🎸🧘♂️🎨🎭👩🎓…❤️!!
There are sides to Rochelle Antoine that only music can express. For the artist, known as Luna, music is an immersive storytelling medium; through melody, she channels raw, complex emotions — and through lyrics, she boldly bares her truth-seeking soul.
“To me, music is more than entertainment to be enjoyed,” she shared. “It is one of the best forms of self-expression and one of the largest media for healing. It is important to me because it has always been a part of who I am. The parts of myself that I struggle to explain with words, I always found that music put it more eloquently, even if it was more abstract.”
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Aspiring to the world stage, Luna stuns diverse audiences with her striking vocals and magnetic stage presence. Yet, the Trinidadian songstress is by no means an overnight sensation. While still in diapers, she recalls playing her babysitter’s piano, showing early signs of an innate musical gift. Since then, her life has been centered around music and honing her vocal skills.
At age seven, Luna’s talent was already exceptionally brilliant, leading to her victory in a calypso competition at her primary school. From there, her passion for the arts grew. She began writing stories and poetry, which eventually evolved into songs. Although she’s now ready for global success, Luna is not driven by mere fame – instead, she aims to be recognized as a positive influence:
“I would like to be a household name for all the right reasons. I would like to inspire the minds of the people of the world to set aside their differences and deal with the things we need to heal from the most. I think that my music as a whole, and performing live in varying arenas, can do just that.”
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Luna’s life, occasionally cast in dark moments, has deepened her compassion. As she advances her career, for instance, she also copes with a rare genetic condition known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome — a connective tissue disorder that affects her body’s collagen. Acknowledging its impact, which includes hypermobility, joint pain and extreme tiredness, she revealed, “One major challenge continues to be my health. It’s hard to get motivated sometimes but when I get started, I am a force to be reckoned with.” Her heightened awareness of individual struggles and social ills, along with a desire for personal and societal growth, is represented by her moniker, which has deep significance.
“My stage name stemmed from a nickname I was known by at university, but that also came from an early childhood fascination with the moon, and being born on a Monday (Moon’s Day). It holds spiritual significance in that the moonlight shows things from a different perspective to that of sunlight.
“Similarly, my performing style and the stories I tell with my songs appeal to the hidden side of an individual — the part that needs further self-discovery in order to heal from past traumas and negative experiences.”
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For Luna, achieving outward star-status begins with finding the light within. As such, her ongoing self-discovery is reflected in her music, known for its emotional depth and authentic storytelling. Luna’s encounters with pain, hurt, suffering and loss are transformed into songs that convey a message of healing. Whether it’s via recorded work or live shows, she hopes that her lyrics can “reach people to the depths of their souls,” helping them confront and work through their own traumas.
Luna’s songwriting, inspired by her own life experiences, mirrors the moods and interests she has during her creative process. Each song offers a cathartic release — even helping her process and manage stress.
Sometimes, Luna’s creativity begins with a phrase or idea that lingers in her mind. If the words form a pattern she likes, she captures them on paper. Other times, she hears a melody or chord progression in her head, prompting her to work it out on a guitar or keyboard, allowing the words to flow naturally.
Luna’s intuitive approach to music results in compositions that are dynamic, eliciting broad genre-based interpretations from the listener. She noted, “You will notice the musical genres expressed according to what you are exposed to.” While she may intend for a track to have a strong Latin influence, others might hear jazz notes instead. Ultimately, she embraces this ambiguity, which evokes unique resonance for each listener.
Luna’s EP, Soul Dive Vol. 1, released in 2023, epitomizes her artistic vision. Tracks like “The End,” “Listless,” and “The Beginning” address relatable themes such as romantic separation, personal boundaries, and emotional turmoil. Luna’s songs, imbued with vulnerability and empathy, create a space where listeners feel seen and understood.
During her album launch concert last May, Luna and her band, The Eclectic Norm, were psyched and radiated high energy. She remembers pouring her heart out as she sang, with the crowd, at one point, screaming for an encore of an a capella rendition. Later, she was thrilled to learn, through feedback, that the audience had been moved to tears by the band’s powerful delivery. These are the moments Luna longs for — performances that enable her “to connect with those who have had similar trials, so that I can give a voice to their feelings and show them that they’re not alone.”
As for the musical influences of her six-track album, Luna noted that listeners might find elements of alternative rock, blues, and folk. When describing her recording process, she shared that the key to crafting unique ‘fusion music’ was her autonomy:
“I had a lot of creative freedom in the recording process. I prided myself in allowing the song to speak to me, or tell me what it needed. As a result, many of the chord progressions relate to the storytelling, and similarly, so did the vocal harmonies that I chose.”
She continued, “Many of the themes explored are about love, loss, the state of the world or mental frustration, and intuitively, I felt that how I expressed my melodies and strumming patterns, set the basis for my very generous producer [Windsor Frederick of Dissolved B0Y Records] to come in and understand my line of thought or approach towards specific arrangements, and turn it into something greater.”
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One of Luna’s songs, “January Situation,” dedicated to her late mother, Candice Antoine-Roberts, explores emotional numbness while highlighting broader societal issues. The lyrics convey a sense of disconnection and suggest that others may be secretly coping with similar feelings:
“I woke up from a crazed dream, no community exchange.
People lost touch with themselves, humanity out of range.
They say the world is ending soon, so they’re wiping it clean,
Since they got no feeling, they’re acting just like machines.”
The song critiques the state of humanity, asking, “I wonder what’s this sudden behavior. Have these people got no life in them? They need a remedy, [a] cure for the soul.” In the final chorus, Luna suggests a way forward, repeatedly urging the audience to “just let go.”
Luna credits her musical passion and inspiration to her mom and her dad, Julio Torres. Growing up, she watched them perform with various Latin-Parang bands, starting with the San Jose Serenaders and Del Caribe, and most recently, Latino Soy and Solo Para Ti. She mentioned that Solo Para Ti is a family band, founded by her father, with her mother and herself as founding members.
“…Watching my parents in their performing element though, I attained an appreciation for calypso, especially songs from Lord Kitchener, The Mighty Sparrow, and The Mighty Bomber, among others,” she said, adding that they also exposed her to classics from the 1950s onward.
“I also grew to love Gloria Estefan, Juan Luis Guerra, and of course, Gipsy Kings. My mother introduced me to jazz, and she was a huge fan of Michael Jackson, so we paid attention to the arrangements and harmonies in some of his songs.”
As professional musicians, Luna’s parents toured internationally. Julio’s extensive travels spanned the United States, Central America, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the English, Dutch, and French Caribbean. His decade-long entertainment contract with Carnival Cruise Lines, USA, gave him this vast platform to showcase his music. He also performed in Spain, France, and at the Trinidad and Tobago Embassy in London, gaining various accolades over his 50-year career.
In contrast, Candice, as a contracted lead or background vocalist, toured fewer countries, performing in the Caribbean, the United States, Canada, England, and France. While pregnant with Luna, she continued to sing, and as Luna grew older, she provided her with voice training and insights into the music business. Luna reflected on her guidance, saying, “My mother was a staple in my life until recently, when she passed away a year ago. She mentored me not only in voice training, but also in the music industry, in terms of business, performing presence and style, including fashion.”
In 2017, Luna felt honored to perform with Solo Para Ti at the Annual Pop Music Awards. This performance, which she admits was one of her all-time favorites, stood out because they weren’t the typical pop/rock act expected at the event. Instead, the band surprised the audience with a completely Latin-inspired repertoire that “blew everyone away!”
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Much of Luna’s musical identity can be attributed to her culturally-rich upbringing and her parents’ influence. She’s unapologetically diverse and experimental, whether she’s singing original music or contemporary hits. A self-described ‘anomaly,’ Luna chooses to be a dynamic performer rather than confine herself to a single niche. Ahead of live events, she curates her setlist to fit the occasion, which might call for reggae, R&B, calypso, jazz, pop, folk, parang, Latin, or even 80s and 90s grunge or heavy metal.
“This type of expression reflects on my artistic identity vastly as I am able to perform virtually anything once the audience is receptive. Given the right opportunity, I can appeal to anyone within parameters that I set for myself, when it comes to how I am able to deliver content specifically. For instance, changing the genre of a well-known song just to showcase my creativity or open up people’s receptibility,” she noted.
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Luna, a contemplative creative and past pupil of Providence Girls’ Catholic School, relies on spiritual practices to ground herself before appearing on stage. The 31-year-old singer said she uses meditation to tune into the crowd’s energy and find her rhythm:
“I also participate in mindfulness and meditation practices, as much as time can allow, so that I may be able to communicate with an open mind and free flowing thought processes.
“…I intuitively respond to the energy of other people, so I prefer to get settled and or observe a lot about my audience before taking the stage and during the performance.”
The vocalist has immersed herself in different cultural arenas, performing at music festivals, school concerts, and religious ceremonies. But, even as she showcases her range, Luna stays true to herself, making audiences feel at ease with her down-to-earth style. Her versatility and ‘realness’ are among her defining trademarks.
“Versatility as an artist is just as important as knowing your niche,” Luna asserts. “No two artists are exactly the same, and it’s always good to understand what makes you unique and use that to your advantage.”
Luna’s free spirit inevitably exposes her to many “first-time experiences.” Whether it’s singing rock for the first time, taking center stage at an open mic event, or joining the chorus in a calypso tent, Luna thrives on the energy and novelty of each unique setting. She said, “It makes me feel as though I am experiencing life in different ways.”
Luna’s ultimate vision of success is to inspire others to learn from their mistakes and make the world a better place. She believes that through music, art, and other creative endeavors, she can make a meaningful difference.
Though Luna currently balances her career as a multi-talented musician with that of a music educator, she envisions a future as a full-time artist, illuminating the world with healing vibes.
🌓🌔🌕❤️.
