Festivals Lana Lubany: “As an in-betweener, I’m in endless pursuit of the feeling of belonging”

Hello Lana! How are you and what have you been up to recently?
I’m good! I’ve been keeping busy, working a lot, and kind of living out of a suitcase. I’m currently back home at my parents’ house in my hometown Yafa.

Last year you shared your EP ‘THE HOLY LAND’ - now that you’ve had a little distance from the release, how do you feel about it? What did you originally set out to explore with it and, with hindsight, do you think you achieved that?
I can’t believe it’s been over a year since the EP came out. I learned so much from that project, and it was the first time I truly felt like I was being myself in my art. I had been struggling with my identity at the time and writing the project helped me with my journey into re-discovering and getting to know myself honestly. In hindsight, I think I definitely found myself in creating the music, but that was only a part of my journey - the beginning. I am still exploring my identity to this day, through my music and my art. As an in-betweener, I’m in endless pursuit of the feeling of belonging.

You’ve had a busy year so far, releasing a handful of singles; how did you want to move forward after the release of ‘THE HOLY LAND’ - did you have a plan of where to go next, or was it much more reactive? 
I definitely had a plan post ‘THL’, but it had to shift due to the unforeseeable circumstances back home that were out of my control. I was experimenting with my sound with the releases that I had lined up, and I almost wanted to surprise people with the versatility I know I’m capable of, whilst also  staying quite reactive to what fans wanted and keeping them in the loop.

We can only imagine that it’s been incredibly difficult this year to be away from your family and home. You mentioned that ‘make it better’, which came out earlier in the year, stemmed from those feelings; without meaning to pry, can you tell us a little more about how challenging it been to stay creative as a Palestinian-American artist in recent months? 
This past year has been beyond difficult. The world was and is burning, inside and out. The basic concepts of humanity have shattered, and this has changed the face of normality. As creative as I always am, there seemed to be no room for art when basic survival was being fought for. I had to take a break to process everything and to give humanity priority, and when I was finally ready and able, I started expressing my emotions and frustration through my art. Everything I wrote this year has my pain and experiences as a Palestinian burned into it.

Can you tell us a little more about your most recent track ‘PRAYERS’, and what the inspiration was behind it? It has you singing in both English and Arabic - why was it important to explore both languages here?
I wrote ‘PRAYERS’ during a time of desperation as everything fell apart around me, and to advocate for relief of all the pain that’s being inflicted. As a powerless being on this earth, I turned to a higher power to try and understand how this can be happening.

Adding Arabic to my songs is something I’ve been exploring and loving for the past couple of years, and it’s proved to be an important part in me showcasing my full identity truthfully, but during these times it’s felt even more important to me. I feel like my story as a Palestinian, born in her place of origin as a minority, is underrepresented and should be heard, and language is one of the ways I can tell that story.

Is this new material leading to a bigger project? If so, are you able to tell us a little bit about that?
I’m always thinking of the bigger picture when I write, and this new material is definitely building up to something… I’m not gonna reveal too much, but the project incorporates pieces of me and my story, and the role family and home have played in my life. The name of the project is highly personal to me as well! I’m very proud of it.

As well as sharing new music, you’ve also been out on the road supporting the likes of The Last Dinner Party and Saint Levant. How did the shows go? What was it like to play to those kinds of crowds every night? 
Both tours were amazing to be on, and I learned and grew so much after both of them. I was so lucky to be able to go on my first ever tour supporting a friend - Saint Levant, who is an incredible artist who continues to innovate. The crowds on that tour were so welcoming and a lot of people surprised me when they would sing along to my songs. The Last Dinner Party tour was very different, exposing me to a different audience who were also so welcoming and supportive. I enjoyed every show and getting to watch the band perform every night was an honour, as they are incredible performers who I learned a lot from.

What do you think you’ve learned from the process of playing live more and more? Has it taught you much about yourself as an artist? 
Firstly, my confidence has grown so much since I started performing live last year. So has my imposter syndrome. I learned what my strengths and weaknesses were and I’ve improved with every show. I both love and hate watching videos of myself perform - hate because I’m the most critical and harsh person on myself, and love because when I’m watching myself performing, I kind of see it from a 3rd party perspective, and I can’t believe that it’s me on stage! It’s so surreal; I can’t wait for my first ever EU headline tour this fall.

You’ve going to be heading over to Hamburg for Reeperbahn Festival next month; how are you looking forward to it? Have you been able to play at many festivals so far?
I’m very excited for Reeperbahn Festival! With every performance I do, I fall in love with the art even more. I haven’t played too many festivals yet - only Bred in Abu Dhabi and Appletree Garden Festival in Germany - but I hope to play a lot more in the near future around the world.

Are there any other acts on the bill you’ll be hoping to check out? And what should people expect if they’re able to come and watch you perform?
I would love to see Rachel Chinouriri if my schedule allows me to! If people come and watch me, they should expect big vocals, big energy, and bilingual English x Arabic songs with heavy 808s. 

Lana Lubany will play Reeperbahn Festival 2024 (where DIY is an official media partner), which takes place from 18th-21st September in St. Pauli, Hamburg. 

DIY will be taking over Molotow Club on the festival’s opening night (Wednesday 18th September) to host our own stage, featuring Personal Trainer, mary in the junkyard, Kapa Tult, and Rum Jungle. 

Find out more about Reeperbahn 2024 and get tickets here. 

Tags: Features, Interviews, Festivals, From The Magazine, Lana Lubany, Reeperbahn Festival