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Luna Li

Hannah Bussiere Kim (born October 3, 1996), better known by her stage name Luna Li, is a Canadian Toronto-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim rose to prominence after a series of videos of her home-performed multi-instrumental jam sessions, featuring her playing the harp, keyboard, guitar, and violin, became viral on social media.[2][3][4]

Luna Li
Luna Li in October 2022
Background information
Birth nameHannah Bussiere Kim
Born (1996-10-03) October 3, 1996 (age 28)[1]
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Years active2015 (2015)–present
Labels
Websitewww.lunali.ca

Kim began writing music as Veins, and released the record Moon Garden in 2015. As Luna Li, she self-released her debut extended play Opal Angel in 2017. After signing to AWAL Recordings and In Real Life, she released the jams extended play, a compilation of the viral jam sessions she composed during the pandemic, in 2021. Her debut record as Luna Li, Duality, was released on AWAL (Canada) and In Real Life (in the rest of the world) in 2022.

Early life

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Kim was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.[5] She is of Korean-Canadian heritage and cites her background as a major influence on her songwriting.[6]

Kim grew up with classical training in piano and violin, eventually also becoming proficient in harp, electric guitar, bass, and drums.[7] She attended Classical Music Conservatory in Toronto, where her mothers are co-directors.[8][9] She originally attended McGill University in Montreal to study violin, but dropped out after a semester to pursue her own songwriting and to start her own rock band in the Toronto music scene.[6] According to Kim, “When I was first starting out, I thought, ‘Rock and roll is cool, the violin is not.’”[10]

Career

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2014–2017: Veins

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In 2014, Kim started the garage rock group "Veins", the name of which came from a poem written during high school.[11] After returning from Montreal to Toronto in 2015, she concurrently attended Seneca College's one-year Independent Music Production program, graduating in 2016.[9] While Veins was initially conceived as a personal project, the group grew into a six-member live band that performed at local venues in Toronto and Montreal. In May 2015, the group's debut album Moon Garden was released on Bandcamp.[12] Though they had not reached out to media, the record received a warm reception from press and reviewer outlets.[11][13] In January 2017, they played their last show under the name Veins.[14] According to Kim, the group had intended to change their name since 2016, partly since “everyone thought Veins would be like a metal or a dark hard rock band, which it wasn't.”[7][11] She and her bandmates eventually decided on ‘Luna Li’, which fit the natural imagery and themes in her songwriting and production.[15]

2017–present: Luna Li

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As Luna Li, Kim self-released her first EP, Opal Angel, in 2017.[16] In February 2020, Kim released a new song titled "Trying".[17] Kim released another new song, "Afterglow", in August 2020.[18] In February 2021, Kim released her second EP, titled "Jams EP".[3] Kim released a new song titled "Cherry Pit" in March 2021.[19] Kim's next single, "Alone But Not Lonely", was released in May 2021.[20]

In September and October 2021, Kim embarked on a tour opening for Japanese Breakfast.[21] In May 2022, Luna Li appeared on Saturday Night Live as a violinist for Japanese Breakfast.

Kim released her debut album Duality, in 2022 to positive reviews.[6][22][23][24] She followed it up later in the year with the EP Jams 2.[25]

She toured with Wolf Alice, opening for them in fall 2022, before embarking on a headline tour.[25]

On May 15, 2024, Kim announced her second album, When a Thought Grows Wings, with release set for August 23 by In Real Life and AWAL.[26]

Awards

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In 2017, Luna Li won the SOCAN Foundation Award for Young Canadian Songwriters with her single Star Stuff, from the Opal Angel EP.[27]

Luna Li's debut album, Duality, was nominated for a Juno Award under the Alternative Album of the Year category in 2023.[28]

One of the songs from Duality, Silver Into Rain (Ft Beabadoobee), earned Luna Li the 2023 SOCAN Songwriting Prize.[29]

Discography

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Albums

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  • Duality (2022)
  • When a Thought Grows Wings (2024)

EPs

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Opal Angel (2017)

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All tracks are written by Luna Li

No.TitleLength
1."Opal Angel"2:34
2."Need A Lil' Love"3:10
3."Star Stuff"2:57
4."Ghosting"2:37
Total length:11:18

Jams EP (2021)

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All tracks are written by Luna Li

No.TitleLength
1."Cloud Castle"1:03
2."Flower"0:48
3."Baby Shred"1:49
4."Float"1:01
5."Harp Jam"0:58
6."2516"1:08
7."Staying In"0:42
8."Mirror"1:00
9."Kount Challenge"0:46
10."Fairy"0:54
Total length:10:09

Jams 2 EP (2022)

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All tracks are written by Luna Li

No.TitleLength
1."Daydream"1:09
2."Borders (Ft Aaron Paris)"0:44
3."Periwinkle"0:54
4."Butterflies (Ft Amaria)"0:58
5."Omnichord Jam"0:41
6."Skiptracing Lullaby"1:02
Total length:5:28

References

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  1. ^ "Luna Li (@lunaliband) -Twitter". Twitter. October 3, 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-22. ✨24 today!!✨this past year has been so amazing and i've been learning and growing every single day💕🦋so grateful that i spent 23 surrounded by music and the people i love🍒❤️
  2. ^ Hudson, Alex (May 22, 2020). "Toronto's Luna Li Is the Breakout Star of Physical Distancing". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Wang, Steffanee (February 11, 2021). "Luna Li On Her Viral Jam Videos, Niche Music Memes & More". Nylon. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  4. ^ Kelati, Haben (March 23, 2022). "4 concerts to catch in D.C. over the next several days". Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "Luna Li - Paradigm Talent Agency". www.paradigmagency.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Elliott, Debbie (March 13, 2022). "On her debut album 'Duality,' Luna Li finds a sense of belonging between two worlds". NPR. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Mughal, Alisha (January 15, 2022). "Class of 2020: Luna Li Creates Magical Worlds to Inspire Real Change". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Taylor-Singh, Heather (March 2, 2022). "Luna Li Turns Viral Fame into a Blossoming Music Career". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Schemmer, Cynthia (2020-11-25). "Top 5 Bedroom Studio Must Haves With Luna Li". She Shreds Media. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Now Staff (January 22, 2020). "The sound of Toronto right now: this music is setting the tone in 2020". NOW Toronto. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Stainsby, A.J. (September 15, 2016). "Veins". Mick Magazine. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017.
  12. ^ "Moon Garden, by Veins". Bandcamp. May 29, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  13. ^ Wright, Cody (August 27, 2015). "Veins - Moon Garden". the deli. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  14. ^ Anderson, Taija (February 7, 2017). "[PHOTOS] CLASS OF 2017: Veins, PARTNER + MORE". Jesus’ Sister. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  15. ^ Lopez, Valerie (November 14, 2021). "Luna Li, An Artist Enchanting the Stage and Carving Her Own Path in Music". EnVi Media. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  16. ^ "New Single From Luna Li "Opal Angel"". Impose. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  17. ^ Axeman, Stephen. "Premiere: Luna Li Shares Video for New Song "Trying"". Under the Radar. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  18. ^ Rose, Francesca (August 2020). "Today's Song: The Multi-Instrumentalist Magic of Luna Li's "Afterglow"". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  19. ^ Moran, Justin. "Luna Li Follows Her Dreams in 'Cherry Pit'". Paper. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  20. ^ Harmsen, Natalie. "Toronto's Luna Li Releases Dreamy Music Video for "Alone But Not Lonely"". Complex. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  21. ^ Mahale, Jenna. "Toronto's Luna Li makes psychedelic music to celebrate time spent alone". i-D. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  22. ^ Berman, Stuart. "Luna Li: Duality". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  23. ^ Cortassa, Guia. "Luna Li: Duality". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  24. ^ Nguyen, Alex (9 March 2022). "Album Review: Luna Li – Duality". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  25. ^ a b Renshaw, David (September 21, 2022). "Luna Li shares Jams 2 EP, announces North American tour". The Fader. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  26. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (May 15, 2024). "Luna Li details forthcoming album, When a Thought Grows Wings". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  27. ^ "Luna Li – Wavelength Music – Toronto's Curated Concert Series".
  28. ^ https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/here-are-all-the-2023-juno-nominees-1.6724343 [bare URL]
  29. ^ "Video Interview: Luna Li, winner of 2023 SOCAN Songwriting Prize". May 2024.
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