Luna Li is an awe-inspiring multi-faceted talent and not to mention a women of color, the Korean-Canadian’s universe of Luna Li is hyperlush and inclusive by design. A blend of indie rock and psych; where experimental neoclassical morphs into pristine pop, Luna Li is the sound of an everyday symphony, crafted from the perspective of the female gaze. When the pandemic began, Li started self-recording instrumental interludes as a radical form of care. Her self-recorded “jams” — video snippets of her constructing beats piecemeal — went viral many times over, racking up 8+ million streams and producing a fiercely loyal following. She has since gone on to open for Japanese Breakfast, Wolf Alice, No Vacation and more.
Why is the new song titled ‘Confusion Song?’ What’s the story behind it?
I was in the studio with Scott Zhang aka Monsune, and I started playing this piano piece I had learned when I was 10 on the keyboard. He thought it was cool and stuck a drum loop against it, but the keyboard loop was in 3 and the drum loop in 4. While adding more parts against this polyrhythm we were joking about how it was confusing to line up the timing and we ended up naming the session “Confusion Song”. Then I went home and wrote the lyrics about what I was going through at the time – which was a confusing and transitional time in my life, so it all lined up and we kept the original name.
You champion inclusivity in your art. What does inclusion mean to you?
I just want the Luna Li world to be an open space for anyone who feels like they don’t belong. Everyone is welcome here!
You blend many different genres. What was your first record or song or artist that inspired you?
When I was a very small child the first piece of music that really touched me was the soundtrack to the Sound of Music. I was obsessed – singing all the songs day and night before I could even properly talk. To this day I still feel inspired by the melodies and harmony of that soundtrack and I think that inspiration combined with my classical background gives my music a bit of a dramatic flair.
What’s your creative process like?
For the majority of this record, the process was first getting into the studio with a producer to create instrumentals together (half of this record was co-produced with me by Monsune and the other half by Andrew Lappin), and then I would take them home and write lyrics and melodies to those instrumentals.
Why do you think your self-recorded beats spoke to so many people online?
I think my videos break down the music in a way that people enjoy. Since they can visually see each instrument being played and match it up with what they’re hearing, it provides a little peek into and understanding of the production process even for someone who doesn’t make music. I also started making these videos during a really uncertain time when the pandemic had just started, so I tried to keep the music light, fun and easy to listen to because that was the type of energy I needed in my life. I think others felt the same way too.
What are you trying to say with your music?
Music is an outlet for me to express my feelings (and I have a lot of them!) and a medium to share some beauty with the world. My hope is that some people will be able to connect with my music in the way that I’ve been able to connect deeply with other artists’ work.
What are your next moves?
My sophomore album “When a Thought Grows Wings” will be out August 23rd. I’m incredibly excited to share this one; it feels like a big step forward for me and I’m very proud of it.
