Natalie R. Lu, professionally known as Wisp, is the latest craze in shoegaze, having garnered millions of listeners almost instantly following the release of “Your face,” her debut single that came out in April of last year. When she took to the stage at Stubbs last weekend during Levitation fest, it became clear once again why so many people have gravitated toward her music, with her dreamy vocals and guitar riffs creating a magnetizing, otherworldly atmosphere. I sat down with the musician after her performance, who gave insight on her creative processes, her love for performing, and her appreciation for the shoegaze genre. Read the interview below.
Mattea: How are you feeling about your performance earlier? What was your favorite part of your show?
Wisp: This performance was incredible. The crowd was super sweet, and I would say my favorite part of the performance would be playing a new song, “I remember how your hands felt on mine.” It came out on Halloween, so a couple of days ago, and it was my first time playing it live. It's just so fun to be able to free mike on the song and not play guitar – kind of like, move around yourself. I'd say that was my highlight.
Yeah, I've listened to the song already, and it was just so euphoric seeing it live. What would you say has been the highlight of your Levitation experience?
I would say being back with the Panchiko guys and getting to meet Alison’s Halo. I went on tour supporting Panchiko this April and May, and I miss them so much. They are honestly the sweetest guys ever, and I really saw them as my uncles on tour. So being able to reunite and play a show together [was the highlight].
That’s so cool that you went on a tour with them and had a whole reunion.
It was crazy because my first ever actual concert was a Panchiko concert, and it was a full-circle moment.
I feel like your music is so strong both musically and lyrically– what does your songwriting process look like? Do you focus on the music or the lyrics first?
I think both of them matter equally, just because if you have very emotional and strong lyrics, the only way to conceive them as what they are is to have a very emotional track. They just have to pair well together, which is why I think both of them are important in their own ways, but equally. For lyrics, I always take 20 minutes tops to write my lyrics when I'm in the studio, just because I like the flow of it. I like the flow of writing what I'm thinking in the moment, instead of overthinking and tweaking my lyrics a bunch. So that's usually how I write my stuff.
That's so interesting. I usually hear people say they write songs at random times, but I can also see walking in the studio and doing it.
Yeah, that’s exactly it. I do write at random times, and it’s only when inspiration comes to me. I would never force myself to write lyrics just because I need some.
I’ve read that you’ve had a variety of musical experience, from playing violin and guitar and so on. Your music is very shoegaze-y, or shoegaze-adjacent, so I was wondering how that genre specifically has helped you express yourself musically?
I think I was drawn to shoegaze specifically, and it was kind of the reason why I started making music. Well, not kind of – it was the reason I started making music, but it's because I love the build-ups in shoegaze and how powerful and emotional the choruses can be. When I wrote “Your face,” I was still in college, and I was going kind of throug a rough patch in my life, so shoegaze really resonated with me and taught me how to express my feelings artistically.
For sure. I've been listening to the genre for a while, too, and it's just – it’s just so impactful. Like, very impactful. Just the instruments fusing together and such. Who – or what – inspires you the most when you’re creating music? An artist? A setting? Or just anything.
I would say I'm the most inspired when I am emotional and when I'm in my most vulnerable state because that is what I like sharing to other people, just not through direct words, but through poetry, lyrics. I also really like writing in secluded forest-y areas, and I feel like I do best when I'm somewhere that's elevated and I'm surrounded by nature. It's so beautiful to look at and be able to write music and have that scenery around.
That gives me another question: where would be the ideal setting to listen to your music?
I think it depends on the song that you listen to, but if I have to choose one, it would probably be a foggy beach, and you're taking a walk on the beach, or you're running on the beach.
Yeah, definitely foggy, and I was also thinking it’s very forest-y.
Yeah, those are the main two components I like incorporating into my visual.
How long had your EP, “Pandora,” been in the works? What was the timeline for that?
I started going to LA frequently to write music around last June or July, I believe, so it was within the span of that up until when it was released, which was early this year. But a lot of the songs that I wrote last year didn't make it. So I have probably over 25 songs that I wrote, but only a couple of them made it onto the EP. So it more came down to choosing my favorites and what worked well together.
Are you planning on saving any of those songs for the future?
I'm not. If I didn't choose it for the EP, I don't think I would choose it for the album. It really has to resonate with me and stick with me, and I have to love it enough to put it on.
Yeah, and it’ll also be a different time period too.
Exactly. Most of them are scraps, but also, I could be open to working on them again.
What’s your personal favorite on the EP?
I would say my favorite is “Pandora.” I like the lyricism in “Pandora,” and I wrote that one with Kraus, who is one of the best shoegaze artists, I think, in the scene currently, especially in LA. It was an honor working with him, and seeing how he works on his music and transferring into fun, too.
I’m sure you get asked this a lot, but how has fame overnight felt for you, particularly on the Internet?
It definitely happened really quickly, but in the moment, it felt pretty gradual. I think that's just because I'm a person that loves things that move super fast, like I love a very fast-paced life, and I want something to happen the next day, which is why I hate being home from tour. If I could play a show every night. I could. But besides that … curating and being able to write music in a studio, compared to writing it in my bedroom, was such a great feeling. All of it came together and built a community around my music. I’m super grateful.
I was just reading about that. I feel like the internet is a really positive place for that.
It is very, and sometimes I feel like I need to take a step back and realize, wow, my life is so crazy, and I should really soak it all in.
Something else I was wondering, as someone who’s in college right now, how was that transition from college to making music?
I was in college for computer science, and I did like it my first year of college, but going into my sophomore year of college, I decided I was going to do music and comp sci at the same time. Did it for one semester, hated it. It didn't work out because I felt like I was putting all my energy into music, but I was obligated to do these online classes, homework, and exams. So ultimately, I just decided to drop out.
So you went online?
Yeah. I was moving to LA at the time, and I was just in LA so much doing music, and I was going to college in ESA. It was a big transition, but I think I made the right choice [by dropping out].
Computer science is mind-blowing. I don’t know, I’m a film major.
That’s so sick. I wish I’d done something art-directed in college, but I thought computer science would just make money. I was big into math and science.
Yeah, some people are built for [computer science], though.
I know a couple of artists that pursue music lasting in college. So major props to them, because it's doable, but it's it takes a lot of time.
For sure. I think it’s so cool that you get to focus on your music.
Yeah, I love it.
I know you were on tour for a bit earlier this year, so I was wondering, what’s been your most memorable experience on tour?
Definitely being in the van, like the tour van with my bandmates, because I met them last year around, I would say October. Now, after a year, we've grown so, so close. I consider these guys my family, so just experiencing being on the road with them and traveling and doing something that we're not used to is my favorite part about touring. I love it so, so much, and I love them so much.
Have you seen the movie Almost Famous?
No.
I grew up watching it and there's a whole sequence where they’re singing “Tiny Dancer” in the tour bus, and I just think about that a lot.
Yeah, the small moments and memories that you make with everyone on tour make it so worth it because I feel like tour can get really stressful at times as well. Having those people around you be anchors is just the best thing. A lot of times we would play heads-up in the tour van. We played this thing called Spotle, which is like Wordle, but you get a musical artist every day.
Is there a website for that?
Yeah, it’s just Spotle!
I feel like I’ve vaguely heard of that… I’ll have to check it out! So, I was wondering, who would be your dream collaborator?
Whirr, 100%. It’s either Whirr or Title Fight, and honestly, I feel like I can make it happen if I really put my mind to it and I keep these connections, just because I have talked to the Title Fight guys … and I've talked to the Whirr guys plenty. They just mean so, so much to me, and I started writing music because of Whirr. So I owe it all to them, and having a track with them would be amazing.
I can see that happening for sure. Yeah, I have a friend who’s really into Whirr. I need to get into Whirr.
I have a Whirr tattoo.
That’s so real. This is kind of a fun question– what’s an album you’ve been listening to a lot lately? Put me on something.
I just listened to the new Roy Blair album, and it's really good. It's called Chasing Moving Trains, and the last song on that album, “Garden,” is incredible. It writes out this whole story, and it’s so cinematic and powerful, and I love that.
I’ll have to check it out! You have such an exciting future ahead of you. What’s next in store?
I'm working on an album at the moment, and that is my main focus right now, just to write the best album that I can. You only get a first album once, so I want to make it perfect, and I really hope that everyone else likes it as well. We'll play more shows, too!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.