Swiss Alps & Skull Tears – Getting To Know Synth Pop Artist LUMiN

I had a chance to sit down with LA-based Electro Pop artist LUMiN who has created his own unique twist on modern alternative pop music. He just released his new single “The Worst Thing”, created in part by co-producer Blake Healy of American Pop-Rock band Metro Station. The song introduces a fun, danceable feeling right from the start which serves as a contrast to his somber, self-reflective lyrics.
LUMiN’s previous singles have been recognized by Kiss FM and Spotify’s own New Music Friday. Impressively, he has joined O.A.R on their Just Like Paradise tour & plans to release his highly anticipated EP “LUMiNADE” in 2020.

You can listen to “The Worst Thing” on Spotify now!

LUMiN, can you tell us more about how you came up with the name LUMiN? What does it mean to you and what was it inspired by?

The name LUMiN is short for Luminosity, which is a measurement of light. My mom used to call me Lumin when I was young to represent the light I brought into her life. I owe much of my initial interest in music to my mom, so instead of just sitting there trying to come up with a name out of thin air, LUMiN seemed like the right thing to go with.

You live in LA now – is that where you grew up?

I am originally from Long Island, NY. I spent most of my youth moving around to different places throughout New York, and New Jersey. I moved to Los Angeles about 6 years ago to purse the dream of being a successful artist. At that time the NYC music scene was a lot of bar shows, or concerts with artists who were already having moderate to large amounts of success. There was not a lot of middle ground for newer artists to grow there, so I decided to up and move 3000 miles to the land of dreams and I am very glad I did.

What led you to pursue a career in music? We’d love to know more about the journey up until now.

I really only discovered my passion for creating music when I was about 17 years old. It started out as a love for acting and for writing poetry. My high school offered an elective guitar class, which is fairly unusual for a high school to offer, and I decided that could be a cool way to get school credit while learning something fun. Once I learned a few chords I decided to put some of my poetry to music, and the rest is history. I joined my first band and started gigging and over the course of the next few years I spent a lot of time writing songs and playing local shows. After a few different bands, I found one that was serious enough to start touring and releasing music online, and I have been pursuing music as a career non stop ever since.

Where did the skull graphics come about and why? Do you feel the skull represents you in some way?

I remember being in my bedroom in a house in Sherman Oaks that I shared with 3 other musicians when I came up with the skull. I have always been into skulls and punk aesthetics, and I thought it would be a cool way to represent LUMiN outside of just my face. It definitely does represent me, as well as other people. Each of my album artworks represent the song they are placed with, in some form, based on what and who the song is about. It has kind of become its own world with characters and scenarios. I would love to see it become an animated series or animated music videos down the line. I very much love stories and characters etc, which I think is what got me wanting to be an actor before I discovered music.

What do you feel are some of the pros of being an artist in today’s music industry climate and what do you feel are some of the cons?

The answer to both questions is technology. Essentially anyone can create, record, and release music these days. This is great for the artist on a budget, who can’t afford professional studio time, doesn’t have the means to go on tour, and is lacking major financial backing in general. You can literally record a full song on your phone these days, which is something that in the past was impossible. For those who take music very seriously, have honed their craft, and are deeply passionate, this is awesome. We are no longer required to be born into money, or have a record deal to do what you need to do to get music out there. This is a double edged sword, because there is little to no quality control. A lot of viral sensations end up becoming more popular due to their shock value and marketability to an audience that romanticizes meme culture. At any given time period, there will be positives and negatives about the music industry, I prefer to focus on the positive and be excited that so much great music is making it to peoples ears, and that young artists have the means to share their craft so freely.

You have an EP coming out soon entitled “LUMiNADE” – can you tell us about what we can expect?

Expect the unexpected I suppose. I have employed a fairly wide range of sounds and styles on all of the songs in this EP. Each song is sort of a mixed concoction of different flavors that you wouldn’t normally see used in the same cocktail. The EP itself is one big representation of that, as all of the songs take up their own unique space. I will say that the subject matter is all of the same relative ilk. I have always been one to write about heartbreak and emotional content. It’s a lot of sad stories set to upbeat happy sounding music. There however is one track on there that breaks that mold called “2 BLiND HORSES” which goes forth and completely revels in its deep somberness. I would say that song is the one I am most excited about putting out into the world.

What instruments do you play? And do you feel it’s necessary for artist’s to play instruments?

I play a very little bit of everything. I am not necessarily gifted at any particular instrument other than the voice. I don’t think playing instruments is necessary, but it can certainly be a boon. Personally, I am able to get away with bare minimum as far as physically playing whatever instruments I want on a song, and do a lot more work when it comes to using my producing ability to make it sound not terrible. However, I am fairly new to producing as well. I only started doing it about 4 years ago. The first song I ever fully produced and recording on my own was my single “iDWF”, which ended up being the the song that got me some initial buzz. Goes to show that sometimes you gotta trust yourself and your vision as opposed to what people believe should be the standard.

Where do you see LUMiN in 5 years? 10? We’d love to know more about your greater vision for the alias.

I see LUMiN in a hot tub in the Swiss alps relaxing and listening to Tibetan meditation music. Now as far as how I get there, I think releasing a ton of music, and hitting the road as often as possible. I love writing and recording tunes, but if you ask me what my favorite part of being an artist is, I would absolutely say touring. I love performing and connecting with an audience, and I love traveling. I feel more at home on a stage in a city I have never been in than I do in my own apartment. My only real goal is to be able to do all of the aforementioned, as a living for as long as possible. If I could just keep connecting with people in some form and having that relationship with my audience, I am a happy little LUMiN.

Be sure to follow LUMiN on Facebook. Instagram & Twitter to learn more.