Written by Calum O’Rourke - 16th July 2024
life behind the music.
In the buzzing heart of London's music scene, a new artist is making waves with a fresh blend of urban grit and catchy melodies. Meet LUAN, the rising star of trap wave melodic rap. His unique sound captures the energy of London's streets, while his lyrics hit deep with real, raw emotions. LUAN isn't just making music; he's creating an experience. Dive into his world where every track takes you on a journey, and find out why LUAN is the name everyone in the underground music scene will be talking about.
Photography by Vided Magazine
Who is LUAN?
Hello, my name is LUAN, I’m from South East London and I guess I’m a wave rapper. Talking about my journey into music, initially I actually used to do RNB, but obviously I switched it up because I realised it just wasn’t really my sound. I decided let me try something else, let me try rap ‘cause a lot of people were telling me to start, so I went straight for it. I basically just jump straight into things. I’ve always been like that. I don’t do the half hearted, do you know what I mean? We’re just out here talking about our experiences and I thought I could do that by merging both the singing and the rap. That’s why I’m a wave artist.
How do you typically approach the songwriting process? Do you have any rituals or routines that help get your creative juices flowing?
Oh approaching the songwriting process… I don’t know, my mind differs quite a lot purely because it just depends on my vibe or what I’m making. Sometimes I make real rap or I can make regular rap, trap-wave. When it comes to trap wave specifically, I’ll always find the beat first and if I like how it sounds then the melody will just come to my head. It will always be the hook or chorus. I’ll be able to freestyle and start to get an idea, then I’ll typically just write it in my notes and go from there, I’ll be so real. I’ve already got the ideas and topics in my head, if that makes sense.
Collaboration seems to be a big part of your music-making process. Can you share with us what it's like working with different producers and how that influences your sound?
I’ve always been in favour of working with other people and trying different sounds out. In terms of working with new producers and how that influences the sound, it comes down to actually being in the studio. My current engineer that I go for, he specifically works on trap-wave rap, so I always take ideas from him. In his beat cutting process, when he’s producing a new sound from the original beat I give him, I sort of always work around that when it comes to the ad libs. I feel like if you really listen to a song, the ad libs work well at filling in the gaps. I will take my advice from him and obviously the other people around me that I’m with that have shared similar experiences with me. They will come to me and help with ideas also. So, I think it’s important to have a good base around you, I think anyway.
Photography by Vided Magazine
Your music often blends elements of melody with rap. What draws you to this particular style, and how do you navigate the balance between the two?
So like I said earlier, I started off with more melodies and singing and then switched up my style by deciding to bring the two together. I genuinely think, not to sound cocky about it, that I have got the gift to create melodies and rap well at the same time, it’s something I’ve always been able to do and that was the main prospect behind my music. I didn’t want to just do rap or just do singing, there was already a sort of niche in music for it anyways, I just decided to bring it together.
Are you happy with the direction Rap is going in the Uk, specifically London? What are the negative sides to the rap scene?
Yes and no to be honest. I say yes because the start of UK rap that was really popping was Grime. I listen to a lot of Grime and it’s where I get my word play from. Some of these Rap artists now, were MCs, I look at their old stuff like how they put bars together and take inspiration from that. I love that about the UK but I specifically love that about London because that’s where it really started, not many people knew about the Midlands or anything further out than that. Speaking about nowadays, Many rappers are only really just coming into the scene properly.
In terms of negative sides, I feel like it’s just become a clout thing. A lot of people will disagree with me but people will only release music for TikTok and to navigate people to their socials. The rap game just isn’t as genuine as it used to be. I make music simply because I like making music and the sound that I can bring. People need to take a page out of that book, artists like JME who specifically make music because they enjoy it.
Being of Albanian descent, do you find that your cultural background influences your music in any way? Are there specific aspects of Albanian culture or traditions that you draw upon in your creative process, or that you hope to showcase through your music?
To be honest, I feel like being Albanian and being an artist doesn’t necessarily influence me in terms of the culture, but when it comes to the way I was brought up and the choices that I’ve made being an Albanian man, makes a difference in the thought process. People typically think I’m a bit older than I am and I owe that all to my upbringing only. Yes, in the future, I do want to bring some more Albanian into my music, but for now It’s hard because I’m a small artist trying to bring the UK audience in at first - then I can expand from there. I’m always thinking a couple steps ahead, always adapting.
Photography by Vided Magazine
As an independent artist, what are some of the biggest challenges you face in the industry, and how do you overcome them?
I feel like being independent nowadays is better than being signed to a label. You get a little more freedom. You ain’t got someone watching over you but at the same time it’s a lot more difficult without someone there to really push your music and get you into the scene. Unless you know promotion and how to manage yourself, it can be a lot more difficult for your music to be heard. I always find promotion quite difficult and I know a lot of artists feel the same way, but to overcome it I try to find something new. For my last song, Chanel Credit, I told a lot more people in person and have gained a lot more contacts since then. I found that if you just rinse and repeat, for me, it doesn’t get you anywhere. You just have to find something that clicks and works for you, that’s how I try to overcome it but there's obviously a long way to go.
Would you say being Independent is going to become the norm in music as time goes on?
Nah, this is funny because I just mentioned this! I do think being independent is going to become the norm, only because like I said: You’ve got more freedom. Labels do tend to f**k you over in terms of what you release and how you release it, the things that I’ve seen online and what I’ve spoken to people about in person, just doesn’t seem worth it to me.
Who would be your Dream feature?
Oh you’ve put me on the spot now! Dream feature…
See, I should be thinking realistically but at the same time I don’t want to, so I’m just going to shoot for the stars. I feel like Lil Tjay would sound cold on a track, I won’t lie. I could say one of my favourite artists like Drake or whatever, but I’m thinking from the perspective of “What would sound good on my track?”. I’ll give you two, so Lil Tjay is the American feature, in terms of the UK I’d go Nafe Smallz or M Huncho. Also, for a smaller artist I’d even go for Lil Max.
Photography by Vided Magazine
Talk us through your latest release, Derealisation. Where the name, concept and production came from?
The name literally is what it is, it was about my life at the time because I tend to write in the present tense and talk about what I’m going through at the time. I just feel like there is not a lot of music that people can relate to now. The concept of the song comes from my love of real rap and the love of talking about my own experiences for other people to relate to. That for me is the most important part, things that people will want to hear multiple times and for you to get your flowers for it. I like to get my flowers to be honest, not sure if that’s selfish or not, but I do. When I make my music, I put all of my time, energy and sleepless nights into it, so it’s nice to see that people enjoy it. The biggest struggle was trying to capture those feelings. It's hard to write about your feelings in rap because you are so used to being closed off. Now we’re at a stage where you get to open up and make sure that the bars that you’re singing are relatable enough, so people can understand what you mean. You’re taking a personal thing and just putting it out there, that’s what I found the hardest.
What are the plans for the near future for LUAN?
Well, right now I’m just trying to get as much exposure as possible. I’m hoping that I can get myself into a little show or something, gain some exposure that way, like I said… I’ll try new things. I think shows could be the next best thing for me to get more contacts, it’s not always what you know, it’s who you know to be honest. I’m actually currently in the process of this to be fair, so hopefully you should see something live soon. But apart from that I’m just going to keep going. We don’t stop. We’re always active in music and everything. The most important thing to do is keep hustling, it’s long winded but you have to keep pushing through.
Simply, why music?
I like this question, Why music? I’ll keep it short and sweet, music is just everything. If I’m not writing or making beats, then I’m listening to music. It’s just day to day life, all hours of the day. It’s my happy place. I know it’s that way for a lot of other pop0le too. It’s a way of expression, I’ve got a lot of things to say, experiences to share, and I’m not afraid to share them. I’m hoping there are people who can agree or just vibe to the music. That’s literally it, music is everything. So why not become a part of it?
If you could say one sentence that everyone in the world could hear at the same time, what would you want to say?
I’ll go back to what I always say and what someone said to me a long time ago.
Enjoy the process because once you get to the final product, you’ll miss it and if you miss it… you'll never get that experience back.