What’s My Scene: Pop sweetheart Nat Luna embraces her wild side
In our new Q&A column What’s My Scene, InReview speaks to emerging and established local artists to get their take on the South Australian creative scene and their place within it. This week, R&B-inspired singer songwriter Nat Luna shares her quest to leave audiences feeling confident, sexy, and empowered.
Where was your first gig, and how did it go?
My first gig was at WOMADelaide in 2023 on the NSS Studio Stage! It was so unreal playing my first gig at one of my favourite festivals. I was so nervous but it all went really well and the audience and I had a really fun time together. I was practising every single day for over a month before the gig because I was so excited for it. My set time was during golden hour which was such a vibe and so many people came to watch me play which was so, so sweet. It’s a very special core memory for me in my career!
What is your artist origin story?
I always loved singing and had dreams to be a singer from a very young age. I think I was singing before I was talking! When I was three or four years old, I used to sit on the floor of my childhood bedroom with my Lion King soundtrack CD and sing along to it for hours. Once I was six years old, I was obsessed with The Pussycat Dolls – I have been a diva from a young age haha! I started writing poetry in my teenage years separate from my singing but I wasn’t songwriting at that point.
Towards the end of high school, I was gearing up to pursue biology at university, even though my true dream was still music. At that time, I thought having a music career was only possible if I got signed to a major label or won something like The X Factor. I graduated high school at the end of 2019 and the pandemic hit a few months later. I was dreading the idea of pursuing science and, in a pure pandemic-like existential crisis, I thought the world was going to end, so why not at least give music a go? I dove straight into learning how to write and produce music and now I’m here!
What was your impression of the local scene when you first started, and how has that changed?
The local scene was really supportive and welcoming when I first started. I got to connect with so many sweethearts who were so lovely and it was so nice to bond over the journey we were all travelling in pursuing music together. Fast forward a few years and now these people are some of my closest friends!
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How has your own project evolved since you first started?
My project and I have definitely matured a lot since I first started. I started writing indie music at the beginning and I think initially the huge local indie scene here really influenced me because everyone is just so cool! I always had a soft spot for R&B music though. I listened to heaps of it when I was younger and most of my favourite artists made R&B / pop.
SZA’s SOS album inspired me to write my song, ‘love me longer,’ which was my first full R&B release. When I wrote it, something in me clicked. Writing in that genre just felt right and it was the most ‘me’ any of my songs had ever felt at that time. After that, I felt a really big shift in myself as I matured and entered womanhood. I started seeing my self-worth and owning my confidence and sensuality. I wrote my debut EP, ‘ultraviolet,’ about that chapter in my life. Now my project lives in the R&B/pop world and feels really bold, fierce, sassy, and sexy. I think it really encapsulates the woman I’ve grown into.
"I felt a really big shift in myself as I matured and entered womanhood. I started seeing my self-worth and owning my confidence and sensuality."
What is it about your next release that you’re most excited (or nervous) to share with the world?
My debut EP, ultraviolet, really shows all the worlds that have been living in my head for the last two years and it’s so exciting to share that with my supporters. This project is like a tasting palette for your ears, with each song representing a chapter in my life and sound that I love. I was a bit nervous about ‘off my chest’ dropping because it’s my first ever song that I rap in. I’ve been rapping since I was ten but I’ve never been super public about it until now because I used to be a bit shy about it! I’m really proud of ‘off my chest’ though and I’m so happy with how that track turned out. When we first made the beat for it, I just knew it needed a rap! I’m so excited that ultraviolet is out for all my listeners and new people discovering me to enjoy. I really hope it can bring out their wild side and empower them to own their worth and feel confident and sexy!
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Who are the artists around you that inspire or challenge you?
I’m so grateful to be surrounded by so many incredible artists who I look up to so much. RENAÉ is like a big sister to me who I’m so lucky to call my bestie. Her songwriting and creative vision is truly phenomenal which really inspires me. Seeing her be so open in sharing parts of herself and her world in her project challenges me to be real, honest, and vulnerable in my project and everything I do. My dear friend Myah makes the coolest music all the way in the UK and we’ve really bonded over being at similar points in our careers despite the distance. Everything she touches is gold and she always reminds me of my why.
My producer, Daniel Tayra, really took me under his wing when we started working together and always challenged me to grow and take my music to heights I didn’t think I was capable of. He’s the most hardworking and dedicated creative I know and I look up to him so much.
Favourite venue?
Nexus Arts (and not just because that’s where I’m having my EP launch on October 3)! I love how they support diversity and accessibility, and it’s such a gorgeous space.
Dream act to open for?
Doja Cat! She’s such an incredible performer.
Favourite act to have open for you?
RENAÉ! She’s my fav pop girly and I love sharing the stage with her.
Where is your next gig, and how do you hope it will go?
My next gig is my first ever headline show to launch my debut EP, ultraviolet, at Nexus Arts on October 3 with my gorgeous friend RENAÉ opening for me! It’s going to be a really fun night where we can all let out our wild side, and I hope everybody leaves feeling confident, sexy, and empowered to take on whatever life throws at them! This will be my first time performing my EP, ultraviolet, and some unreleased tracks. I can’t wait to share this energy with my gorgeous audience.
Nat Luna will launch her debut EP ultraviolet at Nexus Arts on October 3. ultraviolet is out now.