Jamal Moore is stretching into new directions at this time in his life both personally and professionally.
On Feb. 28, he will be back home to celebrate new beginnings as he performs his first solo concert in the Augusta area in eight years. “Full Circle: A Homecoming Celebration” will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Hardin Auditorium. Go here for tickets.
“I feel like this season is a season of building my own. I feel like I’ve been contributing to a lot of other people’s dreams for a little while which I’m really grateful for and always excited to collaborate and contribute, but I feel like this is my season of building my own which Is why I’m starting with this show to record it and showcase my artistry as best I can,” said the singer.
A 2008 graduate of John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, Moore moved to Los Angeles in 2017, after studying vocal performance at the prestigious Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New York and appearing on TV show, “The Sing-Off”.
Much of his career has been singing background vocals for artists such as Beyonce, Kirk Franklin, Labrinth and Rihanna and on the soundtracks of films such as “Wicked”, “Wicked: For Good” “Avatar”. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, “Super Mario Brothers” and “Turning Red.” One of the songs he performed plays during the opening of the film, “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
He sang as part of the 30th anniversary of “The Lion King” at the Hollywood Bowl which he said was an amazing experience.
His first backup gig with Beyonce was at Coachella. He’s also performed on her “The Lion King” recording, “Black is King” project and most recently. “Cowboy Carter”.
But on Feb. 28, Moore, who recently got engaged and moved back to the East Coast, will take the stage to launch that new aspect of his career.
Over the years, he’s done solo work. He’s covered songs and put them on YouTube. More than 4 million people have viewed his mashup of “Why I Love You/You Are So Beautiful.”
At the Feb. 28 concert, he plans a mix of songs. He’d originally thought about a Valentine’s event, but some of his friends were performing that weekend. By booking the later date, he said he has more options and isn’t limited to just love songs.
“I want to incorporate some of that love for jazz, some love songs as well as my unique take on a lot of different covers. I take songs and flip them in ways people don’t typically think of,” he said.
That arranging ability is a skill he said he learned from his friend Trey McLaughlin whom he met
when they were in Creative Impressions together. Now McLaughlin leads that group among others.
“If you’ve been in a rehearsal with (McLaughlin), he’ll be sitting at the piano and look off to the sky and the most outrageous or outlandish idea will just come to him whether it’s gospel, pop, R&B, soul. It feels like an extension of him,” he said.
Moore said he’s considering other concerts in the area – maybe during Masters week and at Christmas.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
