ILUKA

Last Friday, Australian singer-songwriter ILUKA unleashed her new full-length album, the wild, the innocent, & the raging via Nettwerk.

A fierce celebration of individuality, womanhood, and defiance, the album embraces ILUKA’s unapologetic honesty — a quality that has defined her as one of alt-pop’s most vital disruptors. ILUKA isn’t afraid to be outspoken, share her feelings, let out a little rage, or get weird. This unabashed honesty underscores her artistry as she stretches the boundaries of pop with blunt lyrics sweetened by disarmingly catchy songcraft and a bewitching aesthetic.

“I’m open about feeling like an outsider,” she shares. “I never felt like I fully fit into one thing. Much of the music celebrates being a weirdo rather than always fighting it. There are elements of love, heartbreak, and throwing yourself into experiences. It’s personal and political. For as much as it reflects on the dire state of our planet, it also celebrates being alive, finding your weirdo friends, and living a beautiful life.”

“This is a new era of being direct about who I am. I’m completely and unapologetically me. It’s such a rebellious thing for a woman to show up in the world like this. I’m taking up space and sharing how I authentically feel.”

The wild, the innocent and the raging includes the singles “Crucify Me”, “Woman Gone Mad”, “Girl On The Run”, “Hard To Love Me”, “Witch Girls” and “Solo.”

ILUKA grew up on a farm in the Blue Mountains of Australia, where her dad handcrafted guitars as an accomplished luthier. She learned songwriting early on and drew inspiration from artists such as Kate Bush, David Bowie, and Queen, among others. Her family never shied away from candid discussions either.

Obsessed with style icons such as Stevie Nicks, Grace Jones, and Courtney Love, she carefully cultivated a whimsical aesthetic that befit her genre-defying musicality. Emerging as an uncompromising and undeniable artist, she made waves in Australia and gained global traction with the release of her debut album, Queen of Turbulent Hearts, in 2022. Around the same time, she settled in Los Angeles. In the wake of 2023’s “Haunted One.”

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FEMMUSIC e-mailed with Iluka about the new album and the US.

FEMMUSIC: What was the biggest challenge making the wild, the innocent, & the raging album? 

I: The biggest challenge was actually condensing everything down and figuring out when to stop writing. I’m someone who writes constantly, and I tend to get obsessed with whatever my newest song is. So the hardest part, honestly, was deciding the project was done and choosing what to leave out.

FEMMUSIC: The wild, the innocent & the raging is your first album with Nettwerk. What made you sign with them? What have they brought to the project? 

I: From the beginning, they put complete trust in my creative vision. They told me they would, and they’ve genuinely followed through on that promise. As an artist, that’s the dream, I think… having a team that truly lets you be an artist! Nettwerk has really done that for me. I’ve felt creatively free and fully supported by them throughout this entire project.

FEMMUSIC: What were goals for the wild, the innocent & the raging? 

I: I’m a huge manifester, so I get really specific with my goals, right down to the festivals I want this record to lead me to and even things like social media numbers. There were lots of goals attached to this album. But I don’t want to spoil anything by sharing them just yet, because I’d rather let them come true first!! 

FEMMUSIC: You worked with a different production team on this album. I’d like to know more about them. Let’s begin with Stephen Santa Teresa. How did you meet him? What did he bring to the project? 

I: I met Stephen through my publishing team at BMG. I really loved the work he was doing, so we started meeting regularly and writing a lot of songs together. The worlds we were creating always leaned a little brighter, and we found ourselves pulling from Americana influences and classic songwriters like Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Songs like ‘California Boys’ and ‘Girl on the Run’ definitely carry more of that West Coast energy, because we were also drawing from artists like Tom Petty, Heart, and Fleetwood Mac — that whole brighter, sunny, West Coast sound.

FEMMUSIC: Next, you worked with Matthew Riley. How did you meet him? What did he bring to the project? 

I: I met Matt through my publishing team and I think he really brought the darker sonic landscapes to the album. Our approach to songwriting was different. It was less about strumming an acoustic guitar and more about building around rhythms, letting the beats guide the mood. The process felt more theatrical, and we drew from shadowy, larger-than-life influences like Kate Bush, Bowie, Prince and Lady Gaga. At the same time, I was listening to a lot of songwriters like Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple and Patti Smith which definitely seeped into the tone and emotional depth and angst of the record. 

FEMMUSIC: You’ve been living in the US for the past few years. The album references American culture in a few tracks. How has living in the US influenced your songwriting and you? What do you see as the United States’ ideals? What do you see as the United States’ faults?

I : Living in the US has absolutely shaped this record, from the stories I’m writing to the sonic references and inspiration. A lot of the songwriting pulls from the political angst unfolding here, and the soundscapes tap into that tension as well. I don’t think I need to spell out the country’s faults, you just have to look at what’s happening politically to see them. The ideals I explore on the record are more nostalgic and Americana-infused, like in songs such as ‘American Beauty’ and ‘Wild West.’ There’s a tension throughout the album between these dreamlike, idealized visions of America and the reality that they never seem fully realized. That longing, the sense of striving for something just out of reach, is really at the heart of the record… the push and pull between ideals, dreams, and the world as it actually is.

FEMMUSIC: Can you describe your songwriting technique? How has it evolved over time? 

I: My songwriting process is intense and obsessive. I will draft 20 verses before I am satisfied with the three or four that make it into the song. I write constantly. It is this unstoppable word vomit, a way to process and make sense of the world. There is a ferocity to it I have always had, this need to get every feeling and every thought out on the page until it finally becomes something real. 

FEMMUSIC: Tell me about “Wild West.” How did that song evolve? 

I: I started writing ‘Wild West’ just weeks after almost losing my home in the LA fires. I was evacuated, and a close friend three minutes away lost everything. The song began as this idealized vision of the Wild West and the America I longed for, but I was living through a nightmare. It became about that tension between the dream and reality, the restlessness, and the constant question of whether I truly belong here. That push and pull drives the song.

FEMMUSIC: The wild, the innocent & the raging is a very powerful and empowering album. What has your experience been as a woman in the music industry over time? 

I: I’ve spent my whole career trying to be taken seriously as a songwriter and artist in a male-dominated industry. Back in Australia, reviewers would pick apart what I wore on stage, and my drummer even told me to dress more ‘chill’ if I wanted respect. I was always told my music didn’t ‘fit’. Just showing up in my theatrical outfits and singing these huge, bombastic songs felt like a rebellious act. That quiet rage built up over the years and eventually exploded on this record. Even as I started finding success, there were people trying to tear me down, and all of that tension and defiance is right at the heart of the album.

FEMMUSIC: Whom would you most like to tour with or collaborate with? Why? 

I: I’d love to collaborate or tour with someone like St. Vincent. She’s fearless and theatrical, and I love that mix of darkness and intensity in her music. Another artist I admire is Fiona Apple. There is something completely unfiltered and emotionally powerful about her work that really speaks to me. I am drawn to artists who take risks and push boundaries because that’s where I thrive too, in the emotion and intensity of the music.

FEMMUSIC: What one thing would you change about the music industry?

I: Healthcare for every artist. It’s crazy that so many of us are creating, touring, and putting our all into this work without basic access to healthcare. It should be a given.