Bridging Beats and Beliefs: A Discussion with Luzi Tudor

Hailing from Romania, Luzi Tudor, an up-and-coming DJ, and producer, has taken the industry by storm through her captivating music and unwavering dedication. Her journey, defined by determination, social advocacy, and a deep-rooted connection to music, is an inspiration to many. Luzi's life experiences, intertwined with her unique perspective, have seen her become a champion for lesser-known talents in the global music scene, using her platform to highlight and celebrate cultural diversity in music.

Luzi’s music is not only about creating mesmerizing beats; it’s a testament to her struggle with mental health and her journey to recovery. With an intimate understanding of the therapeutic power of music, she seeks to inspire others who may be dealing with similar challenges.

We caught up with Luzi Tudor to delve deeper into her life, discussing everything from her perspective on the intersection of music and mental health to her dual-career journey. She informs us about her activism, her creative process, and the lessons she has learned along her unconventional career path.

Photgraphy by Aj Elgammal

You mention your life's mission is "to create experiences that connect humans and humanity in an impactful way." How does this mission statement influence your music production and your approach to DJ sets?

I go into the studio and I first journal on the emotions about a situation or person that I want to process through my music. I use that prompt and the feelings that come up translating them into the sounds that I feel emulate those emotions. To me there’s a direct connection there. And when I get fan feedback of how my music has supported them through a breakup or their healing journey or lifted them in some positive way or just simply allowed them to have a night of pure euphoria and partying, I know there’s that understanding and impact there.

During my sets, I similarly curate them - when selecting music, I connect to the feelings I am getting from tracks and the energy I want to express – empowerment, love, emotional releases, dirty beats, pure fun, and play!

You have said that you sometimes look up a country to see what music is popular there, to give a voice to those who might otherwise be overlooked. Can you share more about this process and why it's important to you?

Being born in a country where our voices were often silenced in Romania and growing up in a country where 40% of the population has never left the country (USA)- I feel that there’s a negative cost to that and I want to do my part in this way to share other cultural experiences that otherwise the people wouldn’t be exposed to. On the other hand, some incredible artists don’t even get exposure and I want to facilitate that – the more I can be a vessel for that the more the human experience can be lifted.

How have your personal experiences with mental health influenced your perspective on its intersection with music and dance culture?

Music is a healing vehicle; music helped me through my hardest times like when I was even contemplating before recovery taking my own life, and it’s been ever-present in every moment of celebration in my life. When it comes to dance culture, I see how it’s a vehicle for healing, and for some, it can be an escape vehicle.

Every person has their unique journey with it because dance music – it's a microcosm of the world, with people at all stages of life. For the artists too - while this life is amazing it can also be hard on us when on the road and if we don’t cultivate healthy practices, it can be devastating to our mental health and wellbeing. Ultimately though I see dance music culture being a place at its root to find love, acceptance, and a community and supportive for mental health.

Your music falls within the genre of melodic house and techno. Could you describe your creative process when it comes to composing and producing your tracks? How has the experience of screenwriting enriched your understanding of storytelling, and how does this translate into your music and work at WEconnect?

First off, I journal with written words that come from my screenwriting experience and gather inspiration - visual, audio, photos of the mood I want to exude, and videos of people playing new instruments I want to incorporate to create a story. Then I dive in and start creating in my studio in LA, usually.

I typically spend back-to-back late nights to get the core of the track to a level where I can gather some feedback from a couple of trusted people in my circle. After that, I iterate and refine it, but find it important to decide to just be done at a certain point and move on. I believe that’s the only way to grow and have true progress.

What role does activism play in your music today, and how do you see this evolving in the future?

Having a community of people, allows for our collective voices to be heard. Through that, as important issues are pressing, that voice can be used for good and for change. While I currently speak out on mental health, I see my Luzi Tudor community fostering a place where a variety of activism on important social issues can be amplified. I also see through my vocal tracks a way to express messages about those things as well.

Photography by Aj Elgammal

How do you go about curating your DJ sets to reflect your values and life experiences, and to create a shared experience with your audience?

To integrate my values and life experiences I have a two-pronged approach. First and foremost, I curate sets carefully with crates full of music from all over the world. Second, I make sure I have a good selection of one or two tracks throughout that provide a positive or impactful message through vocals.

How have your life experiences influenced the themes you explore in your music, and are there any themes you wish to explore more deeply in your future work?

All my music is a direct reflection of my life experiences. When I first started all my productions were deeply emotional and a way for me to process the internal residue of my life experiences - some joyful and some painful. You’ll see that in my next two EP's. I’ve been on a much more fun and energetic kick, which you’ll hear also during my sets. That’s been a direct result of me playing out more and connecting with the audience – that energy has been immensely inspiring. In the future, I'd like to explore just that - more near-scifi themes along with extensive visual storytelling.

You've been successful in building engineering teams for large enterprises like Microsoft and in founding a leading technology company. How has your tech background influenced your approach to music, particularly in DJing and producing?

Producing, to me, is like coding your emotions. Since I had previous tech and software development experience, the process felt familiar from the start, and it allowed me to transition to it quickly. As far as DJing, through entrepreneurship and doing public speaking, I got to work out stage fright kinks in that space – by the time I got to music stages - I was already comfortable in front of groups of people, and now I am able to share my heart in that context. It felt like the next natural phase.

Could you talk about the transition from being a tech entrepreneur to a music producer and DJ? What challenges and triumphs did you experience?

Music started as a way where my head cleared and created both mental spaces for me to solve business problems and to process the stress and the demand of running a startup. The two are rather complimentary in that way – of course, not everyone feels that way, and especially being a woman in two male-dominated industries there are doubts, challenges, and getting questioned about being a dual career person or making this type of transition.

I’ve also gotten feedback though that it’s been very inspiring to witness, and I am glad that perhaps through my own experiences, people can discover their own special capabilities - that they don’t need to subscribe to one path and that anything is possible if you dedicate yourself to it.