Born in Los Angeles, California, China Moses is the daughter of jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and director Gilbert Moses. She released her first single "Time" (1996) at the age of 18, along with her first video directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino. This was followed by three albums: China (1997), On tourne en rond ("We Turn Around") (2000), and Good Lovin (2004). She worked on her albums with Swedish hip hop label Breaking Bread as well as artists such as DJ Mehdi, Diam's, Karriem Riggins, Guru, Anthony Marshall, and sound engineer Bob Power.
She has appeared on music channels such as MCM (1999–2001) and MTV France (2004–2011). In 2011 she joined the team for the 8th season of French TV show Le Grand Journal on Canal+, which she left in July 2012. From October 2011 to December 2012 she presented Jazz Radio’s Made in China, a daily program which aired from 7pm to 8pm. In a bid to manage her activities as an entertainer, China launched her own production company, MadeInChina Productions, in 2008.
Moses and French pianist Raphaël Lemonnier created a show called Gardenias for Dinah, a tribute to their mutual idol Dinah Washington, who was also the inspiration for the album This One’s for Dinah which was released in 2009 by Blue Note.
After their worldwide tour which included Europe, India, Lebanon, Canada, and Japan, Moses and Lemonnier's next work was a tribute to the great blues and jazz female singers who have inspired Moses or have influenced her. They include Dinah Washington ("Resolution Blues", "You’re Crying") and some of her precursors and peers: Mamie Smith ("Crazy Blues"), Lil Green ("Why Don't You Do Right?"), as well as stars like Esther Phillips ("Cherry Wine (Little Esther song)"), Nina Simone ("Just Say I Love Him", "Work Song"), Etta James ("I Just Wanna Make Love to You"), Janis Joplin ("Move Over"), and Donna Summer ("Hot Stuff"). Other songs have been adapted specifically for stage performances such as: "Kitchen Man" by Bessie Smith, "Today I Sing the Blues" by Helen Humes and Aretha Franklin, and "Love Me or Leave Me" sung by Billie Holiday. Moses has said: "Our stage performances are organized like a show. I love to tell stories, I see myself as a jazz storyteller and I like to make sure that people smile in between songs."Ref? The album Crazy Blues was released in 2012.
In 2013, she became a music expert consultant to the French electricity supplier ERDF. She hosted the TV documentary Soul Power as part of the summer series Summer of Soul on Arte.
In addition to her participation on André Manoukian's album So in Love (2010, Blue Note France/EMI), Moses presented a new show in the fall of 2013 featuring torch songs such as "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "Lullaby of Birdland" and "I've Got You Under My Skin". Additionally, she performs in Cafe Society Swing, a show written and produced by Alex Webb that revives the good times of the legendary 1940s New York nightclub, Cafe Society, which promoted racial equality and progressive causes, and where "Strange Fruit" was performed for the first time by Billie Holiday.
She co-presented and sang at the first UNESCO International Jazz Day in Paris in 2012 and performed numerous times for US UNESCO. She initiated a documentary on the first and second International Jazz Day in Paris. In 2013, she was invited to participate in the Young Leaders Program of the French-American Foundation.
On several occasions Moses has shared the stage with her mother, Dee Dee Bridgewater, accompanied by orchestras such as the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg and the WDR Big Band.
Mad About the Boy
China Moses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so ashamed of it but must admit the sleepless nights I've had
About the boy
On the silverscreen
He melts my foolish heart in every single scene
Although I'm quite aware that here and there are traces of the cad
About the boy
Lord knows I'm not a fool girl
I really shouldn't care
Lord knows I'm not a school girl
In the fury of her first affair
Will it ever cloy
This odd diversity of misery and joy
I'm feeling quite insane and young again
And all because I'm mad about the boy
So if I could employ
A little magic that will finally destroy
This dream that pains me and enchains me
But I can't because I'm mad...
I'm mad about the boy
In the song "Mad About the Boy," China Moses expresses her infatuation with a guy she calls "the boy." She acknowledges her foolishness for being so mad about him, and even though she knows that he is not entirely trustworthy, she cannot help but think of him constantly. The boy in question is a character on the silverscreen who, in every scene, makes her fall deeper into her feelings. She understands that her behavior is immature, but the misery and joy she experiences keep her insane and young.
Moses emphasizes the conflict she feels by addressing the Lord, confessing that she must be crazy to still feel this way for this boy. Despite being an adult and understanding that it's not worth it, she can't seem to help herself from feeling this way again. She wishes for a way to rid herself of these feelings or the magic to make her forget them. Still, her declaration that she can't let go is also an admission that she is, in fact, trying, and that it is proving very difficult.
Line by Line Meaning
I know it's stupid to be mad about the boy
I am aware that it seems foolish to feel strongly about this person
I'm so ashamed of it but must admit the sleepless nights I've had
I'm embarrassed by the fact that I can't stop thinking about him and it's affecting my sleep
On the silverscreen
When I see him in movies
He melts my foolish heart in every single scene
I become emotionally vulnerable and infatuated each time I see him on screen
Although I'm quite aware that here and there are traces of the cad
I realize that he may not be trustworthy or honorable in his actions
Lord knows I'm not a fool girl
I am aware that I shouldn't be acting this way or allowing myself to be so affected
I really shouldn't care
I know that I shouldn't be so invested in him and his actions
Lord knows I'm not a school girl
I'm not young and inexperienced in relationships
In the fury of her first affair
Like someone experiencing their first relationship
Will it ever cloy
Will these feelings ever fade
This odd diversity of misery and joy
This strange combination of happiness and pain
I'm feeling quite insane and young again
I feel like I'm losing my mind and reverting back to a naive and inexperienced state
And all because I'm mad about the boy
All of these emotions are because of my feelings for him
So if I could employ
If I could use
A little magic that will finally destroy
Some sort of power that could eliminate these feelings
This dream that pains me and enchains me
These feelings that cause me distress and hold me captive
But I can't because I'm mad...
I'm unable to do so because of my strong emotions
I'm mad about the boy
I'm deeply infatuated with this person
Writer(s): Noel Coward
Contributed by Micah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
China Moses
Wow ! We passed the 45 000 views mark. Amazing! & glad that people are commenting good or bad... At least you watched it and i'm grateful for that. @Stressed2Capacity @larrydonguy @DorrisDiaz I'm not and never will be my mom. I also am not at all a jazz singer but this is from my tribute album released on Blue Note Records, & I'm pretty proud. This is a one live take. The whole album is. Leaves alot more room for the imperfections that make me. We learn & evolve all the time. Many thx to all.
Öteki
Loves from Turkey darling. Love you so much 😘
luiz alberto
Um clássico de Diane washington
Jane Doe
Great performance. Bravo!
RayenMalal
¡Una belleza de tema y la versión está muy bien, como amo a la Dinah Washington, la que popularizara tanto este "Mad About The Boy", saludos!
PhilLenart
This is so great. Love it.
Julio Godoy
Beautiful music, beautiful interpretation, beautiful voice... beauty, point!
ZackdelaRocha555
Yeah, I saw her in concert yesterday, it was such amazing! Raphael Lemonnier and China Moses, what a dreamteam (:
Jazziz Café
La cantante China Moses (@chinamoses) y el pianista Raphaël Lemonnier en esta estupenda versión de "Mad about the boy" que ellos incluyen en su álbum "This One's for Dinah", homenaje a la gran Dinah Washington editado en 2009, una colaboración que tuvo continuidad en 2012 con la publicación de "Crazy Blues" homenaje a las grandes damas del Soul y el Jazz. #JazzVocals
nicomayooo
Amazing song i love this girl its phenomenal