Orion Sun unveils her path to self-discovery in a new album

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Amid a creative spiral, Orion Sun found comfort among the words of the late Audre Lorde's essay "Poetry is not a luxury." The poet's writing provided a mental redirection for the musician while working on her new album, "Orion."

Lorde wrote that poetry is a pathway for women to process long-forgotten feelings and ideas, and use the art form as a tool for revolutionary change. “She wrote that for me,” says the recording artist and producer. “But she never knew me. She doesn’t know all of the people that she’s helped. And I swear she left like guidebooks.”

For Orion, poets like Lorde, Pablo Neruda and Maya Angelou "understand life in the way that she wants to understand." She admires the duality they tapped into as they acknowledge the weight of the world while pushing themselves to find joy and create works not only for themselves but also for others — a lesson that Orion has embraced within her own creative process.

“That alone made me be like, ‘Okay, no matter what, I’m releasing my music,’” she said. “I don’t care what anyone says. If this helps someone understand something about themselves, like poetry does for me, that’s my job. That’s success to me.”

She quickly established her name among indie music lovers in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic with popular indie soul and alternative R&B singles like "Dirty Dancer," "Concrete," "Anecdote" and more. She opened for Daniel Caesar on his Superpowers World Tour in 2023, has written for artists like Bryson Tiller and was featured on tracks with Fred Again.. and Serpentwithfeet.

“Orion” was released on Sept. 20, created as the Los Angeles-based artist poured over journals and began to reflect on the last two years of her life during studio sessions.

“I am just writing to stay sane,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a journal entry; sometimes it’s me walking down the street, and I’m eavesdropping.”

Orion says she purposefully self-titled the album as it’s an intimate look into who she is.

“The album is called ‘Orion,’ even though my name is Orion Sun but I become Orion Sun when you make it to the end of the album,” she said.

The album also pays homage to the resilient women who raised her, including her grandmother, who has her own dedicated song, “Gannie.”

“When I can’t do it for myself. I do it for my family. ‘Gannie’ represents my family and my friends. And that’s the sun in my life.” she said. “I think a lot of people in my life are the sun, and I feel more like the moon because I’m just reflecting all the love that I get.”

While exploring the duality of love and pain, Orion continuously found her focus in poetry and nature.

“I think it’s really important to just not forget that Earth is a resource for us,” she said. “It always brings me back to just being grateful for the day whenever I’m outside, or I get to see the sunset. Being able to even notice those differences are really important for me and help me stay grounded. ... Earth is the greatest muse. Earth is the most inspirational; Earth is my home.”

To celebrate the release of her album, Orion is embarking on a North American headlining tour Oct. 20 through the end of November, providing what she hopes will be a sacred space for her audience.

“When you come through the doors of the venue, anything that you’re going through, you left it out there, whether you knew it or not," she said. “Because when you’re in here, we deserve at least an hour or two of just joy, laughter, tears.”