Before the world was shaking it to the max, Moliy was on a beach in Ghana, surrounded by family and friends on her birthday, posting a fun little TikTok. No team. No marketing plan. Just vibes. That video would change everything.

Months later, the Ghanaian singer, best known for her dreamy vocals on Amaarae’s viral hit “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY,” found herself at the center of one of the biggest breakout tracks from Africa in 2025. “Shake It To The Max (FLY),” her high-energy collaboration with producers Silent Addy and Disco Neil, snowballed into a global smash. It gained a remix featuring Shenseea and Skillibeng that debuted at No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 1 on Shazam’s Global Top 200.

In an exclusive interview with REVOLT, Moliy reflects on building a viral hit from scratch, silencing doubters, staying independent, and defining what the next wave of African artists sounds like.

Some sources say that you are Ghanaian-American. Can you clear that up for us? Where were you actually born, and where would you say you spent most of your time growing up?

Oh, I was definitely born in Ghana, and I was raised there all through high school. So, I don't think I was raised in America at all. I know people say I lived in Orlando, but that wasn't until I was an adult, you know, pursuing further education.

What was your first memory of realizing music could be your thing? Not just something you loved, but something you could own?

I think it would be memories of me and my older sister. We're very passionate. We would always write music together. We started with... maybe gospel music, because we were Christians and go to church all the time, and so it felt right to do. And then we would start doing covers of some of our favorite artists, like maybe Taylor Swift or stuff like that. I remember it was really a thing because we pushed our mom to buy us a keyboard. And we would just play around with it, even though we didn't know how to actually play and try to write songs and sing covers together. That would be the [earliest] memory of music for me.

So, would you say music runs in your family aside from your sister?

I know my mom used to be in some kind of band. Growing up, she told me a story of how she was in a group with her sister. They had an opportunity to go to China and tour or something, but their mom was like, “No, you cannot do that.” So, they technically ended up quitting, and she ended up pursuing modeling and other things, and getting married, settling down. I know my dad had a guitar, and he played in high school.

“SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY” put your voice on the global radar, but as a feature. With “Shake It To The Max,” you led the charge. Did you expect more success out of your own releases after your feature became such a hit?

I mean, I hoped for it. You know? I was optimistic and positive that it could happen for me.

How did it feel when it happened?

Very gratifying. I feel like it shut down a lot of doubts people may have had about me... There's always that thing where [people ask], “Can you do it again? If you don't continue, was it just a glitch?” It just feels good. It feels good, more so proving to myself that I can do it, than it does for people to witness it.

So, people were calling you a one-hit wonder at the time?

Yeah, they say stuff like that all the time. Even now, I have comments on my TikTok with people calling me a one-hit wonder, but they don't know that I was on "SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY.” So, it's just how it goes, I guess.

How did “Shake It To The Max” first come about? Was it just a fun moment in the studio, or were you intentionally trying something new?

Oh, it was definitely intentional. I have a relationship with the producers, Silent Addy and Disco Neil. I think we were all on the same wave of wanting to make a moment happen. It wasn't our first session together; It was more like our third. We knew we wanted to make something really dope happen. We had been working together for a year and had multiple records, but none of them were coming out. In my head, I was thinking they would drop something of mine, right? Because I would work with them, and one of them is a DJ — Silent Addy. So, I was thinking, okay, we're recording, but I don't think he's gonna drop. And he's not dropping anything.

Then, in the last session, I remember playing some music for them of what direction I want my project to go moving forward. I knew it was high energy. I wanted it to just have a very hot and heavy vibe. People who listen to my personal projects, some of them feel like it's kind of the chill side, which I agree it kind of is. So, I was intentional in wanting to create something out of pocket [compared to] what people know my projects for.

The song blends so many sounds: Afropop, dancehall, even some alté energy. What was the vibe you were trying to create?

It's definitely dancehall, because Shen and Addy, and Disco Neil, they're from Jamaica. So, a lot of what we were making was around that genre — all of it, actually.

Let’s talk about that first TikTok teasing the song. What made you decide to post it, and did you think anything would come from it?

Personally, I was excited about it myself. The content I was making was exciting me. I think I was just happy to be creating content in a way that I don't feel nervous about. Posting can be kind of intimidating, especially when you're not getting any engagement, which is what my feed was kinda like at the time. I was excited to be doing something that is fun for me. I remember it was around my birthday, and I was able to go with my cousins and my siblings and my mom and get away to Elmina. Elmina is where my mom is from, so technically that's where I'm from in Ghana even though I had never been before then.

I was really excited and I remember begging them to do the video because not all of them are content creators, not all of them are comfortable on camera. But I'm like, “Guys, we have to do this, and it's my birthday, so you're gonna do it.” It was really fun. I remember loving the editing process. It was so funny. I remember asking ChatGPT, like, “Give me a viral wordy caption. It's a vacation and something that's about friends finally getting to do something together.” So ChatGPT came up with the viral caption. I just loved it. I was really happy when I saw people also reacting the same way to it.

You created the dance yourself, right? What inspired it, and how long did it take to come together?

I was just goofing around. I'm not much of a dancer and I wasn't willing to pay anyone to create a challenge for me at the time. So, I really was just moving around and I don't know, it just kinda worked.

Now, it’s a dance everybody knows all around the world.

Yeah. I think it's really cool that as the song has been growing, there have been different people also creating their [own] challenges. There's Claudia K, who created a challenge for Shenseea's verse, and then Davy and Mélo, who created another one for the hook of "Shake It To The Max." Both of them have been instrumental in pushing the song further.

When did you realize, “Oh, this is going viral for real”?

The first time is enough for me. That one video is enough for me to be like, “Yeah. I can do it again and again and again.” I'm gonna go and keep doing it.

The remix with Shenseea and Skillibeng is a big one. It reached the Shazam charts and the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Congrats on that. How did you react when you got that news?

I was really excited, obviously. There's no better word to express it. I don't think I can put it into words. It just makes me thank God and be grateful.

How did that link up with Shenseea and Skillibeng happen?

I think the first thing was the producer Silent Addy telling me he’s trying to get Skillibeng on it. And also my distributor gamma., they were also trying to get Shenseea on it. But, nothing was really set in stone. We felt like regardless, it could be anyone as well because the song was hot and we were seeing people drop verses to it online. I remember Elephant Man did it. I think it really became real for me when Skilly posted his verse. He kinda leaked it himself and I’m just like, “Oh my God, it’s real.” Shenseea did the same as well.

You’ve done all of this without a label. Was that a decision you made early on, or something that just happened naturally?

Yeah. I've always been kind of hesitant to be a label artist because I've just heard so many stories. I always feel like the people I work with, I want to trust them. I want it to feel organic.
I don't just wanna be a name on a list. Music is very personal to me. So, I think if I did get locked in with a label, I hope it's something that could be a real, long-lasting, organic relationship.

What’s been the hardest part about being independent and what’s been the most freeing part?

The most freeing part is just getting to do what I want creatively without someone telling me what to do. I don't like being told what to do. Also, if you're not pushing yourself, if you're not putting your foot on the gas, no one is gonna do it for you. That's what I love the most. I realized at some point, I was actively seeking [distribution]. I hadn't released music for a whole year in 2024, and me and my manager were trying to get a [distribution deal] so I could put out music. The conversations were sounding positive, but nothing was actually happening. I remember thinking, “Well, f**k it, I still wanna move. I don't wanna be stagnant.

My manager was like, “You should tease music. At least tease music and let people know you're working, and maybe they will hear it and be interested.” So that's what started this whole thing. I said, “Okay, I'm gonna tease music and we'll see where it goes.” Even the content I was creating, I made it in a way where I could do it myself anywhere. It didn't need professional help or for it to be professionally shot. I didn’t need to pay anyone. I made it easy for myself because being independent or working in Ghana, or I guess anywhere else, if you want to collaborate or be seen, most of it is payola.

What advice do you have for artists coming out of Ghana or anywhere in Africa, honestly?

I think it depends on the market where the virality is happening. So, for me, I don’t really have advice like, “You need to do this or that.” There's been this thing of how to be successful like, if you're in Ghana and trying to come out as an artist, especially when you’re like me, they don’t necessarily grab onto you immediately. They just watch from the sidelines. Even when “Shake It To The Max” blew up, I was doing the dance, and I wasn't seeing Ghanaians doing it. It was Kenya. Kenyans were going crazy with it. They started the virality of the track. It made me think maybe Kenyans are different. Their energy is different. I would hope other artists feel like they don’t have to make a certain kind of music to be successful. They shouldn’t feel like they need to be in a box. Everyone feels [that] when you're wanting to be successful in Ghana, there's a certain kind of music you need to make.

What’s one thing your fans don’t know about you that might surprise them?

I’m a gamer. I play Call of Duty: Mobile. I’m really hoping they catch on to this song and put an emote of the dance in there.

What’s the most random DM you’ve gotten since “Shake It To The Max” went viral?

I wouldn’t say random, but I was surprised. It was Mr. Vegas. I used to love his music growing up, so I was just like, “Yo.”

Who do you call first when something big happens in your career?

My sister or my manager.

What’s a Ghanaian dish you wish the whole world would get hip to?

Jollof.

What’s a fear you had about going viral that actually turned out to be true — or completely false?

I think it’s the negativity that comes with it. I do have support and people loving what I’m doing, but there are a whole bunch of haters. The first time it went viral, it was very traumatizing. It was a clip of me singing “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY” with Not 97 at Cafe Erzulie in New York.

They shot it, and I remember even when I watched back the clip, I was like, “I’m not sure I wanna post this.” Then I did, and it went viral. And, oh my God, the hate. You should go and see the hate. They were claiming it’s not my song. They were like, “She sounds out of breath, she f**king sucks.” I was just like, “Guys, I agree. I’m working on my performing [skills].” The love was not there. It was so traumatizing. I felt like if I want to be a content creator, there’s going to be negativity. So, I just have to work on myself and block out the hate.