New Energy, New Flow: An Interview with Puerto Rican Singer-Songwriter LUNAY

Puerto Rican singer Lunay broke through as a teenager with the massive “Soltera” remix alongside Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee, quickly becoming one of the most exciting voices in the rising Latin music scene. Now, at 25, he is entering a more self-assured chapter in his life. With “Ojalá,” his first major solo single in over a year, Lunay signals a new beginning rooted in hope. “Ojalá” reflects that, despite having in many ways already “made it”—from the empty streets of his childhood to the fashion runway in Paris—he still has his sights set on what comes next. In this conversation, Lunay opens up about his growth as an artist, his creative process, and his sense of responsibility in representing the next generation of dreamers while staying true to himself.

Your latest single “Ojalá” carries a smooth, romantic energy that’s a noticeable shift from the more high-energy sound of your early work. What drew you toward this direction, and what does this song represent for you at this stage in your life?

It represents a new chapter. It represents everything we’ve accomplished so far—we’ve achieved our goals, but this is also a new start. It feels so fresh, and I’m full of energy, grateful that I’m living through this. “Ojalá” is hope. It’s about being hopeful and sharing that hope with everybody—with your girl, with your friends, with the people that give you time and energy. “Ojalá” is everything right now. “Ojalá” is the start. We’ll be coming out with more good vibes.

I saw that you performed “Ojalá” at Willy Chavarria’s fashion show in Paris. How did it feel stepping onto the runway for the first time? Has fashion always been an interest of yours?

Always, my brother. Since I was a kid, when I had zero money, I dreamed about this. Walking the runway with one of the best, Willy, it’s fire. It’s big. It’s a dream come true.

Can you share more about your childhood? What were you like as a kid growing up in Puerto Rico?

I liked riding motorcycles with my homies. Before that, we would ride bicycles, before we had enough money to buy motorcycles. I used to play soccer and volleyball. That is Lunay. Those are all the hobbies that are Lunay. I also went to church. I used to play the drums there. My father was a drummer, so that’s in my blood. I come from a musical family that raised me in the church, and they encouraged me to sing and play the drums when I was a kid. When I started, I was like, this is my thing.

Do you remember the moment when you realized music was something that would change your life? What were you feeling when you first decided to become an artist?

That happened when I was still in school. That was the crossover. Even when I was focused on playing soccer, I would rap a lot. I used to freestyle all the time. Some people believed in me. Some people didn’t. For me, it was always about the energy. The flow. One day at school, I saw I was getting a lot of numbers on my videos. I felt like God was talking to me: “Yo, you don’t have to stop doing this. You’re going to be somebody.” When I was in college, that’s when they signed me. I took a lot of classes, but I didn’t have time to focus on them. I was 18 years old, and the next thing I know, I’m doing “Soltera (Remix)” with Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee. It’s just crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy, my bro.

“I represent that kid – that dreaming kid who came from nothing. Kids who grew up on empty streets. I was a little homie like that. I represent that for the younger generation.”

That tracks—you’re part of the recent rise of Puerto Rico on the global music stage. Do you feel like you represent something specific when you’re performing outside of Puerto Rico?

Yes, I feel like I represent all the young kids like me who sometimes don’t feel confident about themselves. Kids who grow up and realize they have this beast inside of them that they need to show to the world. I represent that kid—that dreaming kid who came from nothing. Kids who grow up on empty streets. I was a little homie like that. I represent that for the younger generation. I’m 25 now. Damn, I’ve been enjoying this life for a lot of years now.

Can you walk me through your creative process? Where do you find inspiration for a song?

I’m happy you’re asking me this because my next single is ready to come out, and the creative process behind this one was so different. So real. It was me and my brother, the only person I listen to. We’ll create a melody, listen to it, and build the song from there. For this one, we went to Palomino on a boat. I love the studio. Everyone loves the studio. But I wanted something new, so we prepared everything, went to a grocery store, bought what we needed, and went to the marina with all the yachts, boats, and jet skis. We headed to Palomino, playing our reggaeton, jumping in the water, feeding off the energy. Then I thought, let’s do reggae. We’re on a boat in Palomino, let’s do reggae. We started watching videos of Bob Marley performing, listening to him sing, listening to the drums and the vibe, and asking ourselves how we could do this, but Puerto Rican. It was crazy. I enjoyed that process so much that I felt I had to share it with the world.

Since your debut album Épico in 2019, what’s something you’ve had to unlearn as your career has grown?

Something I’ve had to unlearn was giving so many people access to my circle. Tightening my circle has been a big part of my process over the years. At first, I would let in a lot of people, and it would cloud the energy around me and affect how I saw myself. It affected my confidence. I let their opinions influence a lot of what I was doing when I didn’t need to listen to them.

That seems important to where you’re at now as an artist, balancing music, fashion, and brand collaborations. How do you stay focused and true to yourself amid all these opportunities?

I just be me. I’m very lowkey. I’ve got very good razas: my family, my mother, my dad, my brothers, all the people I keep around me. My new team. I always stay grounded because I’ve got that raza. I’m in the movies. I’m at the parties. I’m doing the shows. I like to go out in nice cars with the homies and enjoy life and flex, but always with a good heart and good people. I treat everyone the same because we’re all the same.

Is it important for you to have fun outside of your career? How do you unwind?

I go back to my hometown, Corozal. I eat carne frita, fried pork. With the homies, we ride Banshees, Yamaha Raptors, all that. Just enjoying life. That’s my best kind of holiday, riding with the homies back home.

What’s something about your life right now that wouldn’t make sense to your younger self?

That he made it. He made it, he made it. And that he’s still going to make it. That he did it. He accomplished it. He achieved the goal he dreamed of. In school, I dreamed I’d go global, maybe not global, but big. Back then, that dream was my muse. That was my muse, and I did it. That’s something.

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