Creative Conversations 031: The Rise of little luna

Meet little luna, one of our favourite discoveries of 2020 with her debut, ‘shift & go’ and accompanying music videos. We caught up with the US based creative to delve into her history, processes, debut release, and the future of the project. Please note, to align with little luna’s consistent aesthetic her answers are stylised in lowercase.

Futuremag Music: Hey little luna, how are you doing?

little luna: hi! thank you for having me. i’m on cloud nine right now to be honest. seeing the responses & love towards my debut is surreal.

Futuremag Music: A huge congratulations is in order for the release of your debut record 'shift & go'! Before we jump into the single, could you please provide us some insight and background to your relationship with music over the years and how you created the little luna project?

little luna: i’d love to! music is my most favourite thing on the planet & very intertwined into my daily life. i often feel like i’m in my own movie, so the soundtrack i have playing is important to me. growing up my parents always had a variety of genres playing in the house, which i know has shaped how i relate songs being linked to activates or moments, aka my “soundtrack” connection. i’ve been calling myself little luna for the last six years, but only in the last two have allowed myself the time to give writing & creating music, 100%. since i’ve never had proper training in singing or song writing, i felt like i couldn’t take up space in the music industry. my “life’s training” has been as an actor, which has given me a deep love for how visuals can make you feel something. what i realised recently is that i am allowed to change, to shift & go… if you will ha! i am allowed to take what i’ve learned from the film industry, & create music. since i’ve been acting since i was twelve, the relationship i have with cinematic elements is a driving force in little luna. i’ll always be grateful for that. the visuals i make for you are just as important to me as the sounds you’ll hear. i joke that Jade Ehlers is the other half of little luna because all of my visuals are created by him. for ‘shift & go’ we not only were able to figure out the overall vibe of little luna through pictures, but made a lyric video (IGTV) & music video (YouTube) as well. i’m just as excited for people to see those videos, as i am for them to hear the single.

Futuremag Music: Moving into 'shift & go', how does it feel to have it out in the world? What has the reception been like?

little luna: it is wild to have ‘shift & go’ out into the world! the response that i’ve received is largely people relating to the lyrics. “freed little child on the inside, crying where have you been?” seems to be the line that hits listeners the most, which i relate to as it hit me writing it, & hits me listening back. my hope with not just this first single, but with little luna as a whole, is you would feel inspired to leave what’s outgrown in your life. you are allowed to change. tap into what your inner child is trying to tell you, & make decisions from that place. re-discovering my inner child aka my truest self, by making this music, has been life changing & freeing for me.

Futuremag Music: Could you outline the writing and production process for 'shift & go'?

little luna: most of my song lyrics are based off of poems i’ve written, as my poetry journals are a safe haven for all of the thoughts & feelings that make up this human experience. ‘shift & go’ was co-written & produced by Blake Harnage at his place in Los Angeles. we’d boil some tea, i’d describe sonically what i was hoping for, & Blake would work his magic. song wise, just the two of us brought it to life. when it got to the mixing phase, i was lucky enough to hire John Sinclair who absolutely crushed it.

Futuremag Music: What does the future hold for little luna?

little luna: you’re the first to know, but we actually have a cinematic version of ‘shift & go’ coming out soon, plus a brand new music video for it! as i’ve shared, my love for film is strong, so making a “cinematic” version of the song was really important to me. my friend Allie Stamler is an insanely talented violinist, so having her on the track brought a lot of my vision to life. i can’t wait for you to hear it! for all other updates, the best way to know what’s going on with little luna is to follow me on Instagram, as that’s the social i use the most: @littleluna.

Futuremag Music: To wrap it up, if little luna was a cocktail, what would be in it to best describe the sonic and project?

little luna: little luna is a cucumber mint gimlet, because it refreshes your palate, like my sounds & words refresh your soul ;)