Aluna Francis, one half of London electronic duo AlunaGeorge, has embarked on a solo endeavour with the first ever single, “Body Pump“. The track is cut from her upcoming debut album, set for release sometime this year, via Diplo’s record label Mad Decent. Have a listen to the track down below.
After over eight years of shaking the electronic and dance music scene under the name AlunaGeorge, Aluna Francis (who goes by a simple stage name Aluna) has finally dropped a song of her very own titled “Body Pump“. The track is Francis’ homage to house music initially originated by the Black and LGBTQ+ communities.
According to Dork, the singer said, “Having enjoyed being the main ingredient to many successful dance records, I started wanting to create the whole dish. In the past when performing on the stages of my white male peers, I always felt like a visitor being one of the few Black women I could see, so it never fully occurred to me to claim dance music as my music, as an artist, even though it was at the heart of my connection to music.”
She continued, “Then I looked at the history of dance music and saw how, for example, Chicago House, known as the invention of house music, was pioneered in the Black and Latino LGTBQ+ communities which gave me inspiration to stake my flag in the ground as a Black woman in dance music by taking control of production and songwriting with my own vibe.”
“Body Pump” is a club track that still reminds us of the music that AlunaGeorge makes us fall in love with them. Besides, Aluna has not failed us in serving a sensual dance-y tune, as she sings, “Hold on, my body’s pumping all night long / I’ve been waiting for something like this / Body’s pumping, I just can’t resist.” Get ready to pump up your body and listen to the track below.
Aluna also talked with Paper Magazine about her decision to go solo. When asked why she wanted to make music on her own, the 30-year-old singer answered that “the need for challenge” was what drove her.
“I kind of realized that whenever we need to create new music, the last thing that anyone worries about is productivity,” said Aluna. “I was like, hold on let me look closer at that area because I think that I might have been hiding from a huge challenge and disguising it as a really great skill and that skill being collaboration. And I am proud of how me and George have created this kind of symbiotic relationship and we can make music in any setting and in it with any kind of criteria, which is amazing. But at the same time, I’ve never been one for fitting in, in comfort.”
Elsewhere, label founder Diplo spoke of having Aluna in his home: “I’ve been a fan of Aluna for years – her voice, her style and her way of putting records together. Having her sign to Mad Decent feels like a family reunion – can’t wait to get these records out to everyone. Huge project for Mad Decent.“
