Shiah Luna Talks Debut EP ‘Patience & Mystery’

Shiah Luna, a dynamic storyteller who has appeared in several series and films including Side Effects and The Redeemer, recently launched her debut EP Patience & Mystery.

Met with critical acclaim, the genre-blending eclectic album encapsulates a range of emotions following Luna’s journey of self-discovery and mending a heart. Patience & Mystery will give listeners an insight into the artist’s process, especially the opening track “Solo,” which is a masterful blend of vulnerability and confidence that introduces Luna’s spirit carried throughout the EP.

Unapologetically confident, her music speaks to millions.

OFM caught up with Luna to talk more about the EP, as well as the passion behind her artistry and being involved with The Goodness Tour, which helps people facing adversity through music and art therapy.

Congrats on the release of your debut EP, Patience & Mystery! How does it feel to release this project out into the world?

Thank you! It feels like I can finally breathe because these are songs from my journals from the last five years. Out of the many songs that I wrote, these were the ones that stood out, and I wanted to make them tangible. It’s always fun to share music in a living room session style with friends, but there’s nothing like having a record and being able to release inefficiently.

Can you tell us more about the concept, inspiration, and overall story behind the album?

“Patience and mystery,” that’s a lyric from the song “Burned on My Brain,” and the word “patience” is such a big one for me because being a creative and being a human, with life projects and learning about yourself, it takes a lot of patience. Also, the unknowns of relationships, the unknowns of a career, family, what you’re going to do next and how it looks, I think everything about this journey has been about patience. My journey and defining it, even with other people, love, and loss. The mystery pretty much sums up my love for the process of the unknown, and that’s truly what being a creative is. We have this vision, but how it’s going to happen, there’s a bit of a question mark.

I read that the opening track, “Solo,” introduces your independent spirit carried throughout the EP. How so?

Personally, I recently went through a breakup, so I am officially in that solo, independent, free mentality. Really, it’s not a knock to anyone else or any of my exes, but it’s truly being okay with being alone and the freedom that comes with that. That journey of self-love, but also, I’m sassy in this song. I’m definitely giving it to you a little, but it’s truly about personal independence. There’s so much pressure in life to find the one and find this person that’s going to make you whole, but honestly, you’re going to make yourself whole. You’re going to have true happiness if you can love yourself, and that’s where I’m at right now. It’s been amazing, especially after these breakup songs on the album (laughs).

The music video for “Solo” was also your first. What did you take away from that experience?

What I took away from that experience was, it let me relive who I am in my own apartment. There’s this moment of shock when an ex just leaves, picks up and goes. Someone’s out of your world after you’ve been seeing them every day for so long. Just like that, they’re gone. There’s the shock factor, but then it’s like, what am I going to do now? Oh, I have a lot going for me.

So, the beauty of this music video is, up until the end, I’m slowly beginning to love my world a bit and have fun. Dance like no one’s watching because no one is, and that’s who I am in a nutshell. When I’m home alone and vibing with myself, it does get silly. It’s freeing, and I’m also crying on the floor. I’m feeling all the emotions, and it was cool to relive that and work with Keishawn Blackstone. He provided a fun, safe space for that.

Can we expect more music videos from you in the future?

Definitely! Next up is going to be “Hurricane,” and I’m looking to do the piano noire type of moment. My vision is as I’m playing piano and singing, I have this lyrical dancer around me to kind of represent the love that I had in that relationship of who that song’s about. The push and pull of realizing you still have feelings for someone, but it’s all beautiful and growth, and I want to project that into this video a little more emotional and cinematic.

Then we’re gearing up for a big push for the music video for “Can’t Dance.” That’s probably going to be early next year, but we want to go all out with that and have a bunch of different, unique, and beautiful faces in the video dancing. It’s funny, I have this vision where I want everyone to just quit their job in the music video and follow me through the town. I’m a huge Janet Jackson fan, and in some of her old videos like “Alright,” people go through the town and have this amazing freedom of expression.

How has Patience & Mystery been received by listeners?

It’s been great! Everyone has been very receptive to how eclectic it is, and it’s fun to hear who likes what. The fan favorite seems to be “Can’t Dance,” which is the poppier funk. People have said I remind them of Prince in that, and I’m just like, “Oh my gosh, thank you!” My parents listened to a lot of Prince and Earth, Wind & Fire while I was growing up, so for me to live in that space is fun, and I want to do more of it because people are like, “That’s your sound.”

It also depends on what crowd I’m in, too. Women absolutely love “Solo.” There’s always that hoot and holler at the show when I sing, “middle finger up, you can suck it real hard like a pacifier.” That’s when I really feel women empowerment. Saying the things that maybe we can’t or don’t want to say, but that’s the moment where I think, yeah, we’re feeling it.

So, it’s been a good response. I think people like that it’s emotional and eclectic. I did produce a lot of it as well, so it’s been nice to have opinions and feedback from people. I’m like, “Wow, this is something that came from nothing.” It’s pretty wild.

What do you ultimately hope audiences take away from your music?

I think it kind of sums up the album name, Patience & Mystery. To find that inner patience with the mystery in life through these songs, so maybe it’ll be nostalgic for some people. Like, I remember when I felt like that, and I didn’t want to see this person again because I still had feelings, or wow, “Can’t Dance” just inspires me to live my best life and love who I love. So, I want people to be moved and inspired, whatever that may be, or grab a box of tissues. There’s a couple in there, but ultimately, just to feel good, and be inspired to create your own moments.

Have you always had a passion for entertainment?

I have. I can remember blowing out my birthday candles at 5 years old and being like, “I want to be a singer. I want to be an actress. I want to do this.” It was a very clear triangle of music, acting, and giving back to nonprofits. I think I was just born with that DNA. Even if I’m having a tough time along the journey, it’s always been very clear that I wanted to be a storyteller, whatever that may be. Maybe I’ll go on these different journeys and paths throughout life, but I have been writing songs since I was about 10 or 11. I don’t know if they were any good, but I was writing and expressing (laughs).

As an actress, you are known for playing Olivia De La Cruz in Side Effects, and you’ve been in several other TV series and films. Do you prefer one medium over the other?

I don’t. I get this question a lot, and I feel like both are very much my happy place. I don’t have to pick one. I think music is just life, and some people could say this about acting and filmmaking, but I love how collaborative filmmaking and acting is, but what it does to me inside, it reaches really deep within and figures out my triggers and psyche. If anything, that helps with my songwriting.

What I do love about music specifically is that it brings people together and they have their own relationship to whatever song is playing. So, yeah, I love them both. I don’t think I can just pick one.

You are also a member of The Goodness Tour, which helps people facing adversity through music and art therapy. Can you talk more about that?

Absolutely. During the pandemic, I connected with the Goodness Tour on a song called “Thank You for All That You Do.” I virtually recorded my voice and did the song with the whole team, and it went out and raised money for people struggling throughout COVID. That was kind of the beginning of working with them, but back in 2010 or 2011, I had gone to Haiti after the earthquake, and then to Uganda for a special mission trip to teach music. I had a project called “Together We Are Strong,” so I had created this music video that’s out there on YouTube.

A co-worker at one of the nonprofits I work for said I should be a part of the Goodness Tour and that I would be a perfect fit. Honestly, it’s a heart posture. It’s why we do what we do. The main reason is to help people at the end of the day, whatever that looks like. Fast forward to last year, the Reid Foundation and the Goodness Tour partnered up, and we did music and art therapy at a rehab center in Columbus, Ohio, 10-day workshops with a therapist, and there’s just so much power and healing with music and art. It was beautiful to see the transformation from day one to day 10.

Also, me not knowing what I was going to do but trusting that music was going to do what it’s supposed to do. It’s different for us to just show up like that and have a little bit of a curriculum, but really, each day was so different with the patients. We had to read the room and tap in spiritually. Maybe the plan that we had that day didn’t work out, but at the end of the day, we were writing songs with people who had never written songs before, depression levels were going down, and people were excited about their recovery.

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your career?

Oh, great question. I would love to go on tour and travel more, and I would love to do more interviews on television, award shows, and charity events. My personal goal, I would love to co-write with A-list artists and artists that I love. There really is no limit to it. So, as a songwriter, I would love to grow and have more records with other artists, collaborations, touring, and performing live.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?

Honestly, the music as we keep it alive, I just hope to connect more, and the upcoming music videos are where it’s at. I do have some show dates coming up, so stay tuned!

Stay up-to-date and connect with Luna by following her on Instagram @shiahluna, or visit her official website, iamshiah.com. Patience & Mystery is available on all digital streaming platforms.

Photos courtesy of Shiah Luna and Marisa Bertani