Future global pop superstar Henry Moodie released his highly anticipated debut album 'mood swings' on Friday 24th Oct, featuring the emotional focus track ‘people pleaser’. The project captures Henry’s signature blend of heartfelt lyricism and soaring pop melodies, exploring the highs and lows of love, identity, and self-discovery. In mood swings, Henry examines his story so far, delving into everything from love and heartbreak, relationships, friendship, sexuality, mental health, and growing up to become an adult. It is an exceptionally personal, raw, and honest album, and one that is a testament to the authentic songwriter Henry has always been since he first started releasing music in 2023. Ahead of the release, we caught up with Henry to chat about the creative process, being vulnerable, and what he’s learned along the way.
With almost a billion streams and a spot on Rolling Stone UK's "Future of Music" list, the arrival of his first full-length album marks a major milestone for the rising UK artist. Henry has already seen huge success with six tracks that appear on the record—‘mood swings’, ‘sunday morning’, ‘comedown’, ‘indigo’, ‘right person, wrong time’, and ‘drunk text’—and the anticipation for the rest of the album is palpable. As Henry himself says, "mood swings is an album that captures the chaos, beauty and heartbreak I’ve experienced over the past few years," and he wanted it to be "as honest and personal as possible."
To celebrate the release, we were lucky enough to chat with Henry about the album and his career, sitting down to see what he had to say about his journey and this massive next step in his career.
Thank so much for being here today, Henry! The title of the album, 'mood swings', makes it sound like a trip through different feelings and moments, examining the "chaos, beauty, and heartbreak". How did you go about creating that story through the songs and track list?
"Songwriting is a form of therapy for me, so I started writing all these songs to process different parts of my life. Then I quickly realised my life is actually very chaotic, and all these songs feel very different from each other. I struggled for a bit to work out how I can make this cohesive, and then I came up with the concept of 'mood swings'. It was a massive breakthrough moment for me because finally I felt like this album made sense and reflected the chaos of my early 20s. It came together very naturally."
You said that the album talks about love, heartbreak, friendship, and growing up. Which of these personal themes do you think was the hardest or most vulnerable to turn into lyrics for 'mood swings', and why?
"I think the most challenging song was probably ‘dear drew’. Writing about a school bully isn’t the most common theme for a song, so I guess it came to me a bit less naturally than heartbreak. I also was very determined to make this song not feel like I’m being an even bigger bully by putting it out. I more wanted it to reflect the fact that we have both grown into different people. I’m so happy I took the time to nail this one because it’s one of my favourites on the album!"
As an artist who first got a lot of attention on sites like TikTok, how has your approach to writing songs changed from your first releases to the deeply personal and honest work on your first album?
"I would say the main difference is I feel more confident to be vulnerable now than when I started out. It’s a scary thing being vulnerable, but it’s so important because music is like a mirror; when someone listens to your song, they see themselves through your lyrics!"
Six of the album's songs had already been released, including the hits ‘drunk text’ and ‘sunday morning’. Now that the whole album is out, how do these familiar songs fit into the bigger picture and emotional arc of the record?
"I love how those singles slotted into the album. We have ‘sunday morning’ and ‘comedown’ which add to the upbeat side of the album and then we have ‘drunk text’ and ‘indigo’, which are the emotional ballads. I like that those songs are very different because it adds to the mood swings!"
You have almost a billion streams around the world and have been named to Rolling Stone UK's "Future of Music" list. How do these early career milestones change how you feel about releasing your highly anticipated first album? Is there extra pressure there?
"I would say, if anything, it makes me feel more confident. It’s a nice bit of validation and makes me feel like I’m on the right path! It feels like these pats on the back are reminding me that I’m doing well! I also have such an incredible core fan base that makes me feel much more stable now than when I started out."
What do you want fans to get out of the 'mood swings' live shows, like the big UK and EU tour in 2026 with a big show in London at the O2 Forum Kentish Town?
"These shows are all about the fan experience for me. I wanna make everything a level up from the merch to the VIP experience to the show itself. I can’t wait to create new traditions and to play some of my dream venues, such as Kentish Town forum. I know this is gonna be the best month of my life!"
You’ve previously shared how you got a songwriting diploma from BIMM. How did your formal training help you develop your unique style of "emotional vulnerability and sweeping, timeless lyrics" on this record?
"BIMM had a lot of positives for me. It was amazing to be surrounded by creative people all the time and have that structure in my life. But I would say the best way to learn is to just throw yourself into the industry. I think I’ve learned the most from being in studio sessions and picking up on how other people work around me."
'mood swings' is your first full-length album, after two EPs. What was different about the creative process for a full-length album compared to an EP? What new opportunities or problems did that change bring?
"Strangely, this album was almost less difficult? It felt like it came together very naturally, and I was in such an amazing creative wave when I was writing the album. It took much longer to finish this album because there are many more songs, and I wanted to nail each one of them, but I felt so confident in the path I was on and so determined that I look back with only good memories!"
The album tells the story of your life up to this point and marks the start of your career as an artist. What do you think is the most important thing you are saying about yourself right now in your growing career when you listen to the whole album again?
"The most important thing in this album to me is the raw honesty. Whether it paints me out in a good light or a bad light, I wanted this to reflect exactly how my early 20s have felt, and I hope this can help anyone else who’s going through a similar thing."
Columbia Records and Robots & Humans are putting out your music. How did the help and cooperation of these labels affect the final vision and global rollout of such a personal first album?
"I’m so grateful for my label; it feels like such a family, and everyone is looking out for each other. I’m very aware that a lot of people don’t have this connection with their label, and I’m lucky to have such a core group of people working on my project. I think this is so important because it truly does take an army these days."
Henry Moodie has clearly poured his heart and soul into 'mood swings', creating an album that is as chaotic and beautiful as his early twenties. His willingness to be so "raw and honest" about everything from heartbreak to school bullies, and his determination to make his live shows all about the "fan experience", truly cements his position as one of the UK's most exciting rising artists.
With a huge 2026 tour already lined up and his new album out now, it’s clear that this is only the beginning of what is sure to be a meteoric career. The future is bright for Henry Moodie, and we can’t wait to see what mood he’s in next.
For more, be sure to connect with Henry today on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
