There are a lot of passionate young believers who grow up in families where ministry is a way of life. But for some, there comes a point where an individual calling becomes a palpable vision that’s so consuming it takes on a life of its own. With one listen to Iveth Luna, it’s obvious her family provided a firm foundation, but her unique gifts are leading the young singer/songwriter to soar on her own.
“I am one of those people. My whole family has been in ministry,” she says with a smile. “My grandpa is a pastor in Mexico. My dad and my uncles were worship leaders, and they had a huge impact on me growing up but I never thought that I would ever do church music. I didn’t think it was something a girl could do because I never saw another woman do it until I saw Kari Jobe. I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa! There’s something really special about that.’”
Luna grew up outside Dallas in Mesquite, Texas. She began honing her distinctive vocals singing in church when she was 16, but didn’t see music ministry as a vocation. “It was so fun for me, but then again, I never was super serious about it because I didn’t think it could even be a career choice,” she admits. “I actually ended up going to college and getting a business degree, but during my freshman year in college, the Lord spoke to me. I had a crazy encounter with the Lord, and he confirmed what I was supposed to do.”
Luna still gets emotional recalling the moment. “I just cried. It was during a worship night at my college, Oklahoma Baptist University,” she shares. “After that I was like, ‘Okay, I’m supposed to do music. I’ve always wanted to, but I don’t know how this is supposed to happen.’ It started the discovery of my calling. I started taking vocal lessons. I began worship leading and by my senior year I was like, ‘I don’t want to do anything else but this!’ That changed everything for me. I used to be so afraid of the stage. It was so scary. It’s crazy how that’s what I do now. There’s definitely been growth. There’s been a lot of developing since then in my heart and my walk with Jesus. I’m here now and the only way I can explain it is God.”
As her relationship with God deepened and her calling became more clear, Luna began writing songs that shared her heart. Her unique sound was influenced by her experience as a worship leader as well as the pop and Latin music she also listened to, which gave her a distinct style and flavor. “It’s pop based, but it has organic elements and also it takes you to church,” says Luna, who sings in both English and Spanish. “I want to edify the church. I want to bring songs that whether you are in your car or at church or with your friends, songs that are going to be encouraging to people.”
A turning point in her career came when Luna met the Ward Brothers, known for their groundbreaking band Consumed By Fire. They encouraged her to visit Nashville shortly before the pandemic started and introduced her to executives at Red Street Records. Soon the fledgling artist had signed a record deal and started work on her label debut with producer Kevin Rooney. “We have a musical chemistry,” she says of Rooney, who has worked with Rascal Flatts, Jason Crabb, Zach Williams and Russell Dickerson, among others. “Our sounds make sense together. I’m really excited for everyone to hear it.”
Luna’s songs share the lessons learned during different seasons in life. Her warm, passionate voice breathes life into “I Still Believe,” a compelling reminder of God’s sovereignty. “That one is definitely a ‘take you to church song,’ and sometimes we need to go to church,” she says of the anthem she co-wrote with Rooney and Carl Cartee. “I wrote that during 2020 when the pandemic hit and I felt like a lot of people were losing their faith and questioning, ‘Where’s God in this?’ I just felt like prior to the pandemic, a lot of people were pretty complacent in their walk with Christ. I know I was. I wanted a song to remind us we serve a supernatural God, and we still believe in the miracles. We still believe in who God is. We believe that Jesus rose from the grave three days after he was killed on the cross, and we still believe he’s able to do these things today. It’s a powerful song.”
Another highlight on her debut project is “Second Chances,” a song she co-wrote with Jordan and Caleb Ward and Brian Bunn. The song is a treatise on forgiveness that examines how harshly today’s culture treats people. “If we had a camera around us 24/7 no one would like us because we are imperfect people. We are humans,” she says. “God gave us a second chance, so why can’t we give other people second chances? When we get offended by people—our family, our friends, people in the church—our natural human reaction is, ‘Well, that person hurt me and I’m going to give them the cold shoulder.’ That’s totally natural, but I just felt like a real big tug on my heart to say we need to be giving people second chances. We need to be giving people grace because God has given us grace.”
Luna is hopeful her music will inspire and encourage others. She has battled depression and hopes her songs will help others heal. “‘In You’ is an identity song,” she says of the tune she co-wrote with Jordan and Caleb Ward and Don Koch. “It’s a reminder that I can do these things in Christ because Christ has called me to do these things. It’s a reminder of who we are in Christ and what we can do in Christ. I think it will be a big confidence booster and I think a lot of these songs are confidence boosters. We need some confidence. I needed confidence and when these songs started coming out, I was like, ‘Yes!!!’”
Luna’s songs are as honest and straightforward as the young woman singing them. “2017 and 2018 were rough years for me. They were years of feeling like I was in the wilderness and the Lord had forgotten me,” she confesses. “I want to help those people that have felt that way. I understand where they are at and I want to be authentic and say, ‘Hey, it’s okay. The Lord does still love you. You are not forgotten. He does still see you.’ I’m really intentional about what I want to say, and I always ask, ‘Lord, what do you want your church to know? How do you want to encourage your church?’ What do you want them to sing?’”
Luna’s commitment to seeking God and sharing her experiences in her music make her a positive force in a troubled post pandemic world. “I feel like I’m coming with an energy,” she smiles. “I feel confident about where the Lord has placed me, and I want to share the confidence with other people. I’m excited to add to the palette of Christian music. We’re all adding our own elements, our own colors, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
