Ears Wide Open: Little Luna

Matt Wallock on May 5th, 2022

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Little Luna, aka Rachael Kathryn Bell, is on a mission to merge feel-everything indie-pop with let-go-of-everything mindfulness. Later this month the Pittsburgh-born singer-songwriter, actress and yogi will release a new EP titled “Through the Self” (out May 20 via AWAL), which closes with a 25-minute-long guided meditation.

Previous singles “The Glass,” “Under the Wave” and “Last Time” have dealt with self-acceptance, authenticity and loneliness. But the throughlines here are Bell’s self-reflective songwriting and emotive vocals. On “The Glass,” those self-reflections turn meta: “I’ve been facing a side of myself in the glass tonight,” she sings, “and I’ve realized, it’s OK that I look inside.”

“‘The Glass’ was born out of a revelation I had while looking in the mirror. We all have parts of ourselves that are wonderful, and we all have parts of ourselves that are not great,” Bell says of the latest single. “But to be able to look at yourself in the mirror, for all that you are, and not be scared of what you see, is a part of the journey to knowing your self fully and deeply. To alchemize your self, to truly transform your life, you can’t sweep the things you don’t want to deal with within yourself under the rug. They’ll eventually pile up, and you’ll trip over the bump in the carpet!”

Before Bell was known as Little Luna, she was best known as an actress whose credits include “Suite Life on Deck.” Off-screen, Bell’s also worked as a yoga and meditation instructor. Both practices have helped her navigate her creative pursuits.

“I either figure out how to fix things in my life that I need to change or creative ideas with music come through,” Bell told Ladygunn a few months ago. “Especially if I’m in a season of not knowing an answer or not knowing what move to make next. Whenever I take time in either of those [mindfulness] practices, it comes to me in one form or another, not always the answer, but the space to figure out what’s next if that makes sense.”

||| Watch: The video for “Last Time”