Lana Karlusic, under the stage name Lana Karlay, explores the R&B genre through her new single. She speaks to Jena Carr about what it’s like to juggle being a musician with her Year 12 studies.
Year 12 can be a challenging milestone for many teenagers, but for Lana Karlusic, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
As the 17-year-old Geelong girl enters her final year of studies, Lana is also juggling a musical career that has taken her to Los Angeles (LA) four times in six months last year.
Lana is an incredibly talented musician who can play many instruments, including the piano, guitar and violin, and has always enjoyed music and singing.
“I was so focused on musical theatre and opera, and I did heaps of musical theatre growing up, and I was in Opera Australia,” she said.
“My musical career kind of started when I went into Grade 9, when my school had Timbertop (a boarding and co-educational campus near Mansfield), where we went and lived in the bush for a year.
“So, we didn’t have any technology and lived in dorms of 16 other girls and, as an only child, I was really struggling to be away from my family, so I started writing songs.
“I had one teacher who really motivated me and helped me create some demos. He was kind of the first person who ever really believed in me and said that singing-songwriting could be my path.
“After that, Mum and I searched everywhere online for Melbourne producers as I really wanted to make this singing-songwriting thing happen, as I just had the love for it more than musical theatre and opera.”
Following the trip and support from many of her teachers, Lana decided to start looking into pursuing a singer-songwriter career.
“We (Lana and her parents) ended up deciding to go to LA to experience the other side of the music world, and I just fell in love as there’s so much creativity,” she said.
“In LA, everyone is really driven, and I’m not saying that they’re not here, but I think in LA everyone really wants to make it happen, while it is just such a small community of musicians in Geelong.
“It’s almost a different world in LA, and everything’s really just emerging…and I want to move there if I get into UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) or Berklee College of Music (in Boston), so it’s good to see where I’ll be living and what that future would be like.”
Lana has since collaborated with producers Adam Moseley and Esthy in LA and released four singles, including Don’t Let Me Go, Sober, Girl I Used to Know and Won’t Be Your Victim under the stage name of Lana Karlay.
She also has a new single, released on Friday 13 February, called Running Out Of Time, which is an R&B-style song inspired by artists like SZA and Post Malone and features vocals by American artist cam’dn.
“When I’m writing songs, I normally think of the first thing that comes into my head, which was ‘I’m sitting on the edge’,” Lana said.
“The song almost became about a love that’s been under the radar, like maybe you’ve been friends with them before, but you are finally noticing them.
“So, it’s that feeling of running out of time because you haven’t really explored that connection with them yet, but now you’re going to.”
Lana has also recently entered her final year of studies and said her school had been supportive of her music.
“I’m doing two music subjects, along with English, Science, and Math, to help give me a path into UCLA and Berklee because you need to have the basics,” she said.
“Balancing my music and school has been pretty good, and my parents are always really supportive, so sometimes when I do get stressed, I just need to write music to get it out.
“I am pretty busy, but we make it happen. Because I’ve been doing music theatre and opera growing up, I’m used to having a busy schedule and know how to balance it now.”
It is no surprise that music is a big part of who Lana is, with the young musician unable to imagine her life without it and set to roll out her debut album this year.
“My album is going to be a reflection of who I am; my first singer-songwriting experiences and all the songs that I’ve written over the years,” she said.
“I love being able to go on the piano and write what I’m feeling. So, if I’ve been going through a hard time or I’m stressed because of exams, I love that I can go and pick up an instrument and just play it.
“But I also really wanted to make a couple of songs before and after my album was released that were different and unique, and what people wouldn’t expect me to be doing.
“Music is not selective, and I can just do any genre I want, so that’s why it’s good to be writing something different and something new rather than my pop-rock kind of stuff.”
Lana’s ‘Momager’ (mum and manager) Dara said she was really proud of her daughter and loved to see the spark in Lana when she was writing and playing music.
“It’s really important that Lana is happy while allowing her to grow and develop in a safe place without fear of judgment, so that we can support her to pursue her craft,” she said.
“From a parent’s perspective, the music industry is scary with a lot of highs and lows, and it is super tough, but you’ve got to have the right attitude, good work ethic and stability.
“It’s managing that mental health as well that comes with opening up your world as Lana evolves and builds as a developing artist that is proud of her Geelong roots.”
Lana maintains her strong family and cultural ties, with her dad and both sets of grandparents coming to Australia from Croatia.
“She started singing with my mum, her grandmother, and they made up their own songs together. So, from the age of one or two, they were making their own language and singing their own words,” Dara said.
“For my baba (grandmother), music has never really been an industry that she thought that people would go into, especially her grandchildren, but seeing me pursue my dreams helped her understand it,” Lana said.
People can listen to Lana’s music on WAV, Spotify or Apple Music and can watch her music videos on YouTube.
