INSPIRATION AND ADVICE
LUBIANA: MEET THE SINGER WHO SHOULD BE ON YOUR RADAR
By Jazmin Duribe and Georgia Trevitt, 15 April 2024
If you haven't heard of Lubiana, let us put you on. Not only is her debut single Respect – warning: it's extremely catchy – blowing up on socials, but it's also the soundtrack to our Unreal Finds campaign. We've been dying to know more about the West London-raised singer-songwriter, so we invited her to ASOS HQ for a chat about her love of stale biscuits (yep, really), musical icons and the inspiration behind her viral tune.
Hey Lubiana! We're playing your song Respect on repeat. What was the inspiration behind it?
I really wanted to show my confident side. I'd never done anything remotely similar to this – I'd never rapped before. It was just me and the producer in the studio and we were like, 'Let's have a bit of fun, it's not gonna be serious today. Whatever we come up with, we come up with.' He suggested I rap and then we made Respect – it was such a spur-of-the-moment kind of vibe.
We're living for the fashion references.
Thanks! I'm a vintage fashion girlie. I absolutely love going around finding little vintage pieces or things that are unique. There's a line in Respect that goes, 'I look expensive, but I paid 15 quid for this dress.' That’s literally what I do all the time. So, you know, this was to hype me up a little bit.
Love it! What's your favourite vintage fashion era?
2000s! JLo in the 2000s and late 90s is my ultimate style icon. I also love older movies, they give me so much style inspiration, no.1 being Honey with Jessica Alba.
A classic. And who would you say is your musical icon?
Beyoncé. She is my ultimate. She is number one. I have so many musical influences, though. I listen to so much music. I listen to bashment, jazz, soul, R&B and pop – I like to delve into a little bit of everything.
What genre would you say that you fall under, then?
I don't think I fall into a specific genre, I'm quite a mix of influences. Maybe one day I'll make up a name for one...
How do you want your music to make people feel?
Well, I would hope that one day I'm able to make people feel the same way that people like Beyoncé, JLo, Rihanna or Lauryn Hill made me feel growing up. I hope that my music will be able to reach a load of people and make them feel confident, sexy and empowered. Whenever I put on Beyoncé, I feel fierce. I feel so, 'Yes, I can rule the world right now!'
What's your favourite Beyoncé album?
That's a really hard question, but it would be I Am... Sasha Fierce. That's when I fell in love with her… well, apart from when she was in Destiny's Child. Going to school, I would always put on Halo, Sweet Dreams, Smash Into You… I like every single song.
Picture: ASOS
We don't blame you. Have you got any styling tips you swear by?
If I don't feel sexy, I'm not comfortable. My number one thing is to wear something I'm able to move my hips in. I can't wear anything that restricts that area because I want to dance – I love to move my hips!
How does your onstage style differ from your offstage style?
Everyone's always said that I'm quite extravagant in the way I dress. I've only had a few performances, so going out was my only stage. So when I’m going out, I dress the same as I would if I was performing.
Tell us something we'd never be able to guess about you.
I love a stale biscuit. You know the Maryland cookies? If you leave them out for a little bit and they’re kind of yummy and soft.
Erm... So, what’s next for Lubiana?
I have a few shows coming up. One of them I can't announce just yet… And I do have new music coming soon too. We're just doing the last finishing touches and then I'll be able to give you guys some more!
