Aluna Reflects On Being a Black Woman in Dance Music

As one half of the British electronic music duo AlunaGeorge, in recent months the singer and frontwoman Aluna has also stepped out on her own as a solo artist. Her second solo single, named “Warrior”, releases today with a guest spot from the house and synth-pop musician SG Lewis.

In a release accompanying the launch, Aluna speaks about her position as a Black female artist in the dance music sphere, saying “in the past, when performing on the stages of my white male peers, I always felt like a visitor being one of the few Black women I could see, so it never fully occurred to me to claim dance music as my music.”

“Then I looked at the history of dance music and saw how, for example, Chicago House, known as the invention of house music, was pioneered in the Black and Latino LGBTQ+ communities, which gave me inspiration to stake my flag in the ground as a Black woman in dance music by taking control of production and songwriting with my own vibe.”

“I set myself the challenge to reclaim a space in dance music for black women, a space currently saturated by white cis males,” she shares. “Music is one of the ways I fight and my weapon is joy, making sure those who have felt like they are not invited to the party know that they ARE the party. We have to keep fighting, but also……keep dancing along the road to equality.”

As a solo artist, Aluna has been signed to Diplo’s Los Angeles-based record label, Mad Decent. On her signing, Diplo said, “I’ve been a fan of Aluna for years – her voice, her style, and her way of putting records together. Having her sign to Mad Decent feels like a family reunion.”

“Warrior” is available to stream below.

In other music news, the GRAMMYs has vowed to rename all of its “Urban” categories following a pushback from artists.