW I’M HERE! I believe we’ve been led astray when it comes to our relationship to the natural world and the definition of nature. We ARE nature. We are energetic beings and everything (including us) comes down to frequency. I have been down every rabbit hole when it comes to health & healing naturally, & that journey really took me to new depths the past few years. I realized it all came down to us forgetting what our ancestors knew. Through just a few generations we’ve become puppets of propaganda to fit into the machines of big tech, big pharma, you name it. It all comes down to food… Which is what led me to attending the “What Good Shall I Do?” Conference in TX put on by Force of Nature Meats in 2023. This experience allowed me to see everything in a new light which prompted me to sort of “channel” my song Force of Nature. That song sort of kicked off the EP & made me realize the more I lived my life this way (growing what I can at home, sticking to natural remedies, listening to my body intelligence etc) the more I felt whole, more at peace, more in touch with myself, my purpose. I wanted to make a collection of songs that could feel like medicine for the soul & the senses. I wanted it to feel earthy, but still full of whimsy & a whole lot of heart. I feel pretty confident we did just that!
What’s the most important song to you on the EP & why?
Definitely the title track, Everything I’ve Ever Known. I wrote it around 4:30am (I was up early setting up for an online session with a friend in the UK). I picked up my guitar, opened the window, closed my eyes, and checked in on myself. I started playing some chords and this song kind of fell out of me! I never changed a word. (This happens to me a lot.) It’s the most important song because while I wrote it over a year ago, it is the song that I need most today. I read a quote recently that said “You know you’re on the right path because it will disappear before you.” Think about it, If you can see the path, it’s someone else’s. That’s given me a whole new perspective, so to quote myself… I think I’m almost just about “ready to let go of everything I’ve ever known.”
One of the main themes is rediscovery here? Why is it so important to you?
I want to be learning, growing, evolving until the day I’m no longer earth side. Rediscovery is the most exciting and invigorating parts of life. To go through absolute hell & come out of the other side only to be reintroduced to a new version of yourself is beautiful. It’s not always negative, either! I feel like humanity as a collective is going through a massive rediscovery of our true history and capabilities. I’m not a know it all (unless it’s about why no one should be drinking tap water HA!) but I take a strange comfort in accepting that we don’t know anything about anything if you really think about it… So I’m absolutely here for the era of disclosure, the era of truth, the era of rediscovering our true selves outside of societal influence. Some people might read this and think I’m insane. That is TOTALLY ok. Because I can almost see the people who know exactly what I’m talking about, smiling & nodding their heads while reading this 🙂
Can you tell us about the environment you grew up in being that your mother was a polynesian dancer & your father a vinyl aficionado? How did this influence the art that you make?
It took quite a few years before any of the major pop culture influences made it into my world. We watched old musicals, mom would teach me Hawaiian hand dances that told stories or poi ball tricks and routines. Dad always read books with me and would play everything from Bread to Don McLean, & Gary Wright. I think I finally found out about Brittney spears and the spice girls in 2nd grade…But Hillary Duff and Avril Lavigne were my favorites. I think all of this was bound to lead me to being some type of storyteller, I just happened to take to music because my parents loved music and I fell in love with piano at 4 years old.
Who are some other artists or people you admire in your life that align with your lifestyle & goals?
Lately I’ve been drawn to artists who are intentional with their music. I’ve recently gotten back into Trevor Hall! His album KALA was in heavy rotation for me back in 2015. I’ve been loving music that feels like it blends perfectly with nature. Another example would be my producer Rich Jacques, he has an album coming out and it feels like you’re walking through a meadow on a perfect summer day. I tell him it has done more for my nervous system than recent meditations! The producer of my previous releases (and ‘Made of You’ on this EP), Ben Alleman, just released his debut album which is an improvisational instrumental masterpiece. You can feel the influence of nature in his compositions. All of these artists create music that somehow goes straight to your cells, reminding you of the healing power of intentional, meaningful music. Same goes with Gregory Alan Isakov, his song caves is my #1 comfort song when I just need to FEEL & release whatever it is I need to feel.
You have performed all over the world. Is there a country or city that stuck with you?
I have such a soft spot for London because it was NEVER on my radar until music took me there and I completely fell in love. I have made such good friends that feel like family out there. I’ve also never felt more appreciated and respected as an artist than I have in London, but that’s a whole other conversation!
What is your creative process like?
I have to feed my brain lots of non music things to stay creatively fulfilled. So I garden, I read lots of books, watch old movies, pluck through old vinyl, I’m always cooking up something in the kitchen. I mention those activities because doing those things allows the songwriter part of my brain to relax AND THAT’S when my best songs / ideas come through. I think that’s also why I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with Rich Jacques. We usually go on a walk or meditate before we get to work. When we drop in, we get on the same wavelength *literally* and it’s an immediate flow of creativity. It’s brought back the magic of creating things from my intuition without thinking about trends or social media campaigns. Just make something that you LOVE.
What are some life changing or enlightening events in your life that brought you to make this record ultimately?
Well since you asked… When our overlords showed their true draconian colors, (2021 was NOT my year) I realized I was tired of biting my tongue when anyone asked me what I thought about “things.” How Free Do You Wanna Be? was the first song written for this EP, I just didn’t know what to do with it. But it went through many iterations, haha! As I mentioned before I think my health journey and reconnection with nature sparked the creation of Force of Nature. Whereas Made of You came to me while on a journey wanting to know my ancestors better. Wondering what they would have thought of the person I’ve become etc. The Unknown & Everything I’ve Ever Known were definitely channeled from my higher self. I think we are living through a rather exciting time where we are all needing to trust the unknown. May we find the beauty in being pulled to do something and not really know why, but trusting that feeling. Your intuition is never wrong and these are my songs to help others realize that.
What is next for you?
To be completely honest, I would love to fall offline for a few months. Just live and be hyper present. I really want to make an album. I don’t want to force anything. I feel like I’ve been redirected as of late and I cannot wait to see how the next few months unfold. My husband and I are attending a Joe Dispenza Conference this month and I’m very intrigued to see the songs I write after that experience. So I’ll see you on the other side 😉
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