It’s hard for Latinx artists to break through in the mainstream music industry but indie-pop group Luna Luna is marching to the beat of their own drum and blazing trails with their distinct and ever-evolving sound.
The Dallas-based band was established in 2017 by a serendipitous cross of mutual paths and desire to make unique music that blends their musical taste.
Luna Luna is led by drummer Kaylin Martínez and consists of Kevin “Kavvi” González, Colombian-born singer-songwriter and producer, bassist Ryan “Gordo” Gordon and Danny Bonilla, keyboardist/backup vocalist and singer-songwriter.
The group’s sound is genre-bending with influences ranging from rock, pop and bedroom tunes from both English and Spanish music.
Their sound will have you grooving and daydreaming no matter where you are.
“Where I came from [Colombia], and my culture, just listening to Spanish music growing up, from Salsa, Merengue to Bachata, and contrasting it growing up here, with English music; it just creates a clash,” González said in an interview before their Sunday Flower Moon Tour, San Francisco show. “Our music is a sound to that clash of the two cultures, that [is what] makes up Luna Luna.”
The four-person Latinx band doesn’t conform to marketing itself to a single musical category.
Latinx talent is typically only recognized when it reaches mainstream media, which usually consists of a widely recognized one-size-fits-all “Latinx” image.
“Despacito-Remix” by Puerto Rican singer-songwriters Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, featuring Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber became the most streamed song worldwide in 2015, according to the Guinness World Records website.
The pop-based tune gained traction primarily for the well established voice of Bieber despite the original song being released four months prior to the remix.
Catalan singer-songwriter Rosalia is constantly categorized and marketed as Latinx for her flamenco-infused pop music, yet authentic and representative creatives struggle to find the spotlight.
Luna Luna’s already wide and growing discography consists of their 2018 debut album “For Lovers Only,” a collection full of groovy, romantic vibes that will have butterflies dancing in your stomach.
The band has come a long way since their beginning and is on tour for the first time since the pandemic.
Their 19-date headlining tour has been illuminating their latest album “Flower Moon,” which was released on Aug. 13.
“We’re really glad to be touring again,” Martínez said. “It's been a while because we've worked a lot on this album so to be able to hear people sing the lyrics, that sensation, it catches me by surprise every time.”
Bonilla said Flower Moon required experimental work and collaborative writing sessions, making it one of their most personal and representative pieces.
The band authentically depicts the defiance of fitting into categories and fearlessly produces content reflective of genuineness and passion.
“It's pretty scary to try new things as musicians, just choosing between doing what works because it's already working,” González said. “We make music based on who we were in that moment so it’s constantly changing. It's like a timestamp of who we were at that time and we're different people. That’s music and life. That’s growth.”
