August 17, 2024 by jayneanastasia Leave a comment

I actually can’t remember exactly when I first came across Luna Collins. I do know that it was on one of our mutual social media platforms. I’m pretty sure we were discussing the Bee Gees or some other musically inclined group. We seemed to hit it off right away and struck up a friendship. Luna is one of those types of people that you instantly feel very comfortable with. There’s just a feeling you get, like she has an old soul. She’s very thoughtful in her words, slow to speak, quick to listen.

I have a feeling these attributes have not hindered, but rather aided her in her songwriting. Luna is a musician you see, and she prides storytelling as something she strives for in her songwriting. Being a good listener and a thoughtful thinker surely must provide added insight to draw her creativity from.

Knowing that she was a recording musician, I told her that one day I would love to Feature her here in At a Glance Mag. She agreed and shared that eventually she would have a project that she would be really excited to release, and that would be the time to tell her story! Well friends, that day has finally come!

This Feature is being timed to coincide with the release of Luna‘s most recent single from her upcoming album! The single is a cover of the Bee Gees song, Lemons Never Forget, from their 1968 second album release Horizontal. Take a listen to the single and then we are going to jump right in to get to know Luna and her music a bit better!

It’s good to have you here, Luna! I’m so excited to be chatting with you all about music, including your new single! First off, would you give us a little introduction to yourself?!

Hiya, Jayne!

Born in San Francisco, my parents moved out to the suburbs when I was still young. We still spent loads of time in The City (the correct local name for SF!) My dad sold beer and my mum made candy for the legendary See’s Candy. Because we had (literally) bags of reject chocolate in our house, I must have had more than my fill and even now find I really don’t have a sweet tooth.

I saw the beatniks give away to the hippies in the ‘60s….and with that the changes in attitude and music had a tremendous influence on me. More than that, though, was growing up in a home where my alcoholic father (called a happy Irish drunk in those days) was always singing. That probably has the deepest impact on my early life.

When did you realize you were musically inclined?

My earliest memories revolve around singing all the old fashioned songs with my Dad….and telling him I wanted to sing when I grew up. I dreamed in music. I loved our old tube radio as I would sing along with every song.

What instruments do you play?

In my life I’ve played guitar, violin, and recorder but the only instrument with which I’m proficient is piano.

Have you had any formal musical training? Instrumental, voice, composing…

Piano lessons for a bit – but quit to do a bit of self teaching. I know theory and have taught piano and voice for years, but vastly prefer to play by ear and intuition. Self taught everything else.

What first got you into creating and performing music? Were there any pivotal moments in your childhood that you feel influenced you into creating music?

When I was three years old I started dancing – tap ala Shirley Temple. My mum was eager to get me on stage, so people thought she was a typical pushy stage mother, but I loved performing and really wanted to do it.

We had a piano in the house that nobody played. As soon as I could reach the keys I would pick out tunes by ear. My parents eventually decided to give me piano lessons starting age 5….but I had a very eccentric teacher who didn’t teach classics, but loved tunes like Malagueña that allowed improv from guitar arrangements into piano. This made me realize I could make up my own songs! So I started doing that at 8 years of age.

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

They’re challenging to describe, I think. Spans Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Rock, Psychedelic, Ska, Pop, etc. all the influences of life go into them. Hopefully, the constant thread is storytelling. That’s what I like to paint in the songs and lyrics.

What music do you currently listen to? Do you have specific music to listen to depending on your mood?

My mood certainly does play a part in what I listen to. I love listening to my son’s band, The Coffis Brothers…they have a rich catalogue. Always love hearing Beatles, and The Kinks are amazing! The Bee Gees 5 (the original 5 piece group) LPs are a treasure (hence wanting to cover a track!) When I want to dance, I love Johnny Clegg and Juluka, and Suvuka – I have to move when I hear that music! I love Strangers in a Strange Land (therefore wanting to work with them!), and Tall Poppy Syndrome. Motown, R&B, Beach Boys, Jam, Pretenders, Clash, ah – so much!!

Is there a style of music that you particularly love, but don’t choose to incorporate into your sound?

Sure…I’m not really capable of good R&B – but I love it! Influences go into the ultimate mix but not as a completely pure genre.

Who are/have been your influencers/role models in music as well as in life?

Songwriters I admire, and learning about how they work with their muse and influences is a true inspiration to me. All the usual suspects are there: Lennon/McCartney, Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, Paul Weller, Elvis Costello, Chrissy Hynde, Oliver Warren….I learn from all of them.

As a songwriter, what is your creative process like? Do you start with music or lyrics, and how does an idea begin to shape?

I love to walk long distances – it creates a creative space in my mind and heart. It’s often when an idea comes – usually as a title of a song, but it may end up as just a lyric. Often a groove comes at the same time and I sometimes have to stop and sing into my phone app to get a record of the idea. I’m so often moved by an experience that I feel needs to be expressed for me to come to terms with it, and I’m aware it might be relatable to others.

Do you enjoy collaborating with other artists when writing and/or when in the studio recording, or do you prefer more to have your own vision and to keep it pure “you” in that regard?

I LOVE collaboration. I always feel that it can bring out the best version of a song with ideas no one person might have expressed alone. The challenge in this latest release has been timing – working with people in different parts of the world can delay things or make communication difficult. Still, worth the effort.

If you would enjoy collaborating, who would you like to collaborate with?

I have been so very fortunate to have just done so on Lemons Never Forget in collaboration with Paul Kopf, Alec Palao, and the incredible Vince Melouney! That has been so wonderful working with such off-the-charts talent. I have a few exciting collaborations to explore with some tremendous musical talents that I hope will happen sooner rather than later!

Would you share a bit of what happens when you enter a studio to record your music?

I love being in the studio! I work with a superb producer here in Manchester, Danny Beck, who is so much fun to work with. I usually send him something as a raw demo to give him an idea of what the track will be, and then I go into the studio with ideas and he helps me achieve them. He’s amazing. My past studio work has also been fun with previous bands, but at this point I really like going in, laying down the basics – usually with piano and guide vocals and then fleshing it out.

Do you find that your music evolves from when you first compose to the point when you are actually ready to record, and if so, are there common factors that take place to bring that change about? Then following, how close does the idea of your track mirror the final product once through production and mastering?

One major evolution of my tracks usually takes place when adding guitar. Since I’m a keys person I lay down the fundamentals of the song structure and chords by piano, but in my head it’s often a guitar sound I want. That’s when the personality of the song emerges. Getting the rhythm track down really shapes the picture since I’m in love with great bass lines.

The demo never really sounds like my idea of the finished track, with a couple of exceptions, like my track Kevin’s Window which is just me and the piano. It’s exciting when the mix and master is done and the track breathes life! I enjoy working with Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road for mastering as he is so tuned into the perfect balance of sound and clarity.

If you could open a show for any artist who would it be?

Ooh, maybe Dennis Davison in LA! Love his music and I’d enjoy getting the show started. Also, Jay Murray in Liverpool! He’s an absolute star, and it would be fun to warm up his crowd. Carla Olson in LA would be great!! Hard to narrow it down!

When performing, do you have any pre-show rituals?

Not really. Just played a gig with the band I play with when I can, Feet to the Beat. No consistent practice or ritual is important to me. Mentally I just picture it all going well with happy faces in the audience.

Do you suffer from nerves/stage fright/performance anxiety prior or during your performance, and if so, how do you try to keep that at bay?

Not really. I get a heightened sense of nerves, but not so much to hinder, just gives me a boost of energy!

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

No doubt about it, the impact is massive. On one hand, the days of fat rich record executives squeezing their artists is not really the norm; on the other hand, it is nearly impossible to make music your total priority as an artist and get paid enough to sustain the creativity without massive touring and merch sales. Sure, some people have done it…but unless you’re already established it’s not at all common. It’s disheartening.

So as I mentioned in the introduction, you have a new single just released titled Lemons Never Forget, which is the cover of a song written in 1968 by the three Bee Gees brothers, and recorded by the Bee Gees 5, including Vince Melouney and Colin Petersen. Vince played lead guitar on the original, and now on the new single cover with you. How did that collaboration come about and how did it feel to be working with someone of Vince‘s history?!

I’ve actually wanted to do a cover of Lemons Never Forget for ages. I talked about it forever ago with my dear friend Paul Kopf from Strangers in a Strange Land, and we agreed it would be the perfect Bee Gees song to do. Since Vince Melouney is a friend, I saw him perform in Denmark with the Italian Bee Gees, and after a show I asked him if he’d want to play guitar on a cover – which would be grand as he’s on the original. He surprised me by saying he actually wanted to do it and already had some guitar parts laid down. He sent them to me, and Paul and I laid down vocals, Alec Palao put the bass and synth sounds on and we were so happy to have Justin Smith provide the drums! So, California and England communications went round for ages, and eventually all the parts were mixed in both Manchester and California and finally mastered in Cal, and now finally ready. I am humbled and honoured to be a part of a project with all these characters.

You shared with me that the single, Lemons Never Forget, is part of an upcoming album, so do you have an approximate date to when you are looking to release the album, and will it be more along the same flavor as this new single or be a bit of a mixed bag of sounds?

I’ve got two more single releases after this one before I’ll put out the LP…which could be near the end of the year. Checking if enough people will want vinyl or CDs…might go all out. It’s always a bit mixed I think. I always loved albums that had a few different types of sound, sub-genres. That’s my approach too.

Any advice to share for someone starting in this field?

Don’t get discouraged by anything people will tell you that has a negative tone: you’re too young/old/broke/busy/idle/ugly/shy/different/etc. Stay the course and do it for YOU! When you do, others will find your story inspirational.

Any other upcoming projects/events you’d like to share?

Will write a book. Don’t know when it will be done, but I will do it. I take inspiration from Ray Davies Unauthorized Autobiography.

Thank you Luna, for taking time to chat, it’s been wonderful discovering more about you and your music! Such cool stuff, looking forward to hearing all of the sounds you’ll be sharing in the upcoming months. For those who would like to know more or get in touch, here is Luna’s Linktree which provides access to her social media music platforms!

Now, before we close, here is a little thing I like to call “Fast Five“… they are five general random questions for Luna that are just for fun…

Favorite guilty pleasure?

Never guilty about any pleasure if it hurts no one! I love what I love unapologetically.

You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you going to go?

Hmmm – since I sort of have that option at almost anytime – day job is working for an airline – I’d have to say most likely the west coast of California – north and south. So many fab people to see!

Define happiness in one word?

Giving.

If you could meet anybody, dead or alive, who would it be?

John Lennon.

Trip to outer space or the bottom of the ocean?

Bottom of the ocean – I’m a water baby.