Elijah Luna, a high school senior who has starred in multiple theater productions, shares how his heritage and culture has influenced the way he listens to music. Luna embraces his upbringing and how it has allowed him to truly connect with lyrical flow and instrumental beat on stage.
Since he was a young boy, genres such as R&B and rap became staples in his life, allowing him to create memories with his mother and becoming what he would define as his culture growing up. However, while these musical fields have certainly defined who he is now, Luna begins to connect more with his heritage later on in life. Listening to Spanish music was the start of something new.
“Even though I couldn’t fully understand the songs,” Luna said, “I could feel the raw emotions coming from the singer. It transcended language and went straight to my heart.”
Outside the house, Luna always carries a pair of headphones with him no matter where he is, immersing himself in the rich complexity of these songs at every moment. To him, it’s easy to get lost in the feelings of another, and it helps him capture the energy of his characters on stage.
“Music is such a powerful and beautiful way to display emotions,” Luna said. “Hearing a song [that] describe[s] the exact thing you’re going through is so therapeutic to me.”
To get a glimpse into one of the melodies that inspires him and perhaps discover a new favorite tune, Luna provides a recommendation.
“La Mentira by Luis Miguel,” Luna said. “A very, very romantic song.”
Luna recalls moments in his childhood where his grandfather would sing it around the house. It was beautiful – the way the words came together. He finds it romantic despite the meaning because, to him, each song is more than just its meaning.
Spanish music is more than just its language—Spanish music encapsulates the beauty of emotion and brings forth a positive energy that glides the stages, linking those that find their ways toward it. The vibrancy that San Gabriel’s theater brings to the school, and the people who have found their community within it—people like Elijah Luna, who is just one of many who has made a home in his musical heritage.