Wisp (musician)

Last updated

Wisp
Wisp 052224 vin eiamvuthikorn.jpg
Wisp in 2024
Born
Natalie R. Lu

2004 (age 20–21)
Alma mater SF State University (unfinished)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • guitarist
Years active2023–present
Musical career
Origin San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • violin
  • drums
Works Wisp discography
Labels
Website musicbywisp.com

Natalie R. Lu (born 2004), known professionally as Wisp, is an American rock musician. Raised in San Francisco, she began releasing music in 2023. Her debut single "Your Face" became viral on TikTok, charting on Billboard 's Hot Hard Rock Songs. Her debut EP, Pandora , was released in April the following year. In August 2025, she released her debut studio album, If Not Winter .

Contents

Early life and education

Lu grew up in San Francisco's Sunset District. [1] [2] She is of Thai and Taiwanese descent. As a teenager, she attended Wallenberg High School, where she drew musical inspiration from her modern band class and the yearly music and arts festival. [3] Wisp was a computer science major in San Francisco State University when she started her musical career. [2]

Career

2023–2025: Career beginnings, Your Face, Pandora, If Not Winter

Her debut single, "Your Face", [2] was released on April 4, 2023. It went viral on TikTok [4] [5] [6] and charted at number 8 on Billboard 's Hot Hard Rock Songs going for a run of 15 weeks. [7] A music video directed by Nick Vernet and Boni Mata premiered in November 2023, which takes place underwater. [2] In March 2024, Jonah Krueger of Consequence said that Wisp "Is the Next Leader of the Shoegaze Revival". [8] She released her first EP, Pandora , [9] [10] on April 5, 2024. [11] In 2025, she featured on Photographic Memory's single "Heartstyle", from his album I Look at Her and Light Goes All Through Me. [12] She released her debut album, If Not Winter , on August 1, 2025. [13]

Artistry

AllMusic describes Wisp as a "blend of crushing sonics and lighter-than-air vocals, Wisp's version of shoegaze envelops her listeners." [14] Wisp prefers to categorize her music as nu gaze [15] [16] and alternative rock. [16] Her musical influences include Whirr [17] [18] [19] Title Fight, the Cocteau Twins, [20] [19] Nothing, My Chemical Romance and Deftones. [21]

Discography

Studio albums

Tours

Headlining

References

  1. ↑ Karoff, Tiffany (August 13, 2024). "How a San Francisco local went from college student to rock star overnight" . Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Brown, August (November 15, 2024). "Shoegaze rocker Wisp is Gen Z's ambassador for the opaque and brutal—even at rap festivals". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on November 15, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  3. ↑ Salvadó, Arnau. "Wisp: shoegaze that eases the spirit". Metal Magazine. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  4. ↑ Enis, Eli (December 18, 2023). "TikTok Has Made Shoegaze Bigger Than Ever". Stereogum. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  5. ↑ Wang, Steffanee (November 21, 2023). "Who Is Wisp, The 19-Year-Old Making Top-Notch Shoegaze?". Nylon. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ Cohen, Ian (April 3, 2024). "Wisp Is Pushing Her Shoegaze Beyond Its TikTok Moment". Uproxx . Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  7. ↑ Cabral, R. J. (December 16, 2023). "Hot Hard Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ Krueger, Jonah (March 28, 2024). "Wisp Is the Next Leader of the Shoegaze Revival: CoSign". Archived from the original on March 27, 2025. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  9. ↑ Jibril, Halima (April 8, 2024). "Wisp, the 19-year-old artist making viral shoegaze". Dazed. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  10. ↑ Murray, Robin (April 5, 2024). "Wisp's 'Pandora' Feels Like A Moment | News". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  11. ↑ Bardhan, Ashley (April 9, 2024). "Wisp: Pandora EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ Hatfield, Amanda (May 6, 2025). "Photographic Memory teams up with Wisp on "Heartstyle"". Alternative Press. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  13. ↑ Hé, Kristen S. (July 30, 2025). "Wisp – 'If Not Winter' review: pop shoegaze with ambition and vulnerability". NME . Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Wisp Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  15. ↑ Capulong, Izzy (May 30, 2024). "Breaking News: Wisp Isn't Shoegaze". Office Magazine . Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Jibril, Halima (April 8, 2024). "Wisp, the 19-year-old artist making viral shoegaze". Dazed . Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  17. ↑ Cosby, Walker (January 28, 2024). "Wisp". Ink Magazine. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Wisp". twnty three. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  19. 1 2 Sisario, Ben (July 11, 2024). "Cigarettes After Sex and Gen Z's Passion for Dream-Pop". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  20. ↑ Soki-Kavwahirehi, Alex Gardner, Jacob Moore, Sabine Adorney, Patrick Ong, Olive. "Best New Artists". Complex. Retrieved April 25, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ Abercrombie, Olivia (August 1, 2025). "Wisp Sinks Her Teeth Into Shoegaze Ideas on If Not Winter". Paste Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
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