Ana Luna has released her new single ‘Dance in a Trance’.
Speaking of the single, Ana said: “People will interpret my songs however they want, but this one wasn’t about making anyone the bad guy, it was very much about me. I’d run into my ex and he wouldn’t even look at me. When we did lock eyes, the energy just felt… different. The line ‘a caged romance’ came from something he once said to a friend of ours about feeling ‘caged’ or trapped, which ironically, is how I felt too. It wasn’t toxic in the way we tend to define toxic now—but maybe it was in its own way, just because of how intense it all was. This song lives in that duality of: either you’ve always been this person and I was blind, or remind me why I loved you so I don’t feel like an idiot.”
To celebrate her single release, Ana shared with us 5 tracks that influenced ‘Dance in a Trance’.
Lana Del Ray – West Coast
I grew up in France and, apart from a few well-known pop stars, I wasn’t really exposed to many international artists. It wasn’t until my first year in America that I discovered Lana Del Rey. At the time, I had already been writing music, but I often felt unsure—like my songs didn’t quite fit into any specific mold. Discovering Lana’s music was a revelation. It felt like a validation that I didn’t need to fit in and that I could just create what felt authentic to me.
I love Lana’s lyricism, her musicality, and her willingness to break the rules. Her lyrics are raw, vulnerable, poetic, and full of vivid imagery. She isn’t afraid to say what she feels, and I really admire that fearlessness. Musically, she strikes this beautiful balance between raw emotion and a sense of cinematic grandeur. Even if you don’t relate to every lyric, her music transports you—it takes you somewhere, whether it’s her world or your own.
I became completely obsessed with her song ‘West Coast’ the first time I heard it. I was fascinated by the way the upbeat verses and pre-chorus melt into a slowed-down, dreamy chorus. When I started writing my song ‘Dance in a Trance’, I already had the first lines and the melody, and I knew exactly what I wanted it to convey emotionally. I wanted the music to match the story and feeling of the lyrics, and I found myself analyzing the chord structure of ‘West Coast’ because it perfectly captured the kind of mood I was aiming for. It was the first time I was truly inspired by a song and felt compelled to reinterpret that inspiration in my own way.
Fiona Apple – Sleep to Dream
I love Fiona Apple. She’s an indie/alternative queen! Her voice is always front and center, and everything in the production serves her voice and the story she’s telling. What really draws me to ‘Sleep to Dream’ is its lyricism and emotional weight. Fiona tells her story in such a direct and unapologetic way, and that honesty really resonates with me. When I was writing ‘Dance in a Trance’, I wanted to carry that same sense of clarity and intensity. Even though there’s imagery in the lyrics, the emotion is very direct. It’s raw but not aggressive.
‘Dance in a Trance’ is probably my darkest and most intense song. I wasn’t trying to fit it into a specific genre; instead, I wanted it to open the door into my world of storytelling and deep emotion—just like Fiona does with hers.
Florence & The Machine – Cosmic Love
I’m a huge fan of Florence & The Machine and the way she blends indie, alternative rock, and dream-pop so seamlessly. ‘Cosmic Love’ is one of my favourite songs of hers. The lyricism and musicality reflect exactly what I strive for in my own music. Her lyrics are poetic but always emotionally resonant. No matter how you interpret them, you still feel the story she’s telling. The song is full of unexpected turns, both sonically and emotionally, and tells a story from beginning to end.
While ‘Dance in a Trance’ is a much heavier song than ‘Cosmic Love’, I was definitely inspired by the way it balances vulnerability with powerful, layered sound.
Massive Attack – Dissolved Girl
I wrote ‘Dance in a Trance’ on the piano, but when it came time to approach the production, I knew I wanted to blend rawness with a bit of edge. I had a feeling that ‘Dance in a Trance’ would become one of the most heavily produced tracks on my upcoming album, because it carries a mix of sadness, confusion, and anger, and I wanted the production to reflect that emotional contrast. When I spoke with one of my co-producers, Kraig Tyler, he immediately referenced ‘Dissolved Girl’ by Massive Attack.
I’ve always loved the dark, sensual, hypnotic, and cinematic feel of ‘Dissolved Girl’. It doesn’t rush through the emotion, it lingers instead. It’s intense without being explosive. That was exactly the feeling I wanted to evoke with ‘Dance in a Trance.’ I wanted to convey the kind of anger, sadness, and confusion that doesn’t just burn out quickly, but stays in your body. It’s about sitting in that discomfort rather than escaping it.
‘Dissolved Girl’ also has that raw intensity, layered with subtle trip-hop elements, which is something you’ll find woven throughout my upcoming album. Even if it’s not front and centre, that influence is present in the mixes, giving the songs an undercurrent of drive and tension, especially in ‘Dance in a Trance’.
Portishead – All Mine
‘All Mine’ is such an iconic track. It’s alluring and haunting—managing to feel both simple and grand at the same time. Every element is placed so intentionally and with such precision, which was something we really focused on while creating ‘Dance in a Trance’ and throughout the rest of the album. We wanted each sonic detail, whether subtle or bold, to hit in an unexpected way and resonate emotionally.
Like my own music, ‘All Mine’ resists being tied to a single genre. It blends so many textures and influences that you feel transported to another world entirely. That cinematic quality was a huge inspiration for me. I’ve always wanted each song on the album to feel like it’s part of a larger soundtrack, like you’re stepping into a scene and witnessing a film through sound.
Discover Ana Luna’s music influences:
Listen to Ana Luna’s new single via Spotify: