It’s not often you get the chance to write about a Bahamian making alternative music. Luke Noraa steps out of the box with his sound, inspired by artists like Jordan Ward or Smino, to make something truly distinct. I got the chance to ask Luke a few questions about “Spell” and how being Bahamian influences his music. “Growing up in Nassau, people always used to tell me I talked too American or different from everybody else. Then, when I moved to the U.S. I’d hear mixed reactions.” The one foot in each door feeling that Luke describes is one that many Bahamians that have lived away from home can relate to. It can, as explained by Luke, “create some identity struggles”. But Luke has found a way to turn this struggle into beauty, channeling his uniqueness into his music, and affirming that his art is the best expression of who he is, in his own Bahamian perspective.
Spell, Noraa’s newest single takes the listener on a journey of being “completely drawn to somebody”, a feeling that Luke hasn’t experienced in the exact way that is presented in Spell, but has had some semblances of. He takes the opportunity on Spell to give a unique twist to a feeling that we all might find familiar. It’s always important to seek out fresh Bahamian talent, at home and abroad. We have so many talented musicians giving their perspectives on life through an ultimately, Bahamian lens. These are the modern storytellers, the retellings of Bahamian hits that we know and love like Cuckoo Soup or Big Daddy. Spell gives us a different way of saying we’re enthralled by someone, and set to a soundtrack that we might not be too familiar with, but it is authentic Bahamian art, all the same. Check out Luke Noraa if you haven’t already @lukenoraa on Instagram!
