Launna
A Phrenic Affair

This sassy Midwesterner is no featherweight when it comes to making statements. Boasting a 3+ octave range, brainy sex-appeal, and a sweet yet pungent magnetism; this gal brings so much to the table.

"The most powerful element of my artistry is my lyrics. I consider my voice a remote character - an unobtrusive agent through which the real goods, my psychological projections, can shine through undisturbed and do their service to the public."

Launna cites Madonna and Alanis Morissette as her influences. Versatilely capable; fully-engaged emotionalism is forte. Her unusually resonant and classical vocal tendencies make it difficult to categorize her, but she can perhaps be befittingly distinguished as Alternative Rock with a New Age twist. Her lyrics: a rare combination of the volatile, the despondent, the sexually explicit, the slapstick and the apocalyptic - materialistic proof that she is unabashedly complex and ahead of her time.

Launna's musical partner since 2003, Jonathan Balfour (songwriter and musician) assists in composing original melodies to accompany Launna's revolutionary lyrics.

"Jonathan has been a meaningful part of my artistic journey. It has always been important for me to be able to deliver lyrically, vocally, and musically. Jonathan is the one person I have worked with whose musicality is prodigious enough to rival my talents as a vocalist and as a wordsmith."

Growing up, Launna worked on the family farm as a horse-training assistant to her mother, Nancy J. Kraus (Professional Grand Prix Dressage competitor, L Judge, trainer, instructor and owner of Northridge Farm, Kansas City, MO); was an aspiring Combined Training competitor and spent her summers organizing and instructing horse camps for children.

In 2002 she graduated from Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI) with a degree in Criminology and Law Studies, a double minor in French and Philosophy, and a semester spent studying in Strasbourg, France where all courses were taught in French. During that time she also traveled extensively across Europe. Launna eulogized her accomplishments and academic training, but felt her creative side was restricted. Happiness came from writing and performing.

In 2004, she relocated to New York City to pursue her musical goal of becoming a commercial success.

"I am equally concerned with putting a mesmeric spell over people's ears and eyes as I am with hypnotically influencing people's minds. I have been told that I impart conflicting messages: First presenting myself conservatively and then posing half-naked in photos; all with the expectation of being taken seriously and not distracting from the intellectual aspect of my creations. It is my intention to break through the double standards for females that we have bought into historically. Though my physicality is merely a fulcrum for my lyrics, it nevertheless remains a satisfying vehicle for my self-expression. First and foremost, I strive to be intelligent and affecting to my audience; communicating my thoughts despairingly, spiritually, cheekily and sometimes turbulently. It is not a sin to flaunt sexiness alongside intelligence. I have committed myself to unearthing, cultivating and safeguarding my separateness as a human being, as an artist and as a woman. I have an intense ambition to say things differently than anyone else. I will never deny myself opportunities, regardless of what form they may take, to consecrate my identity."