Ehlie Luna's "Dark Side of Blue" is a powerful ode to a toxic partner

Lyrically, "Dark Side of Blue" works with a familiar theme: the partner you've given everything to, who never makes those sacrifices in turn. On the chorus, Ehlie Luna laments that "Only you can make me feel the dark side of blue," clipped electronics providing a brisk backdrop to this painful realisation. The contrast between these unguarded lyrical admissions and the crisp, diamond-sharp pop Ehlia Luna is making serves only to make her story all the more devastating: here is someone with strength and talent in abundance, yet even the most gifted people remain vulnerable to the actions of those they open their hearts to.

Via Instagram, Ehlie Luna reveals that the process behind the creation Black Girl Music was not easy: "I kept changing the songs, the release date, making new music." Her documentation via social media doesn't stop at her own music though; indeed both Ehlie Luna's Twitter and Instagram are littered with insightful comments regarding racism – specifically anti-blackness – in the music industry. She explores these themes, along with many others, in more detail on her blog.

The current system tells black songwriters/artists - YOU can’t do that sound but come in and write for Jane, Jennifer and em. A change is coming tho. #musicindustry

— Ehlie Luna (@ehlieluna) 9 February 2019

To release an EP specifically catering to an audience of black women is, depressingly, still a brave move in 2019. Black Girl Music is a carefully crafted project exploring multiple facets of Ehlie Luna's life and personality, and hopefully showing other black women that centring their identity in their music can be a risk that pays off.