Q&A: Desire Runs Deep in Bree-on-uh’s Electric New Single, “fight or flight”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY ZARMEEN AKHUND ☆
THE VISAGE OF AN ’80s SYNTH-POP DREAM — Bree-on-uh’s latest single “fight or flight” captures a raw surge of emotion and unbridled desire. Cinematic and speculative, the song touches on feelings of temptation and tension so palpable they’re hard to ignore.
Amidst airy vocals, orchestral elements, and a haunting melody, this dark pop anthem packs a mighty punch—quite literally. Embracing an uptempo pivot, Bree finds playfulness in her sound within an extended moment of longing.
Through compelling narrative and a robust sense of creative direction, the rising dark-pop artist continues to pave the way in the underground music scene. The track is paired with a dynamic music video, inviting a blend of energy, freshness, and movement.
We sat down with Bree to discuss all things creative, from crafting her new single and music video to embracing the quiet vigor of personal and sonic evolution.
LUNA: You're a great storyteller. Some of your earlier songs, like “Subliminal” and “Melancholy” feel very tender and lyric-driven. Fast forward to a song like “takes one to know one,” which is a lot moodier and cinematic, yet still really compelling as a narrative. Can you talk to me a bit about your songwriting process?
BREE: When I was writing my first EP, “Subliminal” was on it, and “Melancholy" was supposed to be too. But I felt like it needed its own moment. I was very, very lyrically driven and into poetry. That comes through a lot in my earlier music. Lately, I’ve been loving that dark, moody synth pop type thing—orchestral elements and timpani drums—to give that cinematic feel. As far as my songwriting process, it's changed over the past few years. I used to just write alone in my room and complete a song. I would have the melody and chords, and I’d know exactly what I wanted it to sound like when produced. I would go to a producer and sing the song acapella.
Over the past couple of years, I've been more laid back and open-minded when it comes to that. I've been going into the studio like “This is the energy that I want to depict. I don't know what the song is going to be about, but I want these kinds of drums, and I want this kind of energy, and this tempo and this BPM.” Then we'll make a track, I'll take it home, and I'll write to it whenever it feels right. I might be listening in the car, and something will come to me. I'll pull up a voice memo, or I go sit by the water and just write and see what shows up. Because I don't like to force it. I've never been the kind of person who’s like, “Let's go sit down and write a song.” I need to just let it happen.
LUNA: It sounds like more of an intuitive process for you now.
BREE: Yeah. That makes it fun too. Like, you never know what's going to happen. I go into the studio and I don't know what I'm going to walk out with.
LUNA: Totally. Let’s talk about your new single “fight or flight.” I loved getting to know it more with each listen. It was dreamlike, and had this conversational feel to it—like an internal back and forth driving the song. What was the initial concept for it?
BREE: It’s a very cat and mouse type vibe. That’s what I wanted to depict in the music video. A lot of my songs lately have been very moody and kind of at this medium tempo, where it's not really fast, but it's not really a slow song. I needed something to pick the energy up, especially for my sets. I said to Steve [Venti], who's my producer, “I want to make a dark synth ’80s pop song that you could like, do Zumba too, but it also has a creepy element.” Then we started laying everything down.
It's super synth-heavy, which I really like. I am obsessed with synths. Everything needs synths in it, in my opinion. Steve was just pulling out all these crazy plugins. We made the track, I took it home, and I remember listening to it in the car on the way to work, over and over, and I kept hearing fight or flight... It flowed out of me at that point. I think I finished writing in 20 minutes. The bridge took me a really long time but it’s one of my favorite bridges I’ve written.
LUNA: It’s so catchy, and without being surface-level. I really feel like I'm stepping into your inner world. Was there a defining lyric or moment for you?
BREE: The pre-chorus. I think that’s my favorite part. “Don’t…stop…now. Losing my breath.” I love that part.
LUNA: Sound-wise, the intro is a big highlight for me. It's pretty mesmerizing, and also sets the tone for the rest of the track. Were there any specific sonic elements you felt connected to?
BREE: I want my songs to be so dramatic. And that little synth intro that we have, it’s kind of like water falling. I think that introduces the song really well. I would say, sonically, I love all of the synths that we used. Steve, my producer, primarily started off as more of a DJ. So he was doing a lot of house music, and I was not [laughs]. When I came to him, I was more into indie pop. So our two worlds combining created something really cool sonically, because he had all these crazy electronic plugins. We were able to utilize a lot of that, but still twist it into my own style. This is the most baseline, poppy song I've ever made, and his knowledge of that world really helped. I've said the word synth, like 8000 times, but I just love a good synth. There is nothing that beats it. I think it's so spooky and fun. I don't know why I decided I wanted to make an ’80s pop song. I've never done that before, so I feel like it really sticks out in my discography. I’m really excited to perform it live. It's going to be a fun one.
LUNA: You also directed and produced the music video. How was that experience?
BREE: That was actually the most fun I've ever had in my whole life. I went to school for a couple of years for film and audio. I met a lot of really awesome people through that. Those same friends actually shot the video; they were the crew working on set with us. My friend Rachael did a little bit of choreography for us, because I'm not a dancer. I was like, “Rachael, that's all you girl.”
But as far as directing and producing it—it's called fight or flight. So I was picturing a boxing ring. I wanted it to be very eye-tag by building that tension, but still making it cute and a little campy. We found a boxing ring 10 minutes from my house. I was actually talking to Steve, and I was like, Do you know anyone who could build me a boxing ring? Then I was driving to a thrift store on my way home. I had to take a different route than usual, and I passed this boxing ring. It was such a little sign. So I called them up and we did the video right there. They were awesome. We did a few pre-production meetings, and I put together a shot list of how I wanted the video to kind of flow. My friend Ernesto Sosa shot it. My friend Ryan Meehan also did some shots of it, and my friend Alex Boulier was the production assistant for the day. It was just a great experience. It was hot and really sweaty, but it was great nonetheless. I love working with friends and doing creative work with people who I genuinely have a good time with. There’s that chemistry of working with people you know and love so much, and you're all so passionate about what you're creating—it's just the best time.
LUNA: I loved the video. It looks playful, but still, there is so much palpable tension.
BREE: Thank you, that was the goal.
LUNA: Last but not least, happy belated birthday! What would you say separates you now from who you were a year ago?
BREE: Thank you! Every single year, I look back and I'm a completely different person. My goals have always been pretty consistent, but each year I get more specific and closer to them. Last year, I released my sophomore EP and looking back on it, it’s still some of my favorite music that I've ever made. What I'm creating now for my debut album—which is supposed to come out in 2026-so much has changed sonically, but there's still that consistent thread there. It feels familiar and reminiscent of my older music. Now there are some other elements I’m getting into like electronic rock, etc. Me, a year ago, would be very proud for still doing what I'm doing. I’m excited for what comes next.
