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Being a pop singer signed to a major record label doesn't always mean superstardom. Sometimes, it means celebrating a good day with ramen noodles and a box of wine. So sings Salt Lake City native Julian Moon in her song "One Penny." The guitar-playing, pixie-voiced singer/songwriter may look and sound sugary sweet, but Moon has channeled some serious life experience to complete her debut album, "Good Girl," released on Warner Bros. in March.

Moon is the girl next door to Taylor Swift's dear-diary superfame. She knows a bit about a broken heart, and her songs focus more on real-life experiences than dramatized anthems. For a soft-voiced singer, Moon's quirky pop songs allow just enough room for a cutting edge experience — albeit framed by whimsical, lighthearted sounds.

The 25-year-old, now based in L.A., returns to Salt Lake City Friday, Oct. 16, to play at the MusicGarage. She spoke with The Tribune about growing up in Utah, making music and staying positive even when things get hard.

Growing up with music

My mom [Monique Lanier] is a singer/songwriter and was always in the music scene. I grew up with singer/songwriters playing all over Utah. I got introduced to the music scene at an early age, but not wanting to be like my parents, I was like, "I'm never doing music!" Down the line, when I was 15, I heard a song from Jason Mraz on the radio called "The Remedy" and had my dad show me how to play guitar. I taught myself the Jason Mraz song and then started performing at school. I was [also] doing film with SpyHop, so I started doing a lot of film and music. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do, so I ended up going to film school in Los Angeles. While I was at Loyola Marymount University, I ended up doing a lot of open mics and got a name as a musician.

Writing real life

I like to sit back and watch and see the common things that are happening between my friends and I. Usually, a certain theme or pattern keeps popping up. I usually collaborate with other people and bring a song idea to another songwriter. Songwriting is definitely a way of storytelling, but it's also totally therapeutic. All the songs have meaning on record, but there is one song called "Just Go With It" that stands out to me because that one personally for me is metaphorically about my experience with music and accepting things happening and not happening. It's just about being patient and trusting life. That one is definitely my theme song for myself.

Musical admiration

I really love and admire Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Even though I don't rap, I really look toward them as an inspiration because I want my music to matter and I want it to be something of value. I also really admire Taylor Swift. I think her storytelling is phenomenal. What she's done with her career and how's she has handled a lot of things coming at her very gracefully is something that I look up to and hope to aspire to be on a lot of levels. Someone who I really love the most is Lily Allen. She says things that everyone else is too scared to say. It's nice to know that you aren't alone in thinking thoughts that may not be necessarily polite or kind.

Life since signing with a label

Life has been very unpredictable. The highs are now very high and the lows are scary. Being signed to Warner Bros. has given me some opportunities and experiences that I never thought were even possible for someone like me. I got to make my debut album with my dream producer Greg Wells. That was really incredible. While I was making the record, I got to go to a songwriting camp and write with a ton of amazing songwriters in a castle in France. It's so beyond anything I could have imagined for myself. Because of being signed to Warner Bros., those opportunities have happened and I will forever be grateful for that because it's so beyond reality. I feel like things are always a lot harder and a lot more work than it comes across, but in a weird way I am grateful for all of the hard work because if it wasn't hard I would feel like I am cheating. —

Julian Moon & Friends Utah Music Extravaganza!

With Monique Lanier, Harold Henry and Steve Auerbach

When • Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m.

Where • MusicGarage Live!, 250 W. 1300 South, Salt Lake City,

Tickets • $10; 24Tix