LOU’ANA: Soul Sister Extraordinaire
An interview by Tim Gruar.
With the gorgeous tones of Amy Winehouse and the attitude of Ladi 6 and Aaradhna, vocalist and singer-songwriter Lou’ana’s free spirited, catchy, hook laden soul music is downright hip shaking, layered in dreamy girl group doo-wop, a sprinkle of jazz, and is one of unparalleled magic.
She’s been described as the voice that carries “the stature of an old soul; a cosmic cocktail of sweet and soulful, with an added gritty, blues edge that references the golden age of Eta James, to the rawness of Stevie Nicks.” She sure does. And you can catch some of that special alchemy in her upcoming national tour.
For or the past six years Lou’ana has been working as a musician full time, creating her own brand of soul and funk predominantly within Auckland’s vibrant live community. She’s also been on the road touring with The Andrew Faleatua Band and Two Many Chiefs and funk fusion legends the Hipstamatics, whom she’s been with since her Jazz School days. You also may have seen her on stage recently with the ‘Come Together’ collective whom put on the ‘Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ shows. Later this year you can see her join the supergroup again for the ‘Come Together: Rolling Stones Tour’. She’s also supported a Kiwi jazz acts including Andrew Faleatua at Samoana Jazz Festival in Samoa and at the 2015 Pacific Music Awards.
Just the other week she was nominated for three awards in this year’s Pacific Music Awards (Best Pacific Female Artist, Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist and Best Pacific Music Album for her debut solo effort ‘Moonlight Madness’ which dropped last October).
This month Lou’ana will be touring the album around the rohe complete with an 8 piece band. The album has some wonderfully conjuring tricks including ‘Eye To Eye’ a delicious cocktail of modern R&B mixed with retro jazz and pop. It’s enhanced by a bewitching video that features performances choreographed by Luminary choreographer, Jane Strickland. Directed by Anna Duckworth, who shoots all of Lou’ana’s videos, alongside some fab camera work by Nina Wells. “We were inspired by (Netflix show) ‘The OA’ and also the way magic and ‘spells’ are presented on some of my favourite shows like ‘The Magician’.
Magic and ‘witchery’ features great deal in her work, right down to the timing of the release of the album it came from, which coincided with the last full super moon. The day before a full moon in the Northern Hemisphere is known as the Hunters Moon, preceded earlier the Harvest Moon. An occurrence of two full moons in a month is rare, prompting the saying “once in a blue moon”.
When ‘Eye To Eye’ came out in in early 2019 to critical acclaim, she scooped not one but three 2020 Pacific Music Award nominations for Best Pacific Music Video, Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist and Best Pacific Female Artist.
‘Love Bind’ continues to bewitch, referencing love potions and mind warping. Duckworth’s provocative video starts off with a girl group pyjama party and ends with a spot of bondage, albeit tame frivolity. More girl magic through sultry, powerful movement and bewitching visual spellcasting.
Born in Tamaki Makarau, educated in Kirkiriroa, soul singer Lou’ana Whitney Pereira grew up in musical household with something of a unique musical whakapapa. Like Lou’ana, her mother and uncles are also songwriters. And her grandfather was known back in Samoa as a practitioner of Ailao Afi – fire dancing.
Lou’ana told me she hadn’t seen her grandfather perform but had heard many stories and tall tales. Perhaps, in some small way this had sparked her own interest in things mystical. From an early age she was influenced by retro tv shows like ‘Bewitched’ and ‘Charmed’. She loves to sprinkle a little magic into her own brand of soul, funk and blues, influenced by girl groups, jazz heroes and nostalgic greats like Fleetwood Mac who frequented the radio airwaves while she was growing up. Lou’ana’s training came from many experiences from performing in school musicals and choirs and recitals before going on to study and professionally train in Jazz at the New Zealand School of Music Te Kōkī.
Not long after graduating, Lou’ana jumped on a cruise ship for four months singing for her supper and playing everything from soft rock covers to jazz standards. “Performing every night, sometimes several times a day, really helped me to sharpen my skills.” Along the way she spent a lot of downtime listening to music and discovering new artists, like Madeleine Peroux and Billy Holiday.
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Arriving back in Aotearoa she rushed into Roundhead Studios to lay down her first solo material, mainly a cache of standards and classics with her own unique ‘witchery’ twists.
Not long after she returned again with her debut album ‘Moonlight Madness’ a work taking over two and a half years to complete. The production, she says is smooth and professional, sultry and lush – all thanks to some meticulous attention to detail and a clear focus from her producer Nathan Judd.
“Nate and I spent hours in the studio working and reworking for two and a half years. We booked sessions around my live gigs, which was hard at times.“ Lou’ana would bring in material to explore and they’d ‘workshop them up ‘before approaching musicians to record. “Inspiration,” she says, “comes from everywhere.” There were ideas in everything from everyday life to dreams and big plans. Lou’ana and Nate shared a passion for 60’s and 70’s soul and funk, so it’s no surprise then that plenty slips in between the cracks on these numbers. They are all soul and witchery – spell binding delights for your ears.
Lou’ana has two stops left on her winter tour – Paisley Stage in Napier on the 20th August, and at Meow in Wellington on the 21st August. There are tickets to both shows available from Banished Music, but get in quick as they are sure to sell out!
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