LOU’ANA on jazz roots, disco energy, and performing without limits

Currently mid tour, LOU’ANA brings a sound shaped by jazz training and driven by disco energy. Years of live performance have honed a voice that feels bold, expressive, and full of character. In this interview, she reflects on the path that shaped her, the shift away from rigid structure, and the energy behind her Disco Witch shows - built to leave audiences feeling empowered, inspired, and ready to move.

You trained as a jazz singer early on. How did that training shape the way you think about voice, phrasing, and performance today?

I feel really lucky I got to spend those years at jazz school. It taught me to treat my voice like an instrument -learning the language of jazz, transcribing Ella and Sarah, and really understanding phrasing, how to push and pull with the groove, and access different colours in my voice. It gave me a strong foundation for how I
approach singing and performance now. Jazz is all about improvisation, reacting, and being playful, and I still lean into that - it keeps things exciting and asks you to be present and trust your instincts. These jazz greats shared some great wisdom too. I still think about what some of them said, like Billie Holiday never singing
the same way twice, just feeling it, and Coltrane’s quote “that you only improve as a musician by improving as a person - that music and life are the same”

Jazz often teaches discipline and structure. Your music feels much more free and expressive. How did you learn to step outside those rules while still carrying the technique with you?

I’ve always been led by feeling, even before jazz school, so learning the structure and rules did feel a bit restrictive at times. I was focused on being accurate and inside the harmony, and it didn’t feel expressive...yet. But I knew I needed to learn the rules to break them. After jazz school I gigged a lot, and that’s where things loosened up. I learnt to trust myself more and be okay with being a lifelong learner. I’m really drawn to tone and expression, so I follow that and try not to over-judge myself, and I often think about old jazz recordings where you can hear the room, the laughter, the playfulness, it wasn’t meant to be rigid, it was alive, and that’s what I try to carry with me.

Your voice draws comparisons to artists like Etta James, Stevie Nicks, and Amy Winehouse. Which singers shaped your sound most when you were learning your craft?

All those singers have such rich tone and real conviction, which I value myself. Since I was little, my mum always said, “you must sing with conviction,” and that’s really stayed with me. When I’ve learnt songs from those artists, I’ve paid attention to how they approach their voice - their tone, placement, the feeling behind
it, and that’s helped me explore more colours in my own voice and find what feels true to me.

You have spent years performing within Auckland’s live music community. What have this time taught you about connecting with an audience?

It's taught me how to guide people into letting their walls down and having fun. How to really be present with the people in front of me and bring them into the moment. I’ve learnt how to encourage people to dance, to connect, and to give them something to feel excited about. It’s honestly been such a pleasure and an honour to have that much time with audiences.

Before your solo work, you performed with Hipstamatics and collaborated with artists like Sola Rosa. How did those experiences shape the artist you are now?

Hipstamatics really knew how to get a crowd going, playing James Brown, Aretha, those dirty funk grooves that would have the dance floor in a sweaty trance, which I loved, and it definitely fed into Disco Witch and my desire to create those hypnotic, pull-you-in grooves that get people moving together. I saw how cathartic
and expressive that can be, and I feel really drawn to creating that space. Performing with Sola Rosa was also huge, they’re iconic. It excited my vocal craft, learning different tones, agility, and stepping into songs sung by different voices. I love any chance to put the hours in, and there’s nothing like doing it live, it’s nerve-racking, but it’s where you really learn.

Disco has had a huge cultural revival in recent years. What draws you personally to that sound and energy right now?

I actually started this album back in 2021, so I’ve been sitting with this vision for a while now, I love that disco is having a revival, but for me it’s just been about following my instincts. After my first album, I found myself craving more upbeat, danceable songs when I was performing, so I leaned into that and created a whole
body of work around it. I love being able to take audiences on different journeys, and disco gives me that freedom, it’s fun, expressive, and liberating. It also comes from the same era as a lot of the music that moves and inspires me. With all the inner work I was doing at the time, it just felt like the right vehicle to share my
insights.

Your music carries themes of empowerment and self expression. How do those ideas show up when you step onto a stage?

It comes through in the lyrics and in how I invite people into the music with me - getting them to use their voices, let loose, and feel part of it. A lot of the songs are about self-love, expression, and giving yourself permission to shine, and the rhythms are built to be felt in the body. It’s a pretty vocal-heavy set so I can’t always go all out dancing, but the energy is still there. At the end of the day, people will meet it in their own way, so I just show up fully and offer the invitation.

When audiences go to a Disco Witch show, what do you hope they feel by the time they leave?

I don’t consciously think about identity and lineage when I’m writing, but they’re always there underneath it all. I tend to write from the present moment - what I’m feeling, what I’m moving through, what I’m trying to understand or heal, and that’s naturally shaped by where I come from. Through songwriting I get to learn
more about who I am and clear what’s in the way, and I trust that if something from my lineage wants to come through, it will. I come from a line of people who have a close relationship with music, and I don’t take that for granted, it feels like something I’m meant to carry and express. With Disco Witch, I hope people leave feeling curious, inspired, and a bit bouncy - like they got to have some unexpected fun and feel good in themselves. I’m not trying to control the outcome, I just want to show up open-hearted, do my best, invite people in, and let the experience be what it’s meant to be.