The LUST project first began as a desire by KID MOXIE, the musical moniker of Greek born, LA-based composer and musician Elena Charbila, to recreate the Jennifer Lopez hit “Waiting For Tonight.” After connecting with German synthwave doyenne NINA (Nina Boldt) via Zoom, the idea emerged that a sultry female duet is exactly what this track needed. The notion of a duet-driven project was very appealing to both artists who’ve firmly established themselves with successful solo releases, and notable past collaborations. It was clear both pop/synth songstresses shared a similar headspace and bonded over their affection towards dark cinematic scores such as Blade Runner, Twin Peaks, and Drive.
Initially conceptualized during some of the darkest days of COVID with lockdowns still in-place, much of the LUST project was a digital and international collaborative experience. KID MOXIE spent several months composing and programming the tracks in Athens with producer Hristos Lainas aka Franklin. After most of the music was solidified, she and NINA would remotely bounce vocal ideas and lyrics back and forth. Finally, the two came together and finished and recorded the lyrics and vocals together at Kung Fu Studios in Berlin during two back-to-back 12-hour-days in the studio. Multi-instrumentalist Radio Wolf contributed his guitar magic to “Electric Kiss” and “Waiting For Tonight,” while Skylar Funk added his Blade Runner-like sax flair to “Crime.”
“LUST is an album that encapsulates themes that I find eternally exciting like desire, old Hollywood, and night drives,” KID MOXIE shares of the project. “I’ve never had a partner in crime before and NINA, from the beginning, felt like the perfect match to explore this neon noir universe with.” NINA goes on to say, “LUST was a compelling project for me because I had never experimented with themes of erotica before. Collaborating with Kid Moxie was lots of fun and I think this album’s sound is dark yet playful. We don’t take ourselves too seriously while still maintaining a mysterious edge.”
