My boss told me I was interviewing an alien.
Wow. A lowly civilian like me, carefully selected to have an encounter that is out of this world. I slowly crept up on the life form, and she was unlike anything I had ever seen. She was…Luna Aura.
Talented singer and songwriter, Luna Aura came to Earth to give our ears an otherworldly gift. She was born and raised on the planet San Diego, California and lives now in Phoenix, Arizona. Her upbeat electro pop tunes will have you on your feet and dancing, a very cruel spell she can cast! She had a show at South Philadelphia High School the morning I spoke to her on the phone. Aura enjoys "connecting and inspiring children, and reaching out to women". This feminist alien wants to show women that they “don’t have to be what society thinks you should be to be a powerful person.” And, as many of us can relate to, Beyoncé is her spirit animal. She identifies as “a strong woman and as an alien, someone who’s not afraid of being kooky and weird.” Her motto? "Never settle," which is ironic, because Aura did settle on Earth. Nothing gets past me, Luna Aura!
To get her through her day, she tells herself “At least there’s Taco Bell” as a mantra every morning. Her celebrity crush is Edward Norton, she says.“He’s kind of nerdy, and I like that.” She would like to become famous to marry him, and then live happily ever after. "Fight Club" is her favorite movie.
"...a strong woman and as an alien, someone who’s not afraid of being kooky and weird."
The name “Luna Aura” is actually a comic book character. This character "has the aura vision, which means that she can see and feel what others are feeling, and then she can manipulate it," says Aura. This is what Luna feels that she does through music, so that is her super power. After her collegiate national tour, she is "focusing on writing and collaborating with other artists to make more music." She loves working with three or more minds to see how her music can develop. "I feel like it can only grow from here!"
“Unbreak My Heart” by Toni Braxton was the first human song she sang, when she was 3 or 4 years old. She started performing at age 15, with the support of her family as her number one fans. She grew up with a Homicide Detective and a Patrol Cop for a father, so she learned how to sharpen her senses. Since her father was an earthling, he got to know the world and taught her to read humans very well, to see who she could trust in her life. According to Aura, she can "tell within 30 seconds whether someone is genuine or not."
She began playing in coffee shops, and then joined a rock band when she was 16. A year ago, Aura met her manager at a Super Bowl karaoke party. The manager saw her belt out Katy Perry and was blown away. He knew that he needed to have her on his team. She works with a different producer for every song to really give her music a variety of sound and spirit. She collaborated with Eric Sanivola to create “Dancing With Your Ghost,” which is a song dedicated to Luna’s baby brother who passed away suddenly about a year ago. We have the great pleasure of exclusively releasing the below lyric music video of "DWYG!"
Luna Aura’s current tour started in New York, and she is bussing herself and her crew around the nation to perform at high schools, colleges, and various venues. She visits schools with music programs so that she can discuss music, self-worth, and empowerment with the next generation. "I consider myself an empathetic writer. My stories are not necessarily mine, but my friends’ and family’s experiences that I turn into songs. I want to tell stories and represent those without the opportunity to express themselves."
"I want to tell stories and represent those without the opportunity to express themselves."
Luna Aura explains to aspiring artists to not “get distracted by anything,” and to live, breathe, and sweat your goals and dreams in order to make them your reality. “Get up every morning and don’t stop thinking about it. The harder you work, the faster it will come. That’s just how it works.”
Visit us at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Luna Aura! We would love to have you and meet a real, live alien!
