Rising Stars: Meet Eva Loona Smith of Long Beach, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eva Loona Smith

Hi Eva Loona, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born in Aarhus, Denmark in the fall of 2002, core memories of my mom sitting at the piano in our apartment with a children’s song book on my lap as she read music off the pages, are moments that have heavily shaped me. To this day, those pages that played such a key role in my childhood, have never stoped smelling like mildew. I remember resonating with melodies at a young age, and eventually learning to harmonize with basic old folk songs and tunes I would hear through cartoons. In general, my family has played a very significant role in my musical journey. They constantly played music for me and my sister around the house, have always taken us to go see live music, and have always supported me at my shows, big or small. I have to give a special shoutout to my grandparents as well, and those in Denmark, who never stop telling me how proud they are of my art and how excited they are for my journey as a musician; I couldn’t be more grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life. My sister has been a core part of my musical foundation as well, whether it was through making music videos on our Ipad growing up, or performing original songs for people who would come over for dinner. The day that my uncle bought me my first guitar was the day where that passion and need for music in my daily life only persisted. In 2010, my family had just moved to the house where my we still live in Long Beach, CA, and I remember opening the door to my nearly empty room to see this mini Martin guitar standing there with a Taylor Swift “chords and more” book, feeling absolutely fulfilled. I started taking guitar lessons and writing little songs which I would play for my classes in elementary school. Around this same time, I was playing violin in the school orchestra, and from there, learned to read music and understand basic music theory. Other interests came into my life and I sort of stopped playing guitar and violin. I never stopped singing in choirs and doing musicals however, and my mom has always helped me with vocal practice, but instruments were lost from my life for a while.
During Covid, as most of us experienced, I grew bored of my routines and felt disconnected from myself, and so the guitar came into my life again. In the spring of 2021, I went on a trip with my dear friend to her grandparents home in Minnesota, where we then went to visit the iconic Paisley Park where one of my heroes, Prince, made so much important and iconic art. Moving about that mecca, I swear I was brushed by the ghost of Prince while walking past the elevator where he passed away. Whether or not I was just going crazy that day, I went back to the country house where we were staying outside of Minneapolis and I wrote the majority of my debut solo album, “Teach Everyone Art (T.E.A)”, which I released in the Fall of 2021.
Throughout all of this, I was enrolled at Long Beach City College, studying vocal jazz and meeting and working with some extremely formative people, who I still collaborate with musically to this day. After graduating L.B.C.C., I moved to Spain for a few months with my cousin and wrote a ton of music. During my travels, I experienced an overwhelming sense of loneliness and loss of purpose, while simultaneously learning to be content with satisfaction without a product to show for one’s growth. While in Valencia, I also attended some courses at the Berklee College of Music campus they have there, as well as collaborated with a lot of super exciting musicians.
I am now enrolled in the Commercial Music department at California State University Los Angeles as a Voice and Songwriting major. I couldn’t be more excited about the doors I have opened and that have been opened for me since getting more into the music industry scene. I’m finding my creative place and perspective on things. After my debut album in 2021, I started playing more with my current bandmate, singer/songwriter Dani Pickard, and we began working more with musicians and dear friends of ours who now make up the band “Fine Folk”. We play around the greater LA area, at a variety of festivals and showcases, performing Folk-Rock, Americana, Danish fusion and creatively driven songs, inspired by the unifying roots of folk music. We believe in “music for the people, by the people”. I write, play guitar, and sing in Fine Folk. I am so excited for us to continue to grow and tour the world!! We have released two works: an album and an EP, working with a great production team, and have done some truly wonderful shows with some great folks. I have released some other solo and collaborative works over the past few years as well, which I am excited to be building on with a solo album I hope to release in the Fall of 2025.
I have so much more to learn, but I believe that from firm roots, a tree can grow very strong, and that if you push something, it will eventually move. Patience is golden.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would be lying if I told anyone that it has been a terribly difficult road for me as a musician and person in this world. I have always had a supportive network around me and have always managed to live a balanced lifestyle. I have pushed myself through school and my musical projects, through working where I could, and playing where I could. There have of course been some personal setbacks that really made me question some of my choices, and some people that found ways to put me down, but these all ultimately being experiences that made me stronger. I mentioned earlier that during my time living in Spain, I experienced an overwhelming sense of loneliness and loss of purpose, but that I also simultaneously learned to be content with satisfaction without a product to show for your growth.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Like most musicians, I have dipped my toes in many waters, metaphorically speaking, where I have developed skills and have had experience in many avenues of music. Primarily, I am a singer/songwriter. I write songs for myself, as well as as a ghost writer for others, and I sing lead in multiple projects, as well as do vocal studio session work. Alongside these main points, I play and teach guitar, piano, voice, and theory. I am proficient in Logic-Pro, and Final Cut Pro. I have practice as a band manager, event organizer, and as a booker for bands and venues.
All of the work I have done musically has been really fulfilling, and there have certainly been some really magical moments where I was lucky enough to be around, as well as benefit shows I have played, but I would say that I am most proud of the weekly open mics I hosted by a lagoon local to Long Beach in 2022. This weekly event brought all sorts of people together from the community, and gave people an artistic voice who hadn’t expressed it before. Considering this was coming out of Covid, I think this was a nice chance for people to get out of isolation and remember that beauty is still everywhere, oftentimes in the form of art.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was as dramatic as ever, with a longing for adventure and an endless social battery; I cannot say that much has changed. I have always been very active. Something I have needed to work on my whole life is knowing when to stop. I have always said yes to everything and have never really felt like what I was doing was enough. I think it comes from an anxious energy which stems from my ambition. With this being said though, I have met so many wonderful people through just constantly being involved. When I was little, I was on my local AYSO soccer team, played violin in the school orchestra, sang in the school choir, danced at a nearby studio, and did theatre at a local community theatre. Alongside the arts, I have always loved the outdoors as well as environmental studies. A lot of my passion when I was in high school was put into political awareness, wanting to use my music and voice to express change like so many of my idols such as Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell did with their music throughout history. Caring about how our political climate shapes our environment and general social issues is something I have always wanted to be aware of so that my art can reflect the tone of positive change in my community, and the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sites.google.com/view/evaloonascreates/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eva.loona.s?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evaluna.smith.96
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@evaloonasmith3022
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5nh7TF5peAwkpfesUF5DMZ?si=zG0ojlzbQnan3nUwYccN8w

Image Credits
Scott Tuchman
Alex Cobb
Gia Salsbury