FEATURE: Spotlight: Lana Lubany — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Lana Lubany

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I was going to feature…

the magnificent Lana Lubany in my Spotlight feature next weekend. I have already published one Spotlight feature today, but I was so determined to put this online now. In my next two Spotlight features, I am concentrating on Antony Szmierek, and Skylar Stecker. I have been focusing on a lot of incredible female artists. I keep saying that I will include bands and more male artists but, to be honest, the most innovative, interesting and long-lasting music is being made by women right now! I have been following Lana Lubany’s music for a while, and I have grown to love it more and more. An artist with such a spectacular talent, the American-Palestinian wonder has a very long and bright future. Now based in London, do go and follow her on social media and support her music. As I am based in Soho, I hope that Lubany has some gigs in the capital soon. So many venues and passionate fans would love to see her in the flesh! There is quite a bit that I want to cover but, before getting there, here is a bit of biography and early career background:

“Lana Lubany has always known a career in the music world was awaiting her. Growing up, she had the opportunity to perform for Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI, alongside Bobby McFerrin, Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary” and other notable artists and public figures at a very young age.

Born in Jaffa on November 3, 1996, with origins from Nazareth, Lana started off her career singing in a local multi-national peace choir and playing the piano, discovering her passion for music and performing. She was quickly singled out as a soloist, and in 2013, she was selected to perform in front of president Obama. After her first solo performance on a big stage in the Nazareth Christmas Market in 2013, she knew she was born to be on the stage. A year later she had her own one hour performance in the Bethlehem Christmas Market.

After graduating from high school in 2015, Lana started uploading covers to YouTube as well as focusing on her own music and songwriting. She started writing songs and short stories at a very young age – never about personal experience, at least back then – inspired by mystery and horror books and films. She released her first single “One Of A Kind” in January 2017 which was very well received by a growing number of fans from all around. Along with producer “Dushii”, Lana began working on her debut EP in April 2017. Almost a year later, the first song off of the EP, called “Still Love U Call Me” is out now”.

There are a few features and interviews that I want to bring in. Lana Lubany’s music is so distinct, and each of he tracks inhabits its own world. Such a striking and nuanced artist, I have been listening back to E.P.s like Devil in My Eden (2020), and singles such as Bad Angel and Down I Go. Although Lubany has been in the industry for a little while, I think some of her best and most popular work has come this year. To me and so many fans, her music helped us during the pandemic. Now, as we are out of the other side (sort of), we are seeing this remarkable human put out modern gems like THE SNAKE and SOLD. I am going to end with some predictions and thoughts about the hypotonic Lubany. First, Scene Noise published a feature with her earlier this year (on my birthday, as it happens!). Although the interview centres around the TikTok hit, THE SNAKE, it is fascinating knowing more about Lubany and her awesome personality and passion:

“With nothing but complete devotion to her music, 24-year-old Palestinian-American pop star Lana Lubany emphasized how this complete shift in her social media presence inaugurated what would be one of the hardest years of her life, “I had this like the major crisis of, like, why am I not getting somewhere? I didn't understand what was happening. And it was kind of really depressing actually. But by the end of 2021, I did a lot of self-discovery and a lot of work on myself. I spent a lot of time alone, just working on my mental health and writing things down, working on my awareness, which I think is so important. And eventually, by the end of that, I had a healthier relationship with social media. In general and with myself.”

Touching on her own self-healing journey quickly prompted me to ask her to wholly pick apart what that entailed. “So I was like, okay, let me write down my goals. Let me write down what I need to do in order to get to these goals. And I just did that. Without thinking about numbers without thinking about my worth relating to these numbers. I just did that. And I made the content that I needed to make in order to reach my goals, I was very clear about everything. And I organized myself and I spent time on it and gave planning importance. And then it just kind of came together because it made my mental health so much better. And having all these things laid out in front of me, showed me the path I needed to follow to get there.”

Not pointing out how crazy organized and meticulous Lubany is, would be a hate crime at this point. It’s clear from hearing her talk that the artist’s attention to detail and planning is akin to that of a mad scientist. Every step calculated, every decision mulled over with one eye on the future.

“I knew what I had to do,” she continued. “I was like, okay, I'm gonna release ‘THE SNAKE’ because I’ve had the song since the summer. So Ben [my producer and co-writer] and I wrote ‘THE SNAKE’ in the summer before LA. Whenever I showed the song to people, they just reacted differently. So I was like, ‘Okay, this is the next song that I’m going to release’. And that’s all I know. When I posted the video with my mom, ‘THE SNAKE’ had been out for three weeks already. It wasn't viral or anything. I wasn't expecting it to go viral because I was like, okay, I'm just gonna keep on making content until I have to release the next song. And then I'll keep on making content for that. Eventually, something will catch on.”

And catch on it did. Perhaps unexpectedly, but Lubany was prepared, and perhaps had even subconsciously manifested this moment. The Arabic/English hybrid song trickled down into existence through years of exposure to her mother’s array of classic tapes. Whilst there was no direct influence on the song - some might even say Lubany and her co-writer Ben wrote ‘THE SNAKE’ in a studio vacuum of their own - the hit had been years in the making.

Though this was my first music editorial feature, I knew I had the duty to dig into Lubay’s discography – how else would one contextualise her current work and rising fame? Many backseat-car listening sessions later, it was her EP, titled ‘Devil in My Eden’ that stood out to me. It struck me as a little genre-bending - perhaps experimental - of a release for the rising pop star. So different that I had to inquire as to where that piece of work falls in her mental catalogue.

“To me, everything before ‘THE SNAKE’ doesn't really represent me anymore…If I could wipe everything and just keep ‘THE SNAKE’ I would. I guess that's one of the reasons why [the title] is in capital letters and everything else isn’t? Because it's a new era. And I'm excited about [it].”

Sitting with any independent artist always feels like free game and insight into the intricate crevices that is the music industry. What I was fully not expecting to learn, however, was how integral healing as an artist is to ‘making it’ as an artist. Hearing about Lubany’s undertaking of her own healing journey post-algorithmic shift and the cognitive dissonance that followed, is truly commendable.

With much of the inner workings of the music industry completely contingent upon the artist’s personal timeline, Lubany knew she had to put herself first if she wanted to continue making art, “I think in order to heal, you need to reflect, you need to reflect and accept your flaws, and the things that you do wrong. So, to me, that was a flaw in my mindset. And I had to work on it. And the minute I realise that there's something wrong, I feel liberated. It kind of slowed things down for me, because I, you know, I want to be doing big things right now. But I realized that I needed to be patient and I couldn't rush things. Because, by me trying to rush things for the past five years, I've actually slowed them down by a lot. But it is what it is. And I'm here now. So I think the most important thing or one of the most important things is acceptance, awareness.”

Talking about social media triggered a thought I’d been reflecting on for some time, regarding the intricacies of music distribution and how its methods have changed over the years. Being 20 going on 21, I’m what people are now labeling as ‘Gen-Z’. I grew up with iTunes. Digital music distribution. I saw firsthand CDs becoming obsolete, with platforms like Spotify and Apple Music taking over. I knew that back in the day, people used to hand out their demos at gas stations, train stations, in front of label headquarters. You don’t need to be involved in the industry to know that the shift from that to social media is hugely pivotal for the medium of music as a whole, both in creativity and business. I asked Lana how she felt about this change, and whether social media being the main conduit for music could get overwhelming at times.

“I think because a lot of people don't get this social media shift, they hate it. I think that's the wrong mindset…we need to be open to change…There's gonna be new things like NFTs which I personally don’t get right now…But I know I should be getting more familiar with it. So in order to keep being successful, you have to keep on evolving. I think that's so important. So with social media, I've always been an internet girl. I love content and I love creating in general – not just music, but also videos, and all types of digital content. So that's why I don't mind the social media game… [it’s] a path that really suits me.”

Having dived deep into the meta of what will soon be the metaverse (social media), I brought the focus back down to ‘THE SNAKE’. “Were the religious connotations in ‘THE SNAKE’ and the kind of underlying biblical imagery that followed intentional?” I asked”.

I think, apart from her determination and undeniable natural talent, it is her mixed heritage that makes Lana Lubany’s music so compelling and original. Such a beautiful, layered, emotive and commanding voice, her delivery and performances are truly remarkable. After a massive and instantly loved song like THE SNAKE, SOLD hit just as hard. It seems like this always-phenomenal artist is starting to reach new heights and peaks. We are going to see Lubany standing on some of the biggest stages around the world soon enough. In such a competitive and eclectic music market, she stands aside from many of her peers. The Line of Best Fit were eager to throw a spotlight on Lubany back in July. Waxing lyrical about the stunning SOLD, they underlined the magnificence and huge promise that has been unfolding:

“Based in London but with American-Palestinian descendants, Lubany merges middle eastern influences with more Western ideals, her blend of Arabic and English lyrics telling the story of an artist searching for their true selves, unsure of where to turn and unwilling to let go of an even small piece of herself.

Growing up as a Palestinian in Israel, she’s fluent in Arabic, English and Hebrew and has utilized all three across her work to ensure equilibrium with self and art. "SOLD" jumps out from the off as one of the most fascinating and enchanting pop singles of the year so far, it comes with it the potential to normalise the use of more left-field production influences, and potentially introduce a new dawn of middle-eastern sounds and textures to Western pop.

“SOLD" is about falling prey to that persuasive voice in your head that stops you from making the right decisions” Lubany explains of the track, “It tempts you into creating a ruthless cycle of repetition and regret, where your comfort zone is your safety, but your safety is your danger zone. You’ve had a taste of luck in the past, and it was comfortable, so you try different shortcuts and start losing and doubting yourself in the process.”

"SOLD" follows up Lubany’s previous, self-released single "THE SNAKE" which amassed widespread support on TikTok, with the sound viewed over 13 million times on the app and Instagram alone, as well as racking up over 6 million streams on Spotify. Both singles were created in collaboration with producer Ben Thomson, their partnership allowing Lubany the structure to develop and incubate her unique blend of infectious pop melodies and thoughtful lyrical dexterity.

Both tracks are set to feature on Lana’s upcoming debut project with Beatnik, entitled THE HOLY LAND, which Lana describes as a creative exploration through the journey of self-discovery, with each track included representing a different stage of the journey through life and self. “It’s about internal battles. I wanted to call it ‘THE HOLY LAND’ because I personally ended up finding my identity in my roots, but it could be anybody’s hold land. It can be whatever you find sacred and wherever you end up finding yourself.”

Writing across three languages from a very young age, Lubany has crafted her early sound in no small part thanks to years of singing on stage as a child. Still, in the early stages of her career, she has already performed in venues worldwide and has sung to audiences including President Obama and the Pope, to name but a few. There’s little to no doubt that Lana Lubany is a voice for the ages, and an artist looking to break beyond the influences of music and to make the world the more blended reality of her dreams”.

@lanalubany LAST NIGHT WAS TOO FUN CANT WAIT FOR MORE SHOWS #THESNAKE #londongigs #uksinger #concertcheck ♬ THE SNAKE (slowed + reverb) - Lana Lubany

In the coming weeks, I am highlighting a range of new or rising artists who are making impressions now but will make a big impact in the next few years. From approaching Indie bands to sizzling R&B solo artists, it is almost too hard getting to grips with the best and brightest out there! One of the very best young artists around, everyone needs to follow and listen to the marvellous Lana Lubany. NME chatted with her last month. They also recognised how, in spite of the fact she has a solid foundation of brilliant work under her belt, this year has been next level successful:

“Despite releasing music for several years, Lubany describes ‘THE SNAKE’ as the “first real song that represents me”. Along with ‘SOLD’, the success of the tune has solidified Lubany’s creative vision: flitting between Arabic and English and inspired by the likes of Billie Eilish and Rosalía, the tracks provide an exciting glimpse of what’s to come on her forthcoming debut project ‘The Holy Land’.

Taking a well-earned break to speak to NME in a cosy central London café, Lubany talks us through her rollercoaster last six months, the importance of having a creative vision, and what her mum thinks of being a viral sensation.

NME: It’s been a pretty wild six months for you…

“Yeah, definitely! My life pretty much changed when I released ‘THE SNAKE’ back in February, and it went viral a month later. It was a surreal experience. I’ve gone viral in the past, but it wasn’t like this. This translated: it got interest from the industry, it got me actual fans, it was crazy, and I’m very grateful.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Erea Ferreiro/Press

Why did you decide to follow up ‘THE SNAKE’ with ‘SOLD’?

“Something about ‘SOLD’ felt right – it felt different and like the perfect follow-up. I’m working on a project called ‘The Holy Land’, and I’ve divided it into phases: ‘SOLD’ fit perfectly into ‘Phase 2’. It was different enough that it wasn’t a recreation of ‘THE SNAKE’. That’s something I don’t want to do: I don’t want to have a hit song and then recreate it, because that’s where I feel some artists go wrong. Where’s the magic in [doing] that?”

There’s a strong creative vision behind your work. Have you always felt comfortable enough to say “we’re doing it this way”, or have there been times when you felt pushed to do certain things?

“Early on in my career I was working with somebody who’d get people to write songs for me, and he would gloss over the fact that I wanted to write my own music. I was young at the time and I didn’t really understand, so it was uncomfortable. I didn’t understand how the industry worked: I was like, ‘OK, that’s what pop stars do, they have songs written for them’. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it felt wrong to me as I’ve always known that I want to write my own songs and I want to create my own art, and I really like to be involved in every aspect. I want to be a songwriter as well as an artist. So that led me down the wrong path, because I kept on meeting the wrong people and I wasn’t listening to myself. So music was definitely uncomfortable for me for a few years, but I love it again now.

When ‘THE SNAKE’ started blowing up, were record labels getting in touch with you?

“I had so many meetings the week after it went viral, [they went on] for a month. [It] was so draining, but it was a great learning experience. I expanded my networks, I met people and I started understanding the industry a little bit more, because it’s a really tough industry to understand. So the door [was] opened for me and I had a foot in the door, I was so happy.”

Has your TikTok success changed your ambitions for the future at all?

“I definitely feel like I have more power because of my TikTok success. Before that, I think I was one of those artists that wanted to be saved, in a way… Not to be saved, but for someone to find me and develop me. But TikTok success has given me independence. That’s not to say I’ll stay independent as an artist forever, but it’s given me the freedom to build myself with an audience watching – and I think that’s one of the most valuable things an artist can have these days”.

I want to wrap things up now. It is so exciting following Lana Lubany’s music and career progress right now. With every song she offers something astonishing that leaves a big mark on the heart and mind. As I said, I think she will play big international stages. With some great London venues perfect for her, I know there are a lot of fans established and new who would flock to see Lubany play. I know she is a dedicated artist, but I think there is an amazing acting talent that could be explored and exploited more. Maybe it is a bit of a tangent but, similar to big artists like Taylor Swift and Halsey, I could see Lana Lubany expanding her gifts to the big or small screen. Her music has a quality that could see it work wonderfully on the screen too. So many sides to an artist whose is catching the eye and attention of some huge magazines and music websites, I predict 2023 will be a really massive year for Lubany! I am not sure whether there are plans for an album or another E.P. As she grows more intruiging and assured with every song, things bode very well for next year! I have not even brought in reviews for Lubany’s work but, suffice it to say, she has won the praise and affection of so many around the world.

Undeniably a huge future star, the rich and gorgeous music of the Palestinian-American artist is what every music lover needs. I have been following her since about 2020. I am so pleased by all of her success. I do hope (like on THE SNAKE) there are more songs in both Arabic and English, as it sounds utterly wonderful and new. I am sure she will inspire other artists (with a similar heritage) to mix Arabic and English. Blessed with stunning and eye-opening videos full of imagination, colour and epic scenes; music that lingers long in the memory and a clear eye on the future, we will hear a lot more about Lana Lubany. I hope to interview her one day. Some artists can fade from view or lose their promise and popularity after years. There are others that grow bigger and greater as time goes on. Lana Lubany definitely falls in the latter category! She is going to be making music years from now. It may be premature to predict major and worldwide success at this point but, considering the sheer and indefatigable quality of her music, I have…