Introducing Eddy Luna

Further proof of the wealth of musical talent emanating from outside the M25, Eddy Luna is a gifted singer-songwriter who pairs raw, introspective lyrics about relationships and mental health with neosoul and jazz-influenced production. Hailing from Dudley in the West Midlands, the 25-year-old draws from all corners and eras of music to craft something completely unique and compelling.

Music runs through the veins of this Black Country artist; her entire family is musical. “My mum would always get me involved in church singing, and my dad was a DJ, so I was constantly surrounded by a mix of rare groove, lovers’ rock, reggae, dancehall, and jazz. I’m glad I had that combination.” Blessed with the same open-minded and curious nature, her own sound mirrors this—a cross-pollination of influences and styles.

Eddy Luna’s musical decisiveness began at the age of five. After starting singing lessons but not connecting with the classical music she was asked to learn, she brought Ashanti and JLo sheet music to her lessons instead. By ten, she had picked up the guitar and began singing old rock ‘n’ roll songs. “Back then, Buddy Holly was my universe,” she reflects. “Anything Buddy sang, I’ve probably sung at some point.”

1980s funk and soul singer Sylvia Striplin also had a deep impact on Eddy Luna’s sound. “I didn’t know how to get past playing the same chords on the guitar, and rather than standing there and making everyone cry, I wanted to bring more of a vibe,” she says. “The first time I heard Sylvia, it was a whole groove I didn’t even know existed. That was the moment I thought, ‘You know, I could actually try some of this.’”

Then, there are “the classics,” she says—Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and even Skunk Anansie. She has spent hours poring over their biographies, figuring out how they translated their life experiences into their music. “They made me feel more confident in expressing emotion,” she explains.

As a test of her musical abilities, Eddy Luna enjoys covering unusual song choices. She and her collaborator deliberately seek out tracks they wouldn’t typically sing—such as Internet Money’s ‘Lemonade’— and reshape them into jazz versions. “It’s about exercising our creativity and seeing if we can turn a song into something we’d actually play,” she says.

Diving deep into themes of relationships and mental health, Eddy Luna describes her debut project as a “taster of life experiences that not only I’ve had, but that I think everyone on the planet has.” Her first single, ‘Still Breathing’—which features impressive vocal runs and rich instrumentation—was written during a bout of depression. Initially a way to pull herself out of it, the song has since resonated with listeners who have reached out to say how much it has uplifted them.

Elsewhere on the record, ‘Choose’ explores a familiar situation— whether in a relationship or a life choice—where someone isn’t taking you seriously. “At that point, it’s on them to choose, but you’re going to do what you’re doing regardless,” she explains. Designed to inspire confidence and self-awareness, Eddy Luna’s music aims to guide listeners through dark times—something she has experienced firsthand. “That’s why I love music so much,” she says. “It makes me feel different emotions or acknowledge emotions I didn’t even know were there.”

Eddy’s first major support slot landed her on tour with Years & Years alongside Olly Alexander. She continued making waves with live performances on TV show Tonight With Target and a unique live set at Sofar Sounds. She has also performed at various music venues across London and Birmingham. With airplay on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra bringing her into the spotlight, Eddy Luna has now been signed by DJ Target to Columbia Records. Managed by Kemal at Ofavision, she is currently recording new music for release, keeping her Gemini zodiac traits at the forefront of her musical journey. Follow her on Instagram: @eddyluna__

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In recent weeks, Positive Life and the charity sector in Northern Ireland has been rocked by bad news on Core Funding. This is the money that charities use to keep the lights on.

Positive Life’s application for £78,000 of Core Grant Funding was unsuccessful and we are totally gutted. We’re not alone: Positive Life was one of more than 250 health charities applying for the £1.8m of government funding. Of these, only 25 were successful.

While charities can apply to other funds for specific projects, most of them dictate that you absolutely cannot use the money to cover things like rent, rates, electricity or central admin costs. The Core Grant is vital to groups like Positive Life.

There is a fundamental lack of government understanding of the value of charities like ours. It shows no respect for our work and it feels like a brutal snub for our service users.

Save our Services #SOS

As Northern Ireland’s only dedicated HIV charity, this decision puts the future of our work in doubt. We are already down to a tiny team and we work across the whole region. Worryingly it also threatens the public health goal of eliminating new HIV diagnoses by 2030.

The biggest blow is that this simply does not make financial sense. Our work takes the pressure off other frontline NHS services: it actually saves the Department of Health money.

As well as delivering therapy, support and a peer community for people living with HIV, Positive Life provides a safe place, free of stigma, ignorance and judgment. The mental health benefits of this are immeasurable: within the last week, two recently diagnosed service users have told me directly that if Positive Life wasn’t here, they wouldn’t be here. This funding decision just does not stack up. Positive Life delivers crucial public health education and increases access to testing, aimed at driving new HIV diagnoses down.

In basic financial terms, every new HIV diagnosis comes at a price. The cost to the health service of the medicines for just one additional person diagnosed with HIV, would core fund three years of our prevention, awareness and support work. Through our lobbying work, we also give a voice to people living with HIV - probably one of the most marginalised groups of individuals in Northern Ireland. Since most of our service users choose to keep their status very private, if our services disappear, they may be left without a voice.

We know health budgets are under pressure. £1.8 million is a drop in the ocean when compared with Stormont’s total allocation for health in the 2025/26, a whopping £8.79 billion.

The Minister says publicly that the community and voluntary sector are doing great work to support front line health services. You’d think that properly funding us, so we can open our doors, would be a priority. Instead, this funding blow leaves many of us running on fresh air and struggling to stay afloat. You can help us by contacting your local MLA or MP about this. And of course, As a charity boss, I’ll never to miss an opportunity to share a donation link: Make a donation to Positive Life.

Surely health charities deserve better treatment, right?

By: Jacquie Richardson, CEO, Positive Life, NI’s only dedicated HIV charity