LORAIYA

Tell us about your new music.

I just dropped the first single off my debut album, "Genghis Kunt", and I would say it is a blend of hyper-pop and rap, using samples from traditional Chinese drums, cymbals, and strings. The album was inspired by imagining myself as a Genghis Khan reincarnate, but queer and cunty, and imagining the what the world would look like if it were dominated by this spiritual matriarchal figure. This album also followed my journey of coming out and stepping into my queer identity for the first time. I am planning to drop a new single every month for the next couple months, and aiming to drop the whole thing by end of 2024!
*available on Spotify and IG

How did you get started in the music industry, and what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

I decided to start my career in music in 2021, so I am still pretty fresh! Before then, I was trying to be a dancer and choreographer. Around the pandemic I had a falling out with dance and started to feel very disillusioned with the dance industry. It was a really hard time for me, trying to figure out why I was unsatisfied and where I wanted to go next. With a lot of inner work and digging, I realized that I had always felt compelled to used my voice in my art, but for various reasons have always felt too scared or unworthy to take up space like that. Dance felt comfortable to me because I felt like I could hide behind my movement and my body. But singing, making music, and expressing myself vocally felt like the scariest and most vulnerable thing I could do with my artistry - which is why I knew it was where I had to go.

What inspired you to be part OUTLOUD?

I was trying to find places to perform in LA and was lucky enough to stumble upon the Outloud/WehoPride website - but couldn't even find where to submit, so I decided to shoot my shot and ask the robot chatbox how to submit to perform, not expecting anything to come of it! To my surprise, someone emailed me back a couple days later and gave me the form to submit - and I got an email a couple weeks later asking me to perform for my first paid gig in LA at Rocco's. The rest is history! So glad I messaged that chatbox - the people at OUTLOUD have been so kind and supportive to me, and it really gives me hope that there are people who care about uplifting queer voices!

How do you want to make an impact through your art?

More than anything, I want to inspire young artists, especially those who have grown up feeling unworthy or small, that it is not only okay, but absolutely essential that they share their light with the world. I have had a long and ongoing journey of unlearning the shame that many queer people of color are conditioned to feel when expressing our sexuality. My process of coming out is directly in conversation with my lyrics, my sound, and my performing body - and I am finally coming to understand that my ongoing process of unlearning these structures deserves to be seen, so that others can build off of it in service to our shared process of self-liberation.

Have you faced any challenges or stereotypes as an LGBTQ+ artist in the music industry, and how have you overcome them?

I am still new to the music industry, so not exactly. My challenges as an LGBTQ+ artist has to do more with the barriers I have faced, both externally and internally, as a queer Asian woman and a daughter of immigrants pursuing a creative life. We don't hear a lot of stories about what 'coming out' looks like and feels like in non-western families - and I mean 'coming out' both as queer and as someone that wants to pursue a non-conventional path. It's actually very complex, and often does not go well. I have thought a lot in particular about how my difficult relationship with my mother has influenced my relationship with women at large, and how this has led to me repressing my queerness for so long. It's a lot to unpack, and I'm still working on it.

Can you share a particular moment in your career that you consider a triumph or milestone?

Last week I had my debut show and release party for 'Genghis Kunt' at Genghis Cohen - the venue was too perfect! I had so many friends come out and it was such a beautiful night where I shared new songs off the album and performed my longest set yet. It also marked about a year and a half since moving to LA. I felt very supported and celebrated, and so so grateful!!

How do you think the music industry can better support and represent LGBTQ+ artists?

We need diverse queer stories that are not just rainbow-washed and easy to consume. Of course we can have joy, and of course queer artists should be uplifted to have fun with music, but I would also love for the queer stories that are being told to actually feel representative of the barriers that queer poc face in this world. Again, not just externally but internally - the inner emotional work that marginalized queer poc have to do in order to just show up and feel like we are sitting at the same table, when we know it is simply not an even playing field, is often unseen and unrecognized. We need to celebrate the accomplishment of showing up and making art despite working through a society that sometimes feels like it wants to erase you.

Can you describe your creative process when developing new music or albums?

My process for this album has been very experimental and iterative. It started with a bunch of rough demos that I made together with my producer in one week during a residency, then over the year we have slowly made different versions, rewritten, scratched, and remixed those into the masterpieces they are now. I love when a process is collaborative, curious, and ultimately seeks to explore what is possible!

What has been your favorite project or performance so far, and why?

I LOVE performing Genghis Kunt. Something about it - maybe it's all the pent up RAGE I get to let out!!

What advice would you give to other aspiring LGBTQ+ musicians looking to make their mark in the industry?

Look at what other people are doing and don't do that.

What are your goals for the future, both in terms of your music career and advocacy within the LGBTQ+ community?

I just want to feel seen, supported, and like I am contributing to our overall collaborative evolution. I do think that the trajectory I am on is setting my up to be the next queer icon. I see myself following a path inspired by artists like Grace Jones or Kim Petras.

What do you want to say to the OUTLOUD and Queer  communities?

SEE YOU ON THE MAIN STAGE

What other LGBTQ+ artists do you want to give a shout out to?

In my first performance with OUTLOUD I opened for Nekeith as the headliner, and I just thought she was so sweet and talented and fierce!! Lots of love <3