Entertainment
LUI
About LUI:
From the slums of Peru, LUI and his family first had to conquer extreme poverty for the chance of a better life. “I come from Peru where we don’t envision big goals but are focused on getting enough to eat, making it through the day. I came to America from literally nothing. My neighborhood back home didn’t even have streets or sidewalks, just dirt.”
As most who share his background, LUI found an escape and inspiration in music. His first memories as a child are as a performer in his family’s music group. “My first music memory is me dancing at the age of 3 to the music my family was playing one day back in Peru. My uncles played different cultural instruments and I would be the performer.”
At age four, his parents divorced, but not before they’d worked and saved enough to immigrate to the United States. LUI and his mother moved to Virginia, while his father moved to New Jersey. Growing up his mother instilled in him the importance of education, but also continued to feed his passion for music. Just before he relocated to New Jersey to live with his dad, his mother gifted him with his first guitar, and he wrote his first song. Even after the move, she would continue to be a driving force in his life.
As things progressed, darker days were on the horizon. Just after he graduated from high school, his mother would succumb to Cancer. He honored her memory by going to college and pursuing a degree in psychology. However, no matter where he went in life, his love of music lingered in the back of his mind and soon became too loud to ignore.
“My mom’s number one goal was for me to come to the US and have a better life. One day in 2018 it clicked for me, her dreams and my passions could co-exist. I realized that music could provide the life my mother dreamed of for me, and I hit the ground running.”
Inspired by artists like Tego Calderon, Michael Jackson, Akon, Eminem, 50cent, Arcangel and Don Omar, LUI is determined to be heard. the bilingual emcee has released 4 complete EPs, “Thoughts in My Head”, “Time to Eat”, “Graduated”, and “Foreigners World”. As he moves his career forward, he leans on the lessons of perseverance learned from his parent’s example. “I’ve watched my mom and dad work harder than anyone I know. They are my inspiration, where I get my drive. I am hungry for success. I believe my only inherent talent, I just don’t give up.”