If you’re an avid follower of Eurovision and everything related, then you might already know who I’m talking about. If, however, you’re not into the current European music scene, then this article is for you.
With Pride Month coming to a close, I want to take this opportunity to talk about a non-binary artist who has just dropped their debut album titled CL34N, which I have been binge-listening for the past few weeks.
I’m talking about Luna Ki, whose world is made of futuristic machines, mildly inappropriate lyrics and apocalyptic visuals. The Spanish-born artist is not afraid of pushing boundaries, discussing their sex and sexuality and adopting a style that might be considered extreme by some.
But before all of this, Luna Gorriz was born in Barcelona in 1999. Despite the mental instability they suffered from as an adolescent, they started realizing their vocation at 16, while they were already deeply involved in the underground emo-rap scene of their home city. It wasn’t until they learned about Lil Peep’s death because of overdose that they had the epiphany that would forever change their life.
They later moved to Madrid to study fashion design at IEDE, and around the same time, they wrote one of their first ever singles, “Septiembre,” followed by their first EP Unknown, 2034 in 2019. Luna Ki’s name has only gained popularity since.
I discovered Luna Ki just a few months ago, when Spanish YouTuber Jamie Altozano mentioned them at the beginning of his video ¿Por qué todo el mundo odia el autotune? in reference to their premature exclusion from the 2022 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest because of their dependency on autotune. I say dependency here, but I should instead say reliance, since their heavy use of autotune is determined by their perception of their art as opposed to an inability to perform without vocal enhancements.
As they themselves revealed in the video announcing their withdrawal from Benidorm Fest—the national contest that each year determines who will represent Spain at Eurovision—just like any song would lose its essence if some instruments were substituted by others, using pitch correction or not would highly alter a song and turn it into something different from how the artist envisioned it in the first place. That and other logistical issues discouraged Luna from competing in the Benidorm Fest, though, according to many, they had a high chance to win due to their popularity and live performance skills.
Despite this lay-off, Luna Ki keeps gaining popularity in Spain and, who knows, maybe soon we will see them follow the steps of Italian rock band Maneskin, representing Europe all around the world.
With or without the support of Eurovision.
Sources:
HIGHXTAR. – WE TALK W/ LUNA KI, THE FUTURE OF POP
Jaime Altozano – ¿Por qué todo el mundo odia el autotune?
LUNA KI – Un mensaje desde 2034, LUNA KI #Autotune
Cover photo credits: Albert Mullor / HIGHXTAR.
Art Kills 
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