RIKKI LUMI - FIRST SIGNAL FROM THE LUMIVERSE

After being banished from her home planet of Venus for her inability to love, Rikki Lumi arrived on Earth to portray the version of herself she wanted others on Venus to see. When she arrived, she discovered Earth’s moon—and its mysterious relationship to the ocean tides—the only things she’s ever truly felt anything for. She’s met some humans and tried to fit in by singing love songs and mimicking the emotions her ancestors expected her to feel... but love still hasn’t come easily. What has come easily is fascination—especially with the human psyche, the way Earth embraces misfits, and the strange, aching beauty of music. When she’s not praising space and the ocean, she’s learning the language of longing through the songs she makes.

You’ve created this mysterious character named Rikki Lumi. Who is she, and how much of her is you?

Rikki Lumi is an exile from planet Venus, where love and relationships come easily to people. Not Rikki. She struggles with love and emotions, and came here to figure things out.

Rikki Lumi, as an artist, is the truest version of me that there is. Human emotions are complex. We put on facades, we feel pain, joy, and love. Rikki’s emotions are complicated as well, but they’re best expressed through music. I think a lot of people will relate to her as an outsider in a new environment—feeling like they’ve disappointed their parents or themselves, or like they don’t quite fit in. She’s human... but in a non-human way.

What does “The Lumiverse” mean to you?

It’s the universe that my music lives in. The upcoming album tells a story and opens up a fantasy world that I hope people will enjoy. That’s the Lumiverse.

You’ve chosen to launch with mystery instead of overexposure. No big PR push, no flashy campaign. Why?

I want people to want to get to know me and my story. I think that’s the way people will enjoy my music the most. I know they say you need to put yourself out there or your audience won’t find you, but maybe that’s the opposite for me. They’ll find me when they’re ready.

The visual world around your music is cinematic, sensual, and a little vintage. What inspires that side of your art?

I really believe I am a visual writer. I see imagery first, and then I come up with a subject and lyrics that embody what I see. I’ll see a photograph or a painting or a film and feel a vivid expression of what I’m going through—or a new insight into something I’ve been thinking about—and I’ll go from there. Sometimes I just think of a cool title and build the whole song around it. —

How does songwriting work for you? Is it structured or more like channeling something?

Every song and idea in this upcoming album was brought to life in a different way. For Sun & Moon, I was really inspired by admiring people from afar. I wrote it about comparing yourself to others—but not in a way that tears you down. I wanted to acknowledge that sometimes things don’t end up the way you hoped, and it isn’t always your fault. Or... maybe it could be.

As someone just starting to release music, what are you hoping people feel when they hear you?

I want people to find themselves in my music. I want them to know we all go through these moments, and what they feel is reflected in my songs—their heartbreaks, their longings, their joys. I want them to feel like we’re in this together.

Your lyrics feel intimate, but not literal. Is that intentional?

The writing process is my favorite part of making music. I really appreciate when lyrics use metaphors that are so subtle you don’t even realize what they mean until the 10th listen. Or what they don’t mean. Or how they might shift depending on where you’re at in your life. We did a lot of that on this album—especially in my upcoming single Siren.

What are you most excited about for the next few months?

I’m so excited about all the upcoming singles, remixes, and the eventual release of the album. I hope it brings people into the Lumiverse and that they can see themselves in the music—even through the fantasy.

This whole album is a journey for Rikki Lumi. From song to song, she changes her understanding of human relationships. She starts in a place of longing and unrequited love—wanting what everyone else wants—and ends in a place of peace. She realizes she can be happy even if her path looks different. She doesn’t need to get everything others chase after. Eventually, she’ll get enough of what she needs.

That’s Rikki’s journey.

Rikki Lumi on Instagram.