Artist Interviews
Interview with Soul Pop Artist Luma Valen on Puerto Rican Roots, Creating Music With Purpose & More
MuzicNotez: First off, it’s an honor to be doing this interview with you, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us.
What motivated you to start creating music? What age did you begin?
- Luma Valen: Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was a first violinist as a child and always felt connected to the emotional power of music. I began writing songs in my early twenties as a way to process life, love, growth, and the questions we all face.
Growing up in Puerto Rico, I was surrounded by music, culture, rhythm, and storytelling. Music was not separate from life, it was life. We come from a culture where we express love through a song, heartbreak through a song, celebration through a song, and sometimes even our social and political views through music. It becomes a language of its own, a way to share our values, our emotions, and our identity as human beings and as a culture.
What fascinated me most was how a song could communicate a feeling more powerfully than words alone. A melody, a lyric, and an emotion could come together and instantly make someone feel understood.
When I was younger, I would often dedicate songs to friends and say, “This is our song.” What amazed me was that someone I had never met could somehow put exactly what I was feeling into words and music. They could capture an emotion I did not yet know how to express myself. That always felt magical to me.
As a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and recording artist, that is still what inspires me most: creating music that helps people feel seen, understood, and connected.
Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?
- Luma Valen: My influences come from many different genres, eras, and cultures. Growing up in Puerto Rico, music was always part of daily life. I was inspired by artists who created with heart, purpose, identity, and emotional truth.
Michael Jackson taught me the power of performance, authenticity, storytelling, and global impact.
Madonna showed me the importance of telling your truth, even when the rest of the world may be against you. She embodied a freedom from fear and a willingness to challenge expectations that I have always admired.
Paul McCartney’s songwriting has always inspired me, and I was fortunate enough to meet and speak with him at Stella McCartney’s first collection for Chloé, which was a very special moment in my life.
David Bowie is one of my personal favorites. “Let’s Dance” is one of those songs that stays with you forever, and I have always admired the way he created entire worlds through music, fashion, and image. The Doors also influenced me through their poetic introspection and their ability to bring something philosophical and cinematic into rock music.
I would also be remiss not to mention Soda Stereo. Their songwriting, atmosphere, and ability to create emotion through both lyrics and sound helped shape Latin American rock and inspired generations of artists across the Spanish-speaking world.
At the same time, Puerto Rican culture has profoundly shaped who I am as an artist. In Puerto Rico, music is one of the ways we express who we are, where we come from, what we believe, and how we feel. That emotional honesty continues to influence every song I write.
What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?
- Luma Valen: My goal is to create music that reaches people on a global scale and leaves a lasting impact on culture.
I see myself standing on stages around the world, performing in arenas, festivals, and beautiful spaces where people are singing the words back to me. There is something extraordinary about watching a song become part of someone else’s life story. To witness people laughing, crying, healing, celebrating, and finding themselves through music is one of the greatest gifts an artist can experience and one of the greatest ways we can give back to the world.
My goal is for my music to reach as many people as possible across countries, languages, cultures, and generations. Of course, I dream big. I would love for the music to touch millions and, one day, even billions of people. Not because of fame, but because I believe music has the power to inspire transformation. The larger the audience, the greater the opportunity to create positive impact.
The artists I admire most did not simply create hit songs. They shaped culture. They challenged ideas. They gave people permission to be themselves. They created moments that became part of people’s lives and memories.
That is the kind of impact I aspire to have.
I also want to build something much bigger than myself. I want to create a world around Luma Valen that includes music, storytelling, fashion, art, community, and experiences that inspire people to reconnect with who they truly are. I want to work alongside an extraordinary team of creatives who believe in the same mission and bring that vision to life on a global scale.
At the heart of everything I create is one message: You do not have to become someone else to belong. Your authenticity is your greatest strength. The more you embrace who you truly are, the more powerful your impact becomes.
If my music reaches every corner of the world, I hope it helps people remember something they may have forgotten: who they are.
What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to or performed?
- Luma Valen: Some of the most powerful performances I have experienced were not necessarily the largest. They were the ones where there was a genuine emotional connection between the artist and the audience.
Those are the moments that stay with you long after the music ends. They remind you that music is ultimately about connection. It is about creating a shared experience where thousands of people can feel the same emotion at the same time.
As an artist, that is what I aspire to create. Not just performances people watch, but experiences people feel.
Your latest release is the track “Sad Eyes.” What does this track mean to you?
- Luma Valen: “Sad Eyes” is one of the most personal songs I have ever written.
At its core, it is about losing yourself while trying to become what the world expects you to be. We live in a culture that constantly encourages comparison, perfection, validation, and external approval. Over time, that pressure can disconnect us from who we really are.
The song speaks to the emotional exhaustion that comes from chasing an image instead of living from your truth. But despite the title, “Sad Eyes” is not simply a sad song. It is a song about transformation and finding freedom.
It is about recognizing that you have drifted away from yourself and finding the courage to come back home to who you truly are.
The song is very relatable today with everybody being so entrenched in social media and the rise of AI. As an artist that relies on social media as well, how do you find balance with that?
- Luma Valen: That is something I think about often.
Social media has given artists unprecedented opportunities to share music and connect directly with audiences around the world. It is an incredible tool. At the same time, it has created real challenges, especially for younger generations who are still developing their sense of identity, purpose, and self-worth.
In many ways, that is exactly what “Sad Eyes” is about: the danger of losing yourself while trying to become what the world expects you to be.
I think it is important to remember that our value is not determined by algorithms, follower counts, views, or likes. It is not determined by how social media says you must look, act, or live in order to be successful, beautiful, loved, accepted, or worthy. Those are often illusions that can pull us away from our individuality, our values, and our purpose.
I use technology intentionally by sharing music, ideas, and transformational messages rather than allowing it to dictate how I feel about myself. Family, creativity, nature, faith, and meaningful relationships help keep me grounded in reality.
We are living in fascinating times. Technology allows artists to reach people across countries, languages, and cultures in ways that were unimaginable just a generation ago.
We live in a time where artists can be the creator, the CEO, and the storyteller all at once. That is incredibly empowering because it allows people to choose your work directly and connect with your message.
The other day, my young niece asked her mother whether someone she saw online was a real person or an AI-generated person. That moment stayed with me because it reminded me how quickly the world is changing and how important it is to stay conscious of what we consume and what we create.
What surprises me most is how relevant the message of “Sad Eyes” has become. Beneath all the technology, people still want the same things they have always wanted. They want connection. They want purpose. They want to know they are loved. They want to know they are enough.
To me, “Sad Eyes” is an invitation to return to yourself, to reconnect with your own values, your own purpose, and your own voice. Real self-worth does not come from external validation. It comes from knowing who you are and what you are here to contribute.
For artists, this is truly a magical time. We have more opportunities than ever before to create, connect, and share our stories with the world. Technology does not create our purpose, our creativity, or our humanity. It simply allows us to share those things with more people than ever before.
Tell us about your recording process like for this new track.
- Luma Valen: Recording “Sad Eyes” was one of the most emotional and rewarding experiences of my career.
I had the privilege of working with legendary producer Humberto Gatica, whose work has helped define some of the most iconic recordings in modern music.
When I first presented the song, it existed as a beautiful acoustic version, raw, intimate, and emotional. But I envisioned something larger: a cinematic recording that could live both as a song and as part of a film soundtrack.
I have always loved music that feels like a movie. The kind of song that becomes part of a memory and helps tell a story beyond the words themselves. I think that is also part of my Puerto Rican roots, where music and storytelling are deeply connected. We often use music to fully express a feeling, a memory, or a moment in life.
Throughout the recording process, we focused on the emotion behind every lyric and every vocal performance. Rather than chasing perfection, we focused on telling the truth.
That is what people connect with. Not perfection, but the voice of someone searching through the noise, finding their purpose and reclaiming their freedom.
What else are you working on? What can we expect to see and hear from you in the future? Tell us about the new singles coming up leading to your new album.
- Luma Valen: I am currently building the next chapter of the Luma Valen project, and it is incredibly exciting.
As a Soul Pop and Cinematic Pop artist, I am working on new music that explores love, heartbreak, healing, self-discovery, celebration, identity, and human connection. Each release represents a different chapter of the journey.
I am also working on a Spanish-language release and a collection of songs that honor my Puerto Rican roots. I want to bring more of that sound, rhythm, emotion, and cultural identity into my music while also connecting with the Spanish-language and Latin music audience in a deeper way.
Beyond music, I am continuing to expand Luma Valen Entertainment and develop a broader creative universe around the brand. Fans can expect more visual storytelling, live performances, special collaborations, merchandise, lifestyle products, fashion collections, home pieces, and future creative projects inspired by the themes that live inside the music.
We are just getting started.
Anything else you wish to say about yourself or your music? Any message for your fans?
- Luma Valen: First, thank you.
Every stream, every message, every shared video, every comment, and every person who takes a few minutes to listen means more than you know.
We are living in a time where it is easy to feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or pressured to become someone we are not. If there is one thing I hope my music reminds people, it is that your authenticity is your greatest strength.
Keep creating.
Keep believing.
Keep choosing love over fear.
Keep becoming who you were meant to be.
This is only the beginning of the journey, and I am grateful to have so many beautiful people walking it with me.
Find more new music here!
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