Not long after singer-songwriter Momo Boyd released her sweeping heartbreak single ‘American Love Song’ in March of last year, something shifted in her. “That gave me the confidence and the knowledge that I could actually do this,” she tells NME over Zoom from her home in New Jersey, voluminous brown curls resting on her shoulders as she sports a cosy navy sweatshirt and large burgundy-framed glasses.
The Michigan native isn’t talking about simply making and performing music; she’s been doing that with her siblings in the soft rock band Infinity Song for over a decade, busking on the streets of New York and singing in her dad’s choirs long before that. She’s referring to something slightly more daunting here: writing and releasing her own music as a solo artist. “I consider myself to be a completely different artist than the version of me that’s in the group,” she says. “This version of me is insanely more emotional, and a bit more personal.”
Since appearing on NME’s The Cover two years ago, Infinity Song have continued to ascend, propelled by their buoyant harmonies – a jam-packed world tour, one electric Glastonbury debut and their self-titled third album due out in a matter of weeks. “It’s been a lot of learning, a lot of getting our reps in and getting comfortable with the demands of where we are and where we’re trying to be,” Boyd reflects.
After finding their soft rock rhythm on second album ‘Metamorphosis Complete’ in 2024, Boyd took a leap of faith with her debut solo single, her dewy vocals and cascading guitars on ‘American Love Song’ leading to three million Spotify streams to date and reams of social media comments comparing her wounded Americana sound to Lana Del Rey.
With that vote of confidence from her fans, Boyd dropped her debut EP ‘Miss Michigan’ earlier this spring, which sees the 27-year-old artist examine her selfhood through the lens of past relationships. “It’s extremely parallel to my real life,” she says of the EP with a blushful laugh. “Every single song [was written] because I have lived it.”
As the brains behind Infinity Song’s viral ‘Hater’s Anthem’, which pokes fun at the comical nature of our superiority complexes, it’s no surprise Boyd found herself back in self-reflective territory. Whether she’s conducting a relationship post-mortem on the baroque-country ‘Cold Hands’, downplaying her feelings on the pillowy soft rock breather ‘Second Best’, or leading a girly-pop cheer anthem for her inner people pleaser on ‘She’s A Sweetheart’, Boyd’s sharp self-awareness fuels her lyricism.
The musical range on display won’t be a surprise to those who discovered Boyd through another huge moment this year, after she featured on Baby Keem’s ‘Good Flirts’ from his new album ‘Ca$ino”. Her breezy refrain revealed a playful streak, trading prickly bars with fellow featured artist Kendrick Lamar, as she asserts: “Ain’t comin’ home on a Friday night / I’m all good, my hips still whine”. The opportunity arose when Boyd invited Lamar’s longtime collaborator Dave Free to an Infinity Song show in Los Angeles, after which he requested a demo from her. “I believe in us so much that I feel like anything is possible when you come to an Infinity Song show,” she says.
For Boyd, that moment was a glimpse into all the places she could go musically. While she grew up on gospel, Motown and jazz, she’s proven that her velvety alto can just as easily slink into the wandering rhythms of R&B, country-pop, folk, or a blend of all of the above. “It showed me my range,” she says of the recent feature, “that if I’m pushed, I can do more than what I’m used to.” She does exactly that by signing off ‘Miss Michigan’ with the R&B U-turn of ‘Oops’, channelling her inner diva as she proclaims that she “never meant to break your heart” in sync with a sassy beat.
“I believe in us so much that I feel like anything is possible when you come to an Infinity Song show”
While the boost in Boyd’s profile of late has brought new listeners, it’s also coincided with an influx of “industry plant” allegations. Boyd knows this is par for the course, especially for female musicians. “I didn’t take it seriously for a second, because I know how hard I’ve worked to be where I am,” she says, breaking out into laughter at the thought. “When you see something that’s so wrong, you don’t even really get offended by it.”
In reality, the graft behind Infinity Song’s success story goes back decades. Growing up homeschooled with her bandmates, brothers Abraham and Israel and sister Angel, and their five other siblings, the Boyd family spent their childhoods singing around the kitchen table and busking with the encouragement of their choir director father, John Boyd. After moving to New York in 2006, their gospel harmonies echoed around Central Park for years before their much-practised talents landed them a meeting with Jay-Z and his label Roc Nation in 2016, where they sang like their lives depended on it to land a record deal.
‘Miss Michigan’, then, is a timely callback to Boyd’s roots and her early childhood in Detroit. “There’s a purity that can be traced back to that time, a youthfulness and innocence, and the beginning of my life as a big dreamer,” she says. It also encapsulates her many different sides. “I’ve always been a bit of a stubborn person, my siblings will tell you,” she grins. “But there is another side of me that is more shy and unsure, and at times insecure. Depending on the situation, that side can come out and run the show. This project is me navigating and trying to find the balance of what that looks like.”
It’s easier to back yourself when the industry is right there with you. One of Boyd’s most vocal cheerleaders is none other than alt-R&B superstar SZA. The pair finally met in person earlier this year at Justin Bieber’s intimate LA showcase ahead of his Coachella headline performances. “I didn’t know if she was going to recognise me, but as soon as she saw me, she was like, ‘Come here, give me a hug!’” Boyd says, beaming at the memory. “She was like, ‘I’m so proud of you. This is your moment. I hope all your dreams can come true. Use this moment to build everything that you dream of.’ I did nearly cry, because I admire her so much, and to get those types of words from somebody who I’ve looked up to for years, what more can a girl ask for?”
Boyd is heeding the Grammy-winner’s advice as she prepares to work “double shifts” when Infinity Song head out on tour this month, where she’s scheduled to perform solo gigs in between concert dates, including as opening support for Bleachers. “It’s going to stretch me and challenge me, but I welcome it. I think, honestly, it’s going to be a dream come true,” she says. Not one to rest on her laurels, Boyd insists that Infinity Song too are raring for the next era, bringing a “certainty” to the new record that follows the “self-exploration” of their last. “It’s still a soft rock album, but it is much more evolved,” she asserts. “It feels like we’ve arrived.”
With the spotlight shining bright on Boyd this year, she doesn’t appear the slightest bit dazed. She chooses instead to channel all the extra attention back into her artistry. “It’s really fun, but it can be here today, gone tomorrow,” she says pragmatically. “There’s nothing to really keep the people invested and interested. It all comes back to the music.”
Momo Boyd’s ‘Miss Michigan’ is out now via Roc Nation. Infinity Song’s self-titled new album is out on June 12, also via Roc Nation.
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