Physical distancing has had devastating effects on the music industry, but Toronto dream-pop enchanter Luna Li has been making the most of it. She's blown up on social media with her viral jam videos, meaning that she's already a whole lot more well-known than she was when the coronavirus lockdown began. We caught up with singer/multi-instrumentalist Hannah Bussiere — an alumna of Exclaim!'s Class of 2020 concert series — to discuss her sudden success and her isolation routine.
What's your self-isolation setup?
I'm in my apartment with my boyfriend, Jacob, who is also a musician! My mom runs a music school down the street from my place, which is now empty, so I've been able to go and be alone there. I brought my gear over and made a little studio setup in one of the rooms. It's been super awesome and I feel so lucky that I have that space available to me during this time.
Are you working on any music while on lockdown?
I've been doing lots more jam videos that I post regularly on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok! They've been getting a really great response and are really fun to do. One of them got to a million views on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, which was super crazy for me — my first million anything! It's been fun to work on my production skills and get to play lots of different instruments every day.
I also have more official releases coming out very, very soon!
What are you watching and listening to?
I've been listening to a lot of Doja Cat, Moses Sumney and Raveena who are all making amazing stuff right now, as well as listening to Jacob's sweet new music that he's writing every day in our apartment.
My bandmate Sabrina and I are watching the Twilight series together over Netflix Party, and Jacob and I just binge-watched Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!
How do you feel about the response to coronavirus?
I'm glad that it's being taken seriously and lockdown measures have been taken, and I've seen a few great initiatives popping up to support artists — for example, the Unison Fund.
I think rent is still a really big issue and I hope that some sort of aid will be brought to the table soon. For someone like me, it's unclear whether I'm eligible for EI or CERB because I'm still working a bit teaching online lessons, but my income has definitely dropped. So I'm hoping the government will make their initiatives accessible to those who need it but aren't currently eligible.
Have you picked up any new hobbies or routines in isolation?
What's been the most important to me is to make sure I move my body in some way every day — going for walks, solo dance parties — and to make sure I go outside every day. It's really key for my mental health to keep my body energized. Today my band all did yoga together over zoom — a cute and new band activity for us.
Find out what other Canadian musicians have been up to under self-quarantine with our Isolation Nation questionnaire.
What's your self-isolation setup?
I'm in my apartment with my boyfriend, Jacob, who is also a musician! My mom runs a music school down the street from my place, which is now empty, so I've been able to go and be alone there. I brought my gear over and made a little studio setup in one of the rooms. It's been super awesome and I feel so lucky that I have that space available to me during this time.
Are you working on any music while on lockdown?
I've been doing lots more jam videos that I post regularly on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok! They've been getting a really great response and are really fun to do. One of them got to a million views on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, which was super crazy for me — my first million anything! It's been fun to work on my production skills and get to play lots of different instruments every day.
I also have more official releases coming out very, very soon!
What are you watching and listening to?
I've been listening to a lot of Doja Cat, Moses Sumney and Raveena who are all making amazing stuff right now, as well as listening to Jacob's sweet new music that he's writing every day in our apartment.
My bandmate Sabrina and I are watching the Twilight series together over Netflix Party, and Jacob and I just binge-watched Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!
How do you feel about the response to coronavirus?
I'm glad that it's being taken seriously and lockdown measures have been taken, and I've seen a few great initiatives popping up to support artists — for example, the Unison Fund.
I think rent is still a really big issue and I hope that some sort of aid will be brought to the table soon. For someone like me, it's unclear whether I'm eligible for EI or CERB because I'm still working a bit teaching online lessons, but my income has definitely dropped. So I'm hoping the government will make their initiatives accessible to those who need it but aren't currently eligible.
Have you picked up any new hobbies or routines in isolation?
What's been the most important to me is to make sure I move my body in some way every day — going for walks, solo dance parties — and to make sure I go outside every day. It's really key for my mental health to keep my body energized. Today my band all did yoga together over zoom — a cute and new band activity for us.
Find out what other Canadian musicians have been up to under self-quarantine with our Isolation Nation questionnaire.
