Manny King John
After a year of diligent production and high anticipation, Allen Le Grand, the 22-year-old from Fort Washington, Maryland took the day to finally drop his debut EP, ‘LUMA’. The six-track project encompasses the cardinal messages of utilizing unique attributes, embracing one’s truth, and staying persistent.
The title ‘LUMA’ is an ode to Le Grand’s studies of the Supreme Alphabet, with each respective letter serving as an acronym representing (L)ove, (U)niverse, (M)aster, and (A)llah.
“Since a young child, Le Grand was influenced by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sade, Andre 3000, Kanye West, and The Neptunes. The project is the perfect amalgamation of edginess and beautifully mawkish tunes; creating that feel-good music type of vibe.”
Le Grand writes with an unembellished yet allegorical style that gives the listeners the best of both worlds. His narrative starts out on a romantic tip with the tracks ‘Coffee’ and ‘Love’. Here, Le Grand takes us through the relatable struggle of being enamoured with someone while trying to figure out things in our own lives. In the next tracks ‘Reflect’ and ‘Holyfield’, Le Grand shifts to a more valiant tonality; displaying the mindfulness and confidence he aims to portray through his art.
In the latter of the project, he slows it down with ‘Shimmer’ and ‘Tokyo Loft’. The solemn, meditative essence behind these two tracks served as pleasant and chill way to end the project. These melodic synths and pensive lyrics can’t help but put you in your feelings and ruminate while bobbing your head to the beat. Fortunately, this EP is only a part of the beginning for Le Grand. With something for everyone to hear and connect to, I’m sure the expectations are high for his future endeavours.
