Three-time 2020 Pacific Music Award finalist, Lou’ana, sets forth her highly anticipated debut album, Moonlight Madness, accompanied by a spellbinding video for her new single, Love Bind.
Previously sharing a taste of the album through the sassily-soulful singles Eye to Eye, Move Along, Summer In May and Feel This, this 11-track collection, with Love Bind at the helm, delivers a mystical melting pot of funk, soul and jazz, with pinch of rock and roll and a dose of pacific flavour.
Love Bind, initially crafted late one night by Lou’ana on her acoustic guitar, has blossomed from its skeletal beginnings into an 18-piece arrangement complete with a 60’s, Drifters-style feel. Telling the story of a love spell gone wrong, and the realisation that the spell should have been one of self-love instead, Lou had the perfect director in mind to weave the visual tale. “The video had to be just as epic as the production on the track,” says Lou’ana, “I knew Anna Rose Duckworth, director of the clip for my previous single Eye to Eye, was the person to bring my vision to life. Anna created the concept, and with an incredible team and a strong cast of female witches, we manifested what we set out to do.”
Anna Rose Duckworth, director, elaborates; “This is not your average music video. This is a story of female power and unity. A story of losing yourself, and the support that guides you back. It is the interwoven connection that sparks the magic of womanhood. This is big femme energy.”
Moonlight Madness is the culmination of two and a half years’ worth of meticulous attention to detail and dedication. With lyrics and melody bought to the table by Lou’ana, and then collectively brewed with producer Nathan Judd in his home studio on Tāmaki Makaurau’s North Shore, the process of recording has been a journey of self-belief and an evolving labour of love. Lou’ana explains how the album came to life;
“The album was basically myself and Nate in the studio for two and a half years as we scheduled time around my duties as a working musician. I’d bring in songs I’d written during the week, we would workshop and arrange the music, and then bring in my band and other session musicians for the recording, to add their own flair. We share a passion for soul and funk music of the 60’s and 70’s, we share the same work ethic, and we never skimp on the finer details. Nate is really great at seeing the overall vision and bringing out the best in me and my style.”
Alongside Lou’ana’s smoky powerhouse vocals, Moonlight Madness is underpinned by lush instrumentation and a dynamic musicality - timestamping each track with a multi-layered retro feel. Lou’ana’s heritage as a second generation Samoan New Zealander is also brought to the fore on album title track, Moonlight Madness;
“Moonlight Madness is an earthy brew, infused with my Samoan heritage. We used the pate (log drum) on the track, including a Samoan proverb that speaks of the synergy between the physical and spiritual realms, and I wrote a Samoan chant with my Aunty which calls upon the spirit of the moon goddess! This song was written for dancing, losing yourself in the hypnotic beat. I wanted to find the sweet spot between voodoo blues and Pacific elements and after starting this song over a few times, I think we found it!”
Lou’ana celebrates the release of Moonlight Madness with a very special album release show in Auckland on 26 November. Expect an evening of 60’s influenced magick and witchery under the influence of the full moon. Tickets available now from undertheradar.co.nz.
While laying the groundwork for her debut release, Lou’ana has performed all around New Zealand as a solo artist, and as part of the inimitable funk troupe Hipstamatics, who have delivered the groove to a multitude of festivals across the country. The spell-binding artist has supported a number of New Zealand jazz acts including Andrew Faleatua at Samoana Jazz Festival and the 2015 Pacific Music Awards, as well as providing live vocals for a collection of celebrated kiwi artists.
MoonlIght Madness is out now through all digital outlets, with vinyl copies available from Holiday Records.