LUPA:
earth, land, soil, earthly body in Tagalog;
she-wolf in Latin;
forget, lost in Indonesian;
magnifying glass, lens in Spanish
Lupa is a testament to life through the portals of grief, joy, memory, and presence, channeled by the creative vision of singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and collaborator Elenna Canlas. Building sonic worlds, layering lush and quirky vocals over a deep, heavy foundation, and drawing influences from electro and psychedelic funk, global roots and folk traditions, to alt-pop and R&B, the music of Lupa is woven from journaling, poetry, folklore, and life lessons deeply rooted in community, collaboration, truth telling, and the ongoing reflections of a traveling soul. ᜎᜓᜉ
Elenna Canlas, based on Lenape and Canarsie lands in New York City, is a transformative force in music culture. With a career spanning over a decade performing on renowned stages and recording in celebrated studios worldwide, she has supported a multitude of artists and bands including Cochemea, treya lam, Allison Russell, Lollise, Xenia Rubinos, Kirsty Rock, Sinkane, Underground System, and Easy Star All-Stars as a keyboardist, synthesist, percussionist, vocalist, musical director, and producer. She was a facilitator for OneBeat, a cultural exchange program run by Found Sound Nation and the Department of State (which was terminated earlier this year by our current administration), and is an alumna of their 2022 OneBeat Sahara fellowship, which included musician culture bearers from the USA and the Maghreb and Sahel regions of North Africa. Elenna was also a Steering Wheel member of the former Brooklyn-based grassroots organization Sound Mind Collective and the co-founder of Womxn Musicians Forum, both independent artist-driven circles that aimed to cultivate movement & growth through community.
✵ curriculum vitae ✵
Gigi Bio ᜶ photography + artwork
HypoFutures ᜶ Lupa symbol + web design