Following on from a wave of bright and euphoric offerings over the last few years, Spanish singer and songwriter Luna Keller now looks to preview her forthcoming EP with the soaring new release 'I'll Bring You Home'.
Lifted from her upcoming new EP 'Prophecies and Silver Linings', which is set to arrive in the coming months, 'I'll Bring You Home' sets itself as a bold and vibrant slice of folk-pop that channels the wistful aesthetics of acts like First Aid Kit and The Staves. With its fresh and euphoric production layered within her strong and driven vocal performance, this new delight looks to build on her confident and growing reputation for heartwarming and engaging songwriting.
So with her new single doing the rounds right now, we sat down with her to find out more about her origins and what has brought her to this point in her career.
-
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The guitar! I played the piano for a few months and stopped, learned to play bass for a year and realised that I can’t write songs on it, so I moved to the guitar and that’s when it all fell into place.
What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?
This is a tough one, songwriting comes to me naturally I write almost every day to just process life and understand myself better. So my life and the world around me is at the core of my inspiration. And then musically great musicians and bands have influenced me such as The Lumineers, Coldplay, Laura Marling, James Blunt, Mumford & Sons, The Beatles… the list goes on, there’s so much great music out there!
What kind of music did you love as a teenager?
Oh I was the biggest James Blunt fan on planet earth… his music really spoke to me and helped me through many of lives turns. Then Coldplay took the favourite artist place, when I was 15 or so. Around that time I also started listening to the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons that pushed me a little more into the folk direction. When I started releasing my own music (I was 16) I started listening to a lot of indie music and Singer-Songwriters like Jack Savoretti and Laura Marling.
Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?
Well I don’t think there was a specific song, there were definitely some great songs like 'Shine on' by James Blunt, 'UFO' by Coldplay, 'Blackbird' by the Beatles and 'My Eyes' by the Lumineers that played a big part in building up a deep connection to songwriting. Those songs became really important to me and where the first stepping stone for me to start writing my own songs and having a deep connection with. But in complete honesty I wasn’t looking at a career in music back then… it was with time that I slowly realised that this connection with music is my true passion.
When you wake up in the morning, what kind of music do you like to listen to?
That really depends on the day, on "normal“ days I like to listen to nice singer songwriter and folk music (Ben Howard, Jack Savoretti, James Bay, The Lumineers, YVI, Freya Ward, Aidan & the Wild, Mumford & Sons…). When I’m really struggling to get out of bed I’ll go for a more pop/rock direction (Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Twenty one Pilots). And on… let’s call them „special“ days I might go for some progressive metal (Leprous).
How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?
A lot… When I need to tell a person that I care about something important I often put it in a song. Those songs seldom make it onto a record. They’re mostly just voice memos I send out to whom I wrote it for. From my released songs only three are about or for people in my life: 'Black and Blue' is about a good friend of mine, 'Two Chord Song' is for my boyfriend and my latest release 'I’ll Bring You Home' is a song I wrote for my loved ones - one of those voice memos that turned into something bigger.
What has been the most memorable moment in your career so far?
Being nominated in the IMAS was really cool, playing my first house concert tour through Germany and Switzerland was amazing too, and when one of my songs was synced for a national add campaign by Starbucks I was blown away. It’s hard to pick… doing what I love for a living is the most memorable thing in my life in itself.
Outside of music, what is your biggest passion?
I’d have to say the other forms of art. My first stage experience was through theatre, I love reading and I’m the kind of person that can spend hours in museums and really geek out on art history. I’m a huge fan of seeing great performers and creative people create things that change the world and move hearts. Should that answer not count because it kind of includes music my answer would be fighting for a better world - I feel a real passion for protecting the planet and my values. Fridays for Future, local groups that do forest clean ups, standing up for equal rights… those things are really important to me.
If you weren’t a musician, what other path do you think you might have taken?
Definitely something in the cultural direction. One of the careers that tempted me the most was art restoration - to work in a museum on these century old masterpieces seemed so amazing. Studying drama and becoming an actor was definitely on the table too.
And what advice would you give to other musicians looking to stay productive through the coronavirus lockdown?
Try not to focus on the things you can’t do - instead focus on the things you can do. I felt really low at the beginning of the quarantine having to cancel my summer tour… but the one thing that really helped me to move forward was finding ways to make and share music from home. Lot’s of songwriting, live streaming, songwriting sessions with other artists over Skype or Zoom where amazing too. Just stay in touch with people and with yourself - but also allow yourself to feel low sometimes, and don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s ok to be affected by this awful situation, but try to make the best out of it.
-
Luna Keller's new single 'I'll Bring You Home' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.