- Words Notion Staff
Ash Lune talks her musical firsts, from winning Triple J competitions to seeing Deadmau5 in Mumbai and the greatness of Eminem.
Ash Lune is the Brisbane raised popstar with a verdant vocal range. Creating serene songs that transport listeners to simpler times, the artist wants to make timeless music that evokes emotion. With her latest single, “Sunday Afternoon”, she does just this, filling the air with folky balladry and scintillating string scores.
Born in Mumbai, Ash Lune’s quickly gaining social media notoriety thanks to her engaging persona and candid videos. But before she received mainstream success, the singer-songwriter had a hard time convincing her parents of a musical career path. To her, a fraught life of uncertainty is more interesting than a life of monotony, and this shines through her music.
“Sunday Afternoon” and its acoustic guitar riff illuminates relatable vulnerabilities with a powerful melancholy. Like a friendly hug, the track embraces its listeners and gives a supportive hand to anyone in search of themselves. Accompanied by beautifully poetic lyricism, the song will unquestionably propel Ash Lune further towards musical stardom.
To honour its release, we spoke with Ash Lune about her musical firsts, from winning Triple J competitions to seeing Deadmau5 in Mumbai. Tap in below.
First song you ever made?
The first song I ever made was called “Remember” and it wasn’t half bad actually. I definitely want to rework and release it soon!
First time you performed together as a band?
The first time I performed with the band was at Big Sound when I won the Triple J Unearthed competition last year. It was a surreal experience and so much fun. Also, I don’t know if this counts but I think my girlfriends and I had a “girlband” when we were about five or six years old. It was super embarrassing. We had a show in the lobby of our apartment building, and we didn’t even have real instruments – we were banging plates and singing off key.
First CD or record you owned?
The first proper CD I bought was Eminem’s ‘Recovery’. It was on loop every day. I’m a huge stan! My brother also made a lot of mixtapes and he always burned an extra copy for me to listen to, so those were really the first ones I owned.
First time you realised you wanted to do music full time?
When my management signed me. I didn’t think I was ever going to be one of those lucky people with labels and management. When they signed me I thought that they were going to think that they’d made a mistake. I prepared myself for that call to come but it never did.
First gig and first festival you went to?
The first gig I ever went to was Deadmau5 in Bombay. I was underage but we sneaked in. There weren’t a lot of concerts that happened in Bombay at that time so even if you knew three songs, you went! I loved it. The first festival I went to was NH7 Weekender in Pune. I remember wandering off and ending up crying under a drinks table, where a group of random girls found and consoled me. I only came out when I heard Jose Gonzalez play live.
First time you faced an obstacle in your career?
I think the first obstacle I faced was having to submit the thesis for my Masters degree in the same week I submitted a demo EP of five songs. Either that or when I had to finally tell my parents that I was not interested in becoming a psychotherapist and that I was flying to Sydney to write music for three weeks. I was Ash Lune and making music much before I told my family about it.
First instrument you owned?
It was a Yamaha keyboard and I bought it to play “Bella’s Lullaby” from The Twilight Saga. I had it for 12 years of my life, but I gave it away two weeks ago.
First time you felt like giving up?
Every day to be honest, ever since I started music. You feel like giving up constantly, but keep going because this life fraught with uncertainty is better than any other boring monotonous life I could lead.
First time you felt starstruck?
Joel Little texted me about my music on Instagram. I’m not sure if that’s the first time I was starstruck, but I think that was something huge for me because I’ve been a fan of his work since I was 15 years old. I know we’re under the same management, but it still blows my mind. Either that or when my manager put me in the room to write with PJ Harding.
