You may not know Wisp by name, but you’ve definitely heard her songs. Last year, her breakout track “Your Face” emerged as an unexpected phenomenon. With its shimmering guitars and ethereal vocals, it seemed to appear out of nowhere, and then suddenly, it was everywhere—racking up one million streams in just a week.
The musician behind this viral release was a 19-year-old computer science student, Natalie Lu, who taught herself how to play the guitar in her bedroom. With the track, Lu (who now goes by the moniker Wisp) shot up into the upper echelons of shoegaze fame, with enthusiasts dubbing her “Gen Z’s ambassador” of the genre’s resurgence.
“I used to be afraid of owning that title and felt the term ‘ambassador’ was beyond me,” she tells Coveteur. “To some extent, I still feel undeserving of that title, but knowing that people view me in this light, I feel more confident highlighting the bands that got me to where I am today." She's surprisingly acknowledges that there's a "watering down" I know that with a lack of knowledge comes the watering down we see happening to this genre, and many people view me as one of the roots of this problem. So, I’m working to break out of that mold.”
Elinor Kry
You might have noticed that there’s a bit of a micro-movement towards “nü gaze,” or Gen Z artists like Wisp who are blending emo intensity with pop-forward melodies right now. These younger musicians are drawing inspiration from the 1980s shoegaze movement and the bands—My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride—who created the sound. Now, Wisp is at the forefront of this new wave, with her ethereal vocals and hazy guitar riffs. But you don’t need to take our word for it; instead, take Rick Owens’, who recently used her track on his TikTok. “I remember getting flooded with messages from my friends who had forwarded the TikTok to me, and I was in disbelief,” Wisp recalls.
A year and a half out from the release of “Your Face," Wisp returns this month with the release of her debut album, If Not Winter, which draws from personal journal entries but frames them through a romantic, high-fantasy lens. In the wake of her breakout hit, Wisp reveals that she’s ready to move past rigid genres, instead forging ahead on what feels most true to her. This time, she delves into new themes, including self-discovery and navigating the experiences that come with finding oneself. For example, on one track titled “Black Swan,” Wisp speaks to one of her deepest insecurities—the fear of not being pretty, or good, enough.
“I think my earlier tracks felt a lot more low stakes to me, and that isn’t to say I put less thought into them, but I was writing with a different purpose,” she says. “In a way, I was writing for others and playing it safe with my play on words. Nowadays, my care is not in how people will perceive me or my music, but how much of my true self I put into these tracks.”
Elinor Kry
Elinor Kry
The same instinct that guides her music shapes her personal style—it’s all about authenticity and dressing for how she feels, not the rules. The resulting 12 tracks are paired with equally striking visuals that transport fans to her whimsical world.
“I feel like I didn’t find my personal style until earlier this year, so being able to be more hands on with my styling and getting to play around with my stage outfits has been really fun and makes me feel more confident when I’m performing,” Wisp shares. “Some of my favorite designers right now are Marc Le Bihan, Elena Dawson, and Ann Demeulemeester. I love to play with textures, layers, and dresses—some with a darker mood and some very feminine, almost baroque in style.”
Below, Wisp opens up about her love for mythical creatures, her current style, and why she’s done with over-romanticizing things this year.
Congratulations on your latest project. What was the process like writing If Not Winter?
Wisp: "I’m always daydreaming while writing my journal entries. My mind wanders almost instantly when I’m reading or writing words, so the visuals come naturally. I grew up loving mythical creatures—like mermaids, centaurs, witches. And a lot of that ties into nature and natural elements that help me write more visceral metaphors. I find reading to be a really good practice too, because it’s up to you to paint a picture of what the movie of that book looks like, page by page. The writing styles I consume, the visuals I grew up with...all of these things have helped me find my own unique writing style that I can now tie into my own childhood fantasies."
Elinor Kry
From your early TikTok uploads to playing massive festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza, how has your relationship with vulnerability changed while writing If Not Winter compared to your earlier tracks like “Your Face”?
W: "I think my earlier tracks felt a lot more low stakes to me, and that isn’t to say I put less thought into them, but I was writing with a different purpose. In a way, I was writing for others and playing it safe with my play on words. Nowadays, my care is not in how people will perceive me or my music, but how much of my true self I put into these tracks. While it still served as an outlet to me, I listen back and feel like I restricted myself into a box. I guess that could also just be the natural feeling of growth. Now that I’m playing more festivals on bigger stages, I want to show people who I am now, not who I’m expected to be."
Rick Owens used one of your songs on TikTok—what did it feel like when you found out?
W: Jaw-dropping. Rick Owens is one of my favorite designers, and I love the world-building he’s done around his art. It’s so inspiring. I care a lot about clothes because they’re one of the main ways I express my interests and creativity. I want people to associate my style with my music because every song I listen to, all of these fashion subcultures that stem from music scenes, they’re all unique and show so much character.
On the note of fashion, you’re wearing vintage Givenchy on the cover. How did you source the dress, and what drew you to it in particular?
W: Marta Del Rio styled me for the album shoot and brought a bunch of looks to choose from. The vintage Givenchy dress has such a princess-ey flow, which caught my eye right off the bat. We tried the dresses on in my apartment, and when I sat down on the floor in the Givenchy dress, it created this circle of flowy fabric around me. Simple and elegant, and it made me feel so pretty.
Fans have fallen in love with your sense of visual storytelling—are there any designers who you love in particular?
W: I feel like I didn’t find my personal style until earlier this year, so being able to be more hands on with my styling and getting to play around with my stage outfits has been really fun and makes me feel more confident when I’m performing. Some of my favorite designers right now are Marc Le Bihan, Elena Dawson, and Ann Demeulemeester. I love to play with textures, layers, and dresses—some with a darker mood and some very feminine, almost baroque in style.
Elinor Kry
You’ve talked about letting go of things even when they’re good—a theme running through If Not Winter. As your platform grows and your audience expands, what are you consciously holding onto, and what are you learning to let go of?
W: "I feel like I’m still holding onto the over-romanticization of things that happen in my life. I tend to blow things out of proportion just so I feel more inspired to write better lyrics. I think balance is necessary, and I can’t let my maladaptive daydreamings and false fantasies cross the line of inspiration into delusion.
A big thing I’m currently learning to let go of is guilt. I get in my head about my actions, things as minuscule as a sentence said. Sometimes I view things as having more weight than they actually carry, and if I see it in a negative light, it eats away at me. It’s good to remind myself that sometimes I’m just getting in my head. Accidentally forgetting to say goodbye to someone is not a reflection of my character. Being too friendly doesn’t mean I was subconsciously being fake. Navigating my new life alone in LA and in the music scene can feel like walking on eggshells, but all I need to do is wear my heart on my sleeve and not calculate my every move."
I love "Black Swan" on your new album, where you sing, “How do I see myself now?/Shed all of my skin. But I grasp onto/The beauty laid within.” Can you tell us more about this song and how it came to be?
W: “Black Swan” was a last-minute addition to the album, and I was kind of freaking out because of deadlines. I didn’t have much faith at the beginning stages of this song, just because I was so fixated on the feeling that the album was done already. But I’m so glad we saw it through, and now it’s one of my favorite tracks on this project. Kraus produced it and we spent a couple of days working on it, then I took it to Stint and wrote some more and revamped all my lyrics/vocal melodies.
I wrote this song about struggling with my imperfections and the harshness I gaze upon myself with because of my physical attributes. I’ve never been the type to be [in front of] the cameras, so adjusting to being in the public eye and seeing pictures of me from different angles under different lighting has really warped my perception of what I truly look like. I forget that I need to be kind to myself and have been through phases where I’m keeping my body in check or consistently overthinking minuscule details in pictures of myself. This song was a way for me to release these feelings and to also serve as a reminder that there is so much more value beyond physical appearance."
What do you hope someone listening to the album for the first time learns about you?
W: "hope they learn that versatility comes with time and experience. My music is a reflection of every stage of my life, from the music I listened to when I was younger to the people who have built me up or tried to bring me down. And it is also a reflection of my listeners. I hear their stories and the relatability that aligns with my music, and that makes me want to write not just for my own healing, but for theirs as well."
