ML Backstage

On the eighth episode of ML Backstage, Mars Luna, Joshua Luna (Josh), Kainalu Kamai (Nalu) & Holokahiki Toves (Holo) brought back their good friend Scott Yago (Scott) to help break down the behind the scenes stories and creative processes of the second Mars Luna LP "Dark Matter" that's set for release on November 19. The guys got to hear the album early and this is the first episode of two in the "Dark Matter" series. They discuss: 

 - the "Dark Matter" pre-release and preview. The guys give their honest reviews and endorsements on the upcoming Mars Luna record since they heard the album early. They reveal what songs and qualities stood out to them and Josh gives his list of his favorite to least favorite songs on the album.

- the "Dark Matter" concept, origins and meaning, its ties to comic books (Joker, Harley Quinn, Riddler, Two-Face and Venom specifically) and its connection to "Lost In Space".

- the "Dark Matter" studio sessions with Morgan Wright and Thomas Brooks (TommBro), the events that led to the creation of Mars Luna's "Dark Matter" LP, the album timeline, the trials and tribulations that occurred while making the album, and Josh reveals the lessons he learned from this album process.

- a breakdown of the first three songs from the album (In My Head, Heaven, 3 AM) and how these of the first three songs messed with Josh's emotions while writing them in a prior lifetime (2017, 2018) and brought his pain while recording.

- what inspires the guys to keep going in the midst of trials and tribulations and what would they say or do to encourage someone who's going through a difficult time.

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We got our first special guest! On the sixth episode of ML Backstage, Mars Luna and Joshua Luna (Josh) invited their good friend, fellow ninth islander, producer extraordinaire and musical genius Morgan Wright to join them! Along with regular co-hosts Kainalu Kamai (Nalu) & Holokahiki Toves (Holo), they talk about Morgan's creative story, his relationship with Mars and Josh and the behind the scenes stories and creative processes of their history together. They discuss:

- Morgan's creative origins and how he got started with music while being homeschooled in Hawaii.

- How Morgan and Josh met at an Asian-American competition named Kollaboration Honolulu in 2013, and their friendly competitive rivalry with their respective bands: Koinonia (Josh) and Reincarnation (Morgan).

- The two Youtube short films Morgan was a part of in 2014, "That Friend" and "Iceberg".

- Morgan's move to Las Vegas in 2016, his "Ninth Island" transition, reuniting with Josh, working on "Mars Luna" projects together and performing throughout Vegas.

- Morgan's musical production journey and his two EPs "Onward" and "Chapter 1".

- The current projects Morgan is working on, and his favorite project that he produced.

- Josh, Nalu, Holo and Morgan give their own reviews on the latest Mars Luna single "Gone".

- Behind the scenes talk on Mars Luna's next album with lots of nuggets, spoiler alerts and reflections.

- Knowing what they know now in life, the guys describe the advice they would give their younger selves.

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Website - https://www.itsmarsluna.com  

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"Gone" by Mars Luna:

On the fifth episode of ML Backstage, Mars Luna, Joshua Luna (Josh), Kainalu Kamai (Nalu) & Holokahiki Toves (Holo) break down the behind the scenes stories and creative processes of his third Mars Luna EP "Arcturus" (available on Spotify & Apple Music). They discuss:

- the origins behind the "Arcturus" EP, Josh learning how to produce music, and how the photoshoot for the EP at Campbell Industrial Park led to Holo's life transition from 2019 to 2020.

- their individual 2020 recaps: pre-pandemic & pandemic.

- their perspectives on COVID-19, the pre-existing racial tensions, and conspiracy theories.

- Josh's current perspective on music, his admission that he viewed music as a drug and an idol in 2020, Nalu's deployment stint in 2019 and missing out on multiple trips to Korea due to the pandemic and Holo's life without social media.

- the main thing that the guys lost that they took for granted in 2020 and the biggest silver lining they found in the pandemic.

- the next Mars Luna single, "Gone" and Josh gives a sneak preview of the song at the end of the episode. 

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ML Backstage is brought to you by Sixth Dimension Records:

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Mars Luna:

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"Gone" by Mars Luna:

On this episode of ML Backstage, Mars Luna, Joshua Luna (Josh), Kainalu Kamai (Nalu) & Holokahiki Toves (Holo) break down the behind the scenes stories, post-release performances and creative processes of the first Mars Luna LP "Lost In Space" (available on Spotify & Apple Music). This is the second episode of two in the "Lost In Space" series. They discuss:

- the origins behind the "Lost In Space" album title, how it was organically created and how the title was an honest reflection of Josh's season of life at the time.

- the post-release performances for "Lost In Space", playing shows with rappers, Mars Luna's band: the Supernova and the official "Lost In Space" release show at Warhol's Loft with Lowery.

- Mars Luna's character transformation, how this particular iteration of Mars Luna was inspired by David Bowie, Holo's and Josh's honest thoughts behind the character change, why Josh colored his hair red to show his commitment to the character, and why Josh felt like he needed to separate his "regular self" from Mars' "Cosmic Prince" persona.

- an extended song breakdown behind each "Lost In Space" song and separating them into two sections: a "love" portion - Didn't Know, Good Girl, Nothing But Trouble, The Villain, Selfish, How Can I Live Without You, and a "life" portion - Open The Door, Run, Drift, Dwelling In The Cellar, Mama Said, You're Right Here.

- the "Drift" music video, filming at Mokuleia and Pele's Chair, how a bug got into Josh's ear during the shoot, Josh addressing his church hurt, his experience with Christianity, healing and finding redemption over time.

- how "You're Right Here" was written about Josh, Holo and Kainalu's good friend Haleh Paschal and the aftermath of her passing from cancer. The guys reflect on the five year anniversary of her death and the memories and lessons they learned from their friendship with her.

- Mars Luna's motto: "embrace your odyssey, embrace the strange" and what that quote means to Mars and Josh.

- what is the meaning of life, what makes life worth living and what do the guys want to accomplish in life before their time on earth is done.

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For the third episode of ML Backstage, Mars Luna, Joshua Luna (Josh), Kainalu Kamai (Nalu) & Holokahiki Toves (Holo) invited their good friend Scott Yago (Scott) to help break down the behind the scenes stories, performances and creative processes of the first Mars Luna LP "Lost In Space" (available on Spotify & Apple Music). This is the first episode of two in the "Lost In Space" series. They discuss:

- the latest Mars Luna release "The Villain 2" and how it felt to hear Mars use the "f-word" in a song for the first time.

- the events that led to the creation of Mars Luna's "Lost In Space" LP and the song breakdown behind each song (Didn't Know, Good Girl, Nothing But Trouble, The Villain, Selfish, How Can I Live Without You).

- the "Lost In Space" studio sessions, how Morgan Wright transformed Mars Luna's sound from an acoustic singer-songwriter artist to a full fledge indie rock artist, and embracing experimentation.

- the "Lost In Space" photoshoot during Holo's birthday and the smoke bomb photography trend that was popular in 2016.

- Kainalu entering a photography contest for Hilton Hawaiian Village, how winning the contest gave him a free three nights at the hotel and why Nalu gave Josh the bed when they shared the room.

- how everything was written in the stars for the "Good Girl" music video to work out seamlessly, conducting a casting call that actually worked, filming at Rock Island Cafe and discovering Kainalu's *secret* spot to do photoshoots in Waikiki.

- Mars Luna's experience with Sofar Sounds Honolulu and Sofar Sounds Las Vegas, how house shows became the norm for Josh and Morgan to perform at before the "Lost In Space" release.

- Whether soul mates exist, whether love is a feeling or a choice and how to know for certain that you've found "the one".

- Who out of the four guys will find true love first and Scott asks the guys to name one dealbreaker personality/character trait for their future wives.

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ML Backstage is brought to you by Sixth Dimension Records:  

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In this episode, Mars Luna's triumvirate of Joshua Luna (Josh), Kainalu Kamai (Nalu) & Holokahiki Toves (Holo) breaks down the behind the scenes stories, performances and creative processes of the second Mars Luna EP "Prelude" (available on Spotify & Apple Music). They discuss:

The Sixth Dimension's Pop R&B singer Mars Luna enlists high school best friends Joshua Luna (Josh), Kainalu Kamai (Nalu) & Holokahiki Toves (Holo) to break down the behind the scenes stories and creative processes of his first EP "Genesis" (available on Spotify & Apple Music). In this inaugural episode, the trio discuss:

Mars Luna: