Interview with Ana Luna
- Sabrina Shahryar
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
How did you decide on the album title, Tainted Silhouettes?
Ana: It took me a while to figure out the title. I wanted something that truly embodied the album as a whole. ‘Tainted Silhouettes’ is actually a line in the track “Bleeding Pen,” but it didn’t actually come to me as an idea for the title until I was shooting the teaser visual for the album. Tainted Silhouettes is all about relationships, discovery, triggers, and the “flaws” that make us who we are. Tainted Silhouettes represents people marked by heartbreak, by the past, by behaviors and patterns that linger. It’s not about love between two perfectly healed people, but rather between those still learning how to love despite their scars.
What was the writing process like?
Ana: I didn’t really have a set process, but I do usually start with lyrics. I usually get out the first few lines and then start to write a melody on the piano and go from there. I went into many of these songs knowing exactly what I wanted to write about, but sometimes a certain lyric would pop up that would inspire me to go a different direction.
How long did it take to create the album as a whole?
Ana: I wrote most of these songs in 2023, one in 2022, and two of them in 2024. We started production on the songs in March 2024. All in all, it took about a year and half to create the entire album.
What was the creative process like for creating the album cover?
Ana: I had a lot of ideas for the album cover. The image of a body covered in paint was something I’d been envisioning for a while. It represented vulnerability and the messiness of love and heartbreak. To me, those experiences are full of lessons, growth, and emotional extremes. They’re not one color; they’re a mix of everything, a rollercoaster of feelings. The hand in the image symbolizes a lover. I wanted it to feel larger than me, to show how small and powerless I felt in the face of love and heartbreak. Love can make you feel like you’re not fully in control of your own emotions. The snow globe element came later. When I visited my old college campus last March, I realized that when all those stories were happening, everything had felt huge and dramatic. Looking back, it felt like I’d been confined inside a snow globe—trapped in my own world and unable to see beyond it.
There were a lot of ideas at first, and I had to figure out what to keep and what to let go of. I knew the final concept might be hard to interpret, but it made sense to me. I also like the idea of people finding their own meaning in it. My friends helped paint my body, and my photographer, Noah Hoffman, captured and edited the images.
Was there a particular order you placed the songs in on the tracklist?
Ana: I wanted the order of songs to tell a story and follow the progression of emotions. I always knew “Fairytales” would open the record. From there, the songs move through different emotional stages. It starts in a place of anger and questioning—calling out what I didn’t like in the other person. Then it shifts toward reflection, looking at the relationship as a whole and expressing what I wish had been understood. After that come the “closure” songs that dive into being honest about needing to leave, admitting guilt, and finding hope for what comes next. The track “Stranger” explores my tendency to look for replacements, to escape the past by finding someone new in a cycle I keep repeating. From there, the story moves toward acceptance and acknowledging the hurt, but refusing to let it change me. And finally, the album ends with “Love Virgin,” where I’m confronting my own perceptions of love.
How do you feel knowing your debut album is releasing?
Ana: It feels good! I was so nervous about releasing the individual singles, but there’s something about putting the whole album out that just feels freeing. It’s out of my control now so there’s no point in overthinking it. I’m enjoying seeing how people respond to the album. It’s making me want to make even more music and perform more live shows.
Are there any songs you are looking forward to fans hearing?
Ana: “Bleeding Pen” and “Can We Pretend We Just Met at a Bar?” were the two songs I was most eager to have people hear, which is why I released them as singles ahead of time. Truthfully, I’m just excited to see how people respond to any of the songs or to the album as a whole.
What do you hope listeners take away from the album?
Ana: I hope they feel, introspect, relate, and maybe learn something. I hope that people can find a connection in my songs in whatever way they need or want to.
If you could set fans up with the perfect environment to listen to the album in, what would it be?
Ana: Oooh! I think the perfect environment would be laying down on soft cushions with dim lights, candles everywhere, and a glass of red wine (or a cup of tea). I think the album is best enjoyed in a cozy environment where you can really give it your full attention and have the space to feel.
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