An Interview With Luma Valen

Luma Valen is the kind of artist who isn't really afraid to let a lot out through her music, and in doing so, she expresses a lot of feeling and emotion in her singing, which hits with a heavy hand but with a graceful beauty at the same time.

The emotional element of the song is performed by her vocals pretty outstandingly.

The song ventures into being uncomfortable, and some of the struggle in choosing life's paths.

Choosing your path in life can be difficult, especially depending on what age you are. A lot of us have felt a certain kind of pressure to make decisions; sometimes that comes from our parents, sometimes it comes from ourselves, but either way, a lot of the time it's there.

This single gets into how that affects you on an emotional level and how those kinds of decisions can shape who you are.

But it also digs into a bit of a negative effect because of that pressure. Not everyone is on the same page when it comes to decisions about your life. The important thing to remember is that it's your life.

The understanding that not everyone will fully get what you were doing at times is something you have to come to realize on your own.

This is a pop single. There is a great vastness and almost filmic sensation that you get listening to it. Layers of gorgeous instrumentation play out as the song unfolds, but what really impresses me is how her vocals are used almost like an instrument themselves.

She performs with a fervent and boisterous approach that absolutely leaves its mark, as the whole thing is moving, and listening to the song with headphones really lets you take it in fully.

Yes, this is one of those songs where I would suggest you listen to it with headphones on; this is simply because you get swallowed up, not just by the music, but the lyrics as well.

This is quite a power ballad if you ask me. Once again, that pop overcoat is right there, but there is also a wonderful, symphonic element that lets the song have a natural and forward-moving flow, but also brings up the intensity of it all.

The song builds up as it plays, and about halfway through the track, a beat starts coming in which really adds a bit of punch to everything.

This is also accompanied by loads of melodic hooks that bounce around in your brain for a long time after the song has ended.

This is the type of song that has that effect on you. It can make you think or feel, probably both, and if you fully relate to it properly, the song feels like it was written for you. It's almost like a song that could be used as the soundtrack for a chapter in your own life.

That's how human she makes things. Life comes with ups and downs. Nothing about it is black and white. There are loads of gray areas, and the one with those obstacles that will affect your mindset and emotional balance.

In my opinion, Luma Valen was able to capture the essence of coming to a turning point or crossroads in life where decisions have to be made, and how you can feel tense and disoriented, questioning yourself at times, during the process.

She wraps all of that up into a single that is quite powerful, and you certainly should not miss it.

Luma Valen from her own life experience, and I think that's why her songwriting comes through the way it does.

If you haven't played the song yet, then stop what you're doing and get into it.

You can also read the interview we conducted with the artist below.

Again, don't miss this single, listen to it, and see how it affects you.

Hello! Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to “Sad Eyes” and for asking such thoughtful questions. This song is very close to my heart, so I am grateful for the opportunity to share more about it.

“Sad Eyes” felt quite personal. What was the song about for you?

“Sad Eyes” is one of the most personal songs I have ever written. At its core, it is about the quiet pain of losing yourself while trying to become what the world expects you to be. It speaks to the emotional exhaustion that happens when you are living inside pressure, comparison, fear, and expectations, while somewhere deep inside, you know you were born for something more. For me, this song came from a very real place. I always had a strong desire to express myself through art. I wanted to sing, act, create, design, and tell stories. But those dreams were not always understood by the people around me. Sometimes the people closest to us cannot see the vision we carry inside ourselves. There comes a moment when you have to decide whether you are going to live from fear or from truth. “Sad Eyes” was born from that moment.

It is about standing at the edge of the unknown and choosing to trust yourself anyway. It is about the hidden sadness so many people carry while pretending they are okay. From the outside, someone’s life can look perfect, but inside they may feel lost, tired, or disconnected from who they really are.

To me, the song is about awakening. It is about breaking free from the noise, the pressure, and the illusion that we have to become what the world says we should be. It is about returning home to yourself. I always think of transformation like a seed. Before it becomes visible, before it becomes a flower or a tree, it has to grow roots in the dark. Sometimes we have to go through that darkness to discover who we were truly born to become. That is what “Sad Eyes” means to me. It is the journey from sadness to self discovery, from fear to freedom, and from pretending to finally becoming real.

When you write songs like this, do you have lyrics first or do you normally have the instrumental beforehand?

For me, it usually begins with emotion first. Sometimes that emotion comes through as a lyric. Sometimes it comes through as a melody. Sometimes it is simply a feeling I cannot fully explain yet, but I know I have to follow it. With “Sad Eyes,” the emotional concept came from something I had carried for a long time. I wrote the song years ago, during a period when I was learning how much of my life had been shaped by fear, expectations, and choices I made because I thought I had to. At that time, I was searching for clarity. I was asking myself who I really was, what I truly wanted, and what path belonged to me.

“Sad Eyes” became almost like a prayer, a plea to no longer live in blindness, to find purpose, and to stop pretending everything was fine when my spirit was asking for something deeper. I was looking for purpose, a reason, a direction, and the reassurance that if I followed the path I felt in my heart, I would be held and guided by something greater than myself. The lyrics and melody came naturally because the feeling was already there. I just had to allow it to come through.

You worked with Grammy winner Humberto Gatica on this track, correct? How did that come about and what was it like?

Yes, I had the incredible honor of working with Humberto Gatica on this track, alongside Carlos Rodgarman. Humberto is someone I deeply admire, not only because of his legendary career, but because he truly understands emotion in music. He knows how to protect the heart of a song while elevating it into something timeless and cinematic. What touched me most was that when he heard “Sad Eyes,” he immediately understood its vulnerability. This is a very intimate song for me, and I felt that he connected with the emotion behind it. That meant everything. Working with Humberto and Carlos helped bring the song to life in a way that felt bigger, deeper, and more powerful, while still keeping its honesty intact. They did not take away the vulnerability of the song. They helped reveal it. I truly feel this record was meant to be created with them.

Are you normally inspired by life experience when writing songs?

Yes, absolutely. All of my songs come from life experience in some way. They are usually connected to a moment, a lesson, a transformation, or something I am trying to understand within myself. Even when the music becomes cinematic or symbolic, it is always rooted in something human and emotionally real. I write from a place of feeling. Sometimes it is pain. Sometimes it is joy. Sometimes it is healing. Sometimes it is celebration. Music, for me, is a way of releasing what the heart cannot always say in conversation. With “Sad Eyes,” I think people are connecting to that emotional honesty. The song is having a real viral moment on TikTok, inspiring over a quarter of a million shares, and seeing people respond to it so deeply has been incredibly moving. It tells me the message is reaching people in a real way. It is not only my story anymore. It belongs to anyone who has ever felt lost, unseen, or ready to come back to themselves.

Are you getting out there and performing shows at this point? Any shows coming?

Yes. Right now, we are in rehearsals and preparing for several performances coming up through July, August, and September. I am very excited to bring this music to the stage because live performance is where the connection becomes real in a different way. In the studio, you create the world. On stage, you get to share that world directly with people. For me, the live show has to feel emotional, cinematic, intimate, and powerful. I want people to not only hear the songs, but feel them.

Is this single part of something bigger coming?

Yes. “Sad Eyes” is part of a larger body of work called The Alive Frequency Era. This era is about emotional transformation, awakening, healing, and becoming fully alive. Each song explores a different part of the human experience, but together they create one larger journey. We are preparing to close this first chapter with the next single, “Make It,” which continues the story in a new emotional direction. After that, we will begin chapter two.

There is still a lot of music, visual storytelling, and creative work coming. This is only the beginning.

What would you say the message of this song is?

The message of “Sad Eyes” is that we need to look inward, because no amount of status, validation, comparison, or external success is worth losing yourself for.We live in a world that constantly tells people they need to be more, prove more, achieve faster, and compare themselves to everyone else. But real peace does not come from becoming what the world demands. It comes from becoming who you truly are. I especially hope the younger generation hears that message. Find what you love. Study your craft. Be patient with your journey. Do not let comparison steal your joy. Real success often takes years of growth, discipline, failure, healing, and preparation. Sometimes the process is what makes you strong enough to hold the dream when it finally arrives. For me, faith is also a big part of that. I believe we are guided, even through the uncertain seasons. Sometimes the path does not make sense while we are walking it, but later we realize it was shaping us the entire time. “Sad Eyes” is about remembering that you are enough, that your dreams matter, and that you do not have to lose yourself to become successful, to be loved and be authentically yourself.

This was a powerful song. Was it cathartic for you to write?

Yes, in a way, it was. I do not always sit down and say, “I am going to write to heal.” Usually, I write because something inside me needs to come through. It feels more like inspiration moving through emotion. But looking back, I do think “Sad Eyes” was cathartic. It helped me name something I had been carrying. It gave sound to a feeling I had not fully released yet. There is something almost mantra like about the song. When I sing it, it feels like a transformation. It feels like letting go of pretending. It feels like asking to be free from it all and then claiming that freedom. I think that is why people are connecting to it. It gives permission to feel what we often hide.

Did the final product come out how you expected?

In some ways, it became even more emotional and cinematic than I originally imagined. Working with Humberto and Carlos allowed the song to expand, but it still feels very true to the original emotion. That was important to me. I never wanted the production to overpower the vulnerability. I wanted the song to feel intimate, but also powerful enough to carry the weight of the message. I feel like it came out exactly how it was supposed to. One day, I would also love to do a very stripped down acoustic version, because there is another layer of intimacy in the song that could be beautiful in that form.

Would you say the studio is your sweet spot, or do you like live performances more?

I love both, but they give me different things. The studio is where I get to create magic. It is where I can explore emotion, build worlds, discover melodies, and shape the story. I love that process because it feels very intimate and almost sacred. But performing live is where the music becomes alive in a different way. There is nothing like looking into an audience and feeling that exchange of energy. When people sing with you, feel with you, or connect to something you wrote from your own life, that is incredibly powerful. So I would say the studio is where I discover the music, but the stage is where I get to truly share it. Connecting with people in person is probably my sweetest spot.

Can we expect anything upcoming to follow this one?

Yes. Following “Sad Eyes,” I will be releasing my next single, “Make It.”

“Make It” continues The Alive Frequency Era, but it brings a new emotional energy. It is still connected to transformation, but from a place of strength, resilience, and stepping into what you were born to do. There is a lot more coming: more music, more visuals, more storytelling, and more live performances. Thank you again for the support and for these beautiful questions. “Sad Eyes” means so much to me, and I am grateful that it is reaching people in such a real way.

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