Today we’d like to introduce you to Ella Luna.
Hi Ella, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been making music for as long as I can remember. I studied vocal music at an art school 6th-12th grade and started playing songs I’d written in local coffee shops, art walks, and house shows when I was 13. Music has always been the one thing I know I’m supposed to do.
I started working on my first project “Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride” the summer before my senior year of high school and released it in January of 2020, right before my graduation. My song “Nina” started to get a little bit of attention from young queer girls all over the world and that made me so happy. I’ve always written songs to help myself analyze my feelings and to heal, and to see those songs move other people made sharing so worth it. “Nina” was the first song I wrote so explicitly about queerness and loving women, and I hope I will always be writing about that.
I moved to LA from Denver in July of 2021. Initially, in college studying music, I decided to drop out in the fall when my violin player asked to make my record. I’d had about six tracks I really loved that I wanted to execute in a studio and this seemed like the opportunity to do so. We started tracking in December and now are in the process of mixing and mastering. It was so special to have the ideas I’d always wanted to come to reality happen, with live strings, drums, and horns, it sounds exactly like it did in my head. Growing up constantly surrounded by choral, classical, and jazz music, seeing all those elements seep their way into my indie little singer/songwriter tracks is everything I’ve wanted. The record is set to come out later this year and I could not be more excited and proud of it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve never really hesitated in knowing that I’m supposed to make music. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted and writing songs is such a second nature for me. There’s always a lingering fear that no one will listen or care about what I have to say, but in the end, I make music because it’s who I am, and knowing that it’s even possible to move someone else is more than enough to keep me motivated to share.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a singer/songwriter, I play piano and guitar. I try to combine intimate vocals, raw instruments, and intrical lyrical work in my music. In an article from Denver Thread, Billy Thieme says “Ella Luna pairs jazz and dream pop with a sincere & smooth indie lyrical and musical style that recalls up & coming artists like Lucy Dacus or Lindsey Jordan on first blush. But then she seasons that mix with vocals that lilt with tired tears just underneath her tongue at times, and with the vigorous power of an Amy Winehouse or a Norah Jones at others, but she always sounds real, and herself.”
I also make a point to showcase my queerness through music in a way I feel is underrepresented. I don’t want it to be the sole subject of my writing and identity, I just want to write songs about being a woman and loving women in a way that sounds feminine, that sounds soft, sweet, beautiful, and simple, all the things I believe love to be.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Writing music for myself has always been enough for me, but I’ve had a very small glimpse of the effect my songs can have on people and that is so so so special. Every time someone tells me that my music has moved them or is special to their relationship or helped them through a difficult time, I know sharing is worth it. To think that my music can help people in the ways that other people’s music has helped me is the most meaningful thing in the entire world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ellaluna.hearnow.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellalunacy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCozL1Jip8fUUeu4F1UbCQHw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ellalunacy
Image Credits
Koda Porembski
