"Joy, spirit, connection, resistance, hope and homecoming..." Anna Lunoe & her debut record 'Pearl'

Anna Lunoe (she/her) has long sat as one of Australian dance music’s most prominent. The Eora/Sydney-based artist has built a career on her passion for it, and the people that make it what it is not only at home, but worldwide.

She’s always been at the cutting edge of electronic music, whether performing on some of the world’s largest stages, in her productions, or in collaborations with the likes of Chris Lake, Flume, Skrillex and many more.

However, it’s understandably shocking to hear that she’s never produced an album until now.

‘Pearl’ is Anna’s largest work to date. A mammoth 13 tracks, covering everything from bouncy club beats to lush sounding electronica, ‘Pearl’ is a sum of all of Anna’s hard work up until this point. Following her move back to Australia, after a lengthy stay in the United States, we sat down with Anna to get a read on how it feels to release ‘Pearl’, not only at this point in her career, but of her life.

Q: Anna you’ve been such a prolific figure within Australian dance music for the longest time, and yet this is your first album. Why do you think it took this long to put something of this size & scale out into the world?

AL: It's a great question and one without a clear answer but I definitely had a lot of mountains to climb over that kept be busy and also trying to juggle other things at the same time as dj/producing - like my radio shows, making compilation mix cds for ministry of sound every year and touring them, music tv hosting, moving countries, growing birthing and raising babies etc. There was that, in combination to the fact that when I started making music I tended to write songs, and they didn't have a clear correlation to my “job” as a DJ so I wasn't releasing a lot of the music I was making! Dance music has come a long way in the past 15 years and so have I, it's like we have finally met in a place where I have the skill set to tell my stories in the format I'm most proficient in.

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Q: What do you think the experience you’ve gained in that time has done to impact the record? Are there themes you explore on this album that you think a younger Anna wouldn’t have? What are they?

AL: Dance music is an interesting portal for storytelling because lyrics are part of the story but the instrumentation tells so much of the story too. Coming into this my intention was to explore what my sonic palette was now, without worrying about what it had been, but by just creating and trusting that all the years were going to make it into the music without me trying. The experience I've gained is steeped in every thing I do and I feel so much more confident to be honest in my writing about how I feel and feel more proficient in finding a way to speak in my medium. Loss, fear, anxiety, joy, spirit, connection, resistance, hope and homecoming are all over this record and I don't think I had the ability to speak on any of that even 5 years ago.

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Q: You’ve lived overseas in the States for a number of years, but recently returned to your home of Australia. What was the decision behind that move?

AL: Things changed a lot after i had my first kid, in my last few years in the USA. I missed my family so much and felt they were really missing out on my baby growing up but leaving was a really tricky idea because work was just getting better and better! What I had worked towards for 10 years was finally happening! But ultimately the decision to come home was made in the middle of an extremely turbulent 2020, after an incredibly challenging pregnancy with a premature new born baby and a toddler in toe and no childcare and i just wanted to be with my family. I knew in my heart thats what my soul needed even though it meant risking the career and life I had created - it was what Anna the human and mother needed to do for my family so i did it.

Q: Comparatively, opportunity is less frequent here at home, for obvious reasons. How do you feel about that idea, particularly at such a massive moment for your career?

AL: I definitely struggle with it.. I try to get overseas as much as I can but ultimately I have responsibilities and my first priority is making sure my family is whole and happy. Its hard to accept that I cant play the game in the same way as people not in my position,, but I also believe that work cant be the priority always. I wonder whether I would have made this album If i was still on the non stop tour hustle in the USA. Maybe this is the upside of the trade off. I might miss out on some opportunities but I don't think Ill ever regret spending these years with my family as my folks get older or the time I spent raising my babies and working to fully commit to my artist project.

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Q: A ‘dance album’ is something really subjective to those who make & listen to it. Often it’ll be more for listening, but made by a dance / electronic producer. ‘Pearl’ however is like 90% club ready tracks. What was the approach you took to ensuring that all the tracks fit together thematically?

AL: To me there are club tools that have fairly limited imagery and are built for straight up impact, but to me these tracks on my album are still really heavy on imagery and sonic depth. Like each song is such a strong mood. They tell a story even though they are still bangers. That is the balance I am finding at this point. How to tell a story with a vocal without swamping the track, how to be almost visual with my sounds without taking away from the dance floor energy. I was also able to lean into electronica leaning tracks like Pearl and Look my way a little more - this avenue is really exciting for me as these are the types of tracks Ive been making for years without having an avenue for - and the reaction to them has been so positive! This makes me feel like I could be even braver the next body of work :)

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Q: You’ve got a series of fantastic features on the record. What was it like working with these artists? Any fun stories to share in the collaborative process?

AL: The coolest thing about these collaborations is how organic it was. After so many years in the game there aren't too many people I couldn't dm and strike something up with but I wanted to be intentionally passive and allow these collaborations to occur without contriving them. It was just artists who I naturally found myself chatting with, or resonating with online. Pretty much all of them new connections made in the last few years only. That felt really freeing and fun. My intention was exploration. I think in all of the collabs something completely unique to our pairing was hatched. From Y U QT singing on a track for the first time, to creating Body Heat out of an incredible live jam by J.O.S.H.U.A, these tracks were made freely and wholeheartedly, for the love of it and I hope that comes across.

Q: The record is out on NLV Records, another monolithic figure in Australia’s dance community & a close friend of yours I understand. What does it feel like to have the record out via NLV?

AL: Without going into me and Nina's long history and friendship, I kinda cant imagine this album happening any other way for me. Im really working with my closest friends here. Before she was my label boss, I was talking to her every day anyway, Id finished a song and ask her as a friend what she thought i should do with it. Having released on Majors, indies, and multiple different labels over the years I cant imagine why anyone wouldn’t work with their best friends over that. Communication and care couldn't be more of a priority and it adds so much meaning to the project to get to do it together. Its always been me and Nina against the world but now its official.

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Q: What sort of setting do you think ‘Pearl’ fits best?

AL: I think it's one of those long summer days that i remember happening a few times a summer that u spend a few hours on the beach with friends, roll in your wet swimmers to get some food, find yourself at a little house party, or bar then hitting the clubs and turning into an unplanned low key rager. You could never plan for it though they always just happened spontaneously which makes them even more special. Either that or Running! Im not a runner but i have gotten so many messages from runners saying how fast the album made them run !

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Q: What do you want listeners of the record to take from it most?

AL: A shedding of the bullshit, a deep renewal and new determination to lock in to your most intentional earth experience. I know that's a lot to ask from some kick drums and bleeps, but you asked!!!!

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Q: What’s the first thing you did once it released? & what’s on the cards for you now?

AL: When it dropped I was at Maccas after a little friends and fam launch party, I was so exhausted I could barely speak! but the next day I woke up, lay on some grass, cried with relief and exhaustion for 20 mins with my best friend then went to lunch with Nina and Lauren (from my mgmt) and just enjoyed the sunshine and what we had put out into the world.

Next up, I want to give this album a little world to exist within, club experiences across the USA are on the cards, Im working on some pop up summer coastal experiences here in aus and I want to make more music with the new energy i have now!

Thanks for the questions!

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'Pearl' is now available via all streaming services & Bandcamp.

Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ's Managing Editor, find him on Instagram.