INTERVIEW

RACHEL PRANCER’S MUSIC CAN BE DESCRIBED AS A COLLECTION OF QUIET CONFESSIONS — and at a Lollapalooza aftershow with Matt Champion in Chicago, she turned those journalistic lyrics into a full-room experience. A 23-year-old genre-blurring artist and poet who blends rock, shoegaze, punk and folk, her lyrics can feel both personal to herself and emotionally relatable.

Born in Indiana and raised in Florida, Rachel’s been writing music since she was a kid, eventually releasing her first track at 19. Her latest EP, i follow the deer, invites listeners into a dreamy world that touches on some vulnerable subjects. Soft but pointed, hazy but intentional, it’s a space for outsiders, overthinkers, and anyone still trying to figure themselves out.

We caught up with Rachel before her performance at Subterranean to talk about embracing vulnerability on stage, the meaning behind her lyrics, and what’s fueling her creativity lately. Read on for more.

LUNA: With opening for Matt Champion at his Lollapalooza aftershow, how are you soaking it all in and what are you most excited for?

PRANCER: I’m most excited to just have fun. I’ve never opened for an artist I already knew and listened to, so it’s cool meeting him—he’s super chill. I’m also excited (and a little nervous) because it’s my first time performing a full set with just my tracks and no band. That’s how a lot of these songs were made, digitally, so it feels full circle.

LUNA: For readers just getting introduced to your music, how would you describe i follow the deer and the world it creates?

PRANCER: It’s a whimsical way of looking at darker themes; figuring out who you are, making mistakes, forgiving yourself. I want people who feel like outsiders to feel seen. Following the deer is about following your intuition, being yourself, and taking the time to understand life as it unfolds.

LUNA: Your lyrics have a quiet intensity, as if you’re writing in your journal. Are there any lines on the EP that hit especially hard when you sing them live?

PRANCER: Yeah. The line from “backwards,” “you look pretty all the time.” It's about comparing yourself to other people, admiring them, and not realizing they have insecurities too. That one’s always a little tough to hear back.

LUNA: Is there anything you’re specifically manifesting for the set?

PRANCER: Honestly, just meeting new people and having fun. I’m kind of a homebody—I like going out, but I usually stay in. So I’m excited to just let myself be free and present.

LUNA: What do you hope new listeners walk away feeling after your set?

PRANCER: I hope they feel understood, or that they’re able to release something. Writing songs feels like letting something go, and I hope others feel that too. And also, I hope they just have fun.

LUNA: With the EP out and the show, what’s been fueling your creativity lately? Anything in the works?

PRANCER: I’ve been writing a lot—working on demos, mostly on guitar. I’m planning to collaborate with a few people I’ve been wanting to work with for a while. Lately, creativity has come from my experiences with friends, and honestly, still figuring things out. Even in your early 20s, you still feel like a kid. I’m just trying to find my place in the world.