Parrilla is a versatile actress known for her roles in hit television series such as “Once Upon a Time,” “24,” and “The Lincoln Lawyer.” With a career spanning over two decades, Lana has captivated audiences with her compelling performances and dynamic characters. Now, she embarks on a new chapter in her career as a recording artist, with the release of her debut single “You” featuring Luciana.
Lana just recently wrapped on the highly lauded theater production of One of the Good Ones directed by Gloria Calderón Kellet at the Pasadena Playhouse this past month and is set to co-star alongside Jennifer Lopez in the upcoming sci-fi thriller Atlas. Moving between live theater productions and studio hits, Lana continues to broaden the range of her work and provide her characters with some incredible depth.
How come you decided to get into music?
Lana Parrilla: My whole life, music has been a major love of mine, and I think a lot of us dream of being vocal artists. Some of us are gifted with a voice and some of us aren’t. I feel like I’m not gifted with an angelic voice, but I do have this sort of desire to try new things that I’ve never done before. My dear friends, Glovibes and Luciana, both came to me with this opportunity for a song. Glovibes wrote it, and we all kind of collaborated on it. Some of the lines I wrote, some of the lines Luciana wrote, and most of the lines Glovibes wrote. They were like, “Let’s just do a fun project together” and for me, it was about trying something new, creative, and fun, so I leaned toward it.
What’s the story behind your debut ‘You’?
LP: It started with a song long ago during the pandemic. Glovibes was the writer and just a Master of Dance Music, so he came to me with a song he wanted
me to be a part of called, “It’s Over Now”, and I said yes. I always look at any opportunity in my downtime to be creative and do something new and different. So, he came to me with this earlier song then, we recorded it, and it did well! It was the number-one song on Beatport. So, with “You”, it was that same spontaneous energy. We ended up going to Luciana’s studio and recording it. It all happened in a few hours. It’s amazing how it all came together.
What are some of your musical inspirations?
LP: My musical inspirations vary because they’re kind of all over the place. I listen to everything, and I’ve been singing along with everyone my whole life. I’m inspired by music all the way from classical to ‘90s Hip-Hop, to Rock and Roll, to R&B. My whole life I’ve been singing along to all types of music, even grunge rock. I love everything. House music is different for me because it’s something I don’t always listen to. But again, here’s a creative opportunity and why not say yes, you know? So that’s sort of what inspired me to get involved. I like to try new things and see how they turn out!
How do you approach a musical creation compared to acting?
LP: The way I approach both endeavors are seemingly similar because I approach both from a character’s eye. The character in “You” is this sort of matrix futuristic character. Stepping into her world was like a fun acting opportunity. It was the inspiration – the opportunity to play and tell stories! I did the same thing for the musical episode of Once Upon a Time. I was terrified to sing initially, but when I knew I was going to be singing in the Queen’s Voice, it just made it a lot easier, you know? I don’t have any musical theater background, but I sort of stepped into the mentality of a musical theater actor and how they would approach their work. And that’s how I was able to do the song.
Are you working on an album or EP?
LP: No not currently, though I do have some future creative projects involving music that I am excited about, so we’ll see!
What kind of themes do you like to explore in your lyrics?
LP: Well, I’ve only recorded three songs in my music career, and one has yet to be released. But the first song, “It’s Over Now” with Glovibes, was really about a man who’s unfaithful. I think we’ve all been with people who have been unfaithful to us in our lives. When I looked at the lyrics, I thought, “Okay, how do I relate to this?” and so it was easy for me to step into that because I’ve been on the other side of someone being unfaithful to me and how that makes me feel. So thematically it was about coming out of that experience and being a stronger person for it. For “You”, it was more of a visual character. She is living in this matrix world, and she has this sort of energy behind her. She’s in a relationship with someone, but she’s sharing him with another person, and who is this other person? So thematically I sort of look at it like “What is the story being told?” In the Once Upon a Time musical episode, it was thematically from the perspective of the Queen and where she was coming from. The themes, I guess, are more story-driven in those cases!
You are just about to wrap your Pasadena Playhouse production of One of the Good Ones – what was this experience like?
LP: It was fantastic! Again, leaning toward things that scare me — I haven’t done theater in 25 years. The sensation just before you’re about to step on stage — on countless nights I felt like I was going to throw up. Once you’re out there, your feet touch the stage and you can feel the audience’s energy, and it all just shifts into this other space where time is different. Now you’re in this story as this other character, living in her house, and I am the mother of this daughter. It’s like a ride. You just go on this ride with everybody as if it’s one long take. The audience is also a sort of character, and their energy feeds the energy of the play. They even dictate how long the play is going to be or how short it’s going to be because of laughter, if they’re laughing longer, we have a 90-minute show. If they’re not laughing as much, we have an 85-minute show. It’s just so wonderful. I absolutely love being on stage and I would love to do more theater.
