Anna Lunoe may be most commonly known as everyone’s favorite Internet Mom™, but she is mostly an incredibly talented, multi-faceted artist with more accomplishments and ingenuities than I could ever name off. Over the course of her career, Lunoe has done everything and more to make the music industry genuinely a better place. From her indestructible and effervescent passion for art, to her uplifting and gripping sentiments via Twitter, she is the archetype of a successful artist who her followers aspire to be like. Lunoe’s skills and fervor transcend past her music into everything that she does. She is the music industry’s very own Midas, minus the greed.
All of Lunoe’s past work maintains a certain flavor that many tracks in the industry lack. Her sense of originality is tangible in every song that she releases, each one flowing organically alongside, generally, her own vocals. Beyond her music, she is an extraordinary DJ, whose dexterity is unparalleled. I’ve seen Lunoe live a multitude of times, and each time was more sophisticated and exciting than the last. Beyond the unrelenting energy that she delivers to the stage, her sets contain fresh tracks and inimitable transitions that take everyone by surprise, in the best way possible. At Paradiso 2017, she played my favorite set of the entire weekend, and let us not forget her 2017 Hard Summer mix, which I still groove to at least once a week.
Even though Lunoe has generally stuck with her personalized take on EDM, she recently released a bubbly pop track entitled Blaze of Glory. This track presents listeners with a rejuvenating and refreshing understanding of what pop music entails. Because the word “pop” often carries a certain stigma, it is not uncommon that when we hear that a song is of that genre, we assume that the song is a bland, run-of-the-mill track with a generic composition and redundant beat. However, the only portion of that definition that this song even remotely applies to is that it’s catchy. The song is groovy, lively, and unlike anything else that Lunoe has ever produced. As Lunoe explained in a lengthy Instagram post, she was worried that she would reach a creative block after her pregnancy. However, she felt as though she could finally step outside of her comfort zone and compose a piece that she had always aspired to create. Despite the fact that it deviates from her spicy house beats, it preserves the flair that only Lunoe can deliver.
Although the track itself is eccentric and animated, Lunoe dreamt up and materialized a sick music video to go along with it. The concept of the video is fun and flirty, filled with pastels and high amounts of energy. It’s important to note that this entire video was filmed in one shot and that Lunoe used a fem-only creative production team. Lunoe is recognized for being influential and passionate about the representation of fem-identifying persons and the overall feminist narrative. Which brings me into my next point.
Lunoe said she reached out to a variety of publications in order to promote her new track alongside the video, and in return, received radio silence. I could go on about the lack of representation of women in the music industry in mass media, but I’ll try to be concise. The point is that media care about fem-identifying persons one day of the year, that being March 8th, but when it comes down to supporting women and doing the d*mn thing year-round, there is a clear lack of incentive. Mass media produce content that they know will appease the public and get them retweets, reposts, favorites, etc., but when they’re asked to uphold those promises and take action in regards to the tweets they composed on International Women’s Day, they act like they never even received the press release e-mails. It’s sickening to see that women in the electronic music industry have to carry this burden, which is only one of hundreds, and to know that there are women working throughout these publications who are also not taking action against the unrelenting realities of sexism. Even though many major media outlets did not publicize this video, I can only hope that my piece will make even the most minuscule difference and inspire others who are struggling to find their voice in this oversaturated industry.
Despite this hardship Lunoe faced in the release process, Blaze of Glory is a certified bop, and the music video paired with it perfectly. I am eager to see what Lunoe has to offer for us in the future, especially if she continues going down the pop music route.
Listen to Blaze of Glory and watch the fresh music video here:
