Singer Kira Huszar, a.k.a. LOONY, has made a name for herself with her spare yet emotion-rich take on R&B. Born in Scarborough, Ontario, in the mid-’90s, Huszar became a fan of neo-soul as a teen, immersing herself in the music of D’Angelo and Sade. She christened herself LOONY and released her debut single, the stretched-out vocal showcase “A Small Flame,” in 2018; it quickly garnered attention from listeners all over the world. Singles such as the simmering “WHiTE LiE” and the laidback “Some Kinda Love” further burnished her reputation, with Sir Elton John exclaiming on a 2020 episode of his Apple Music radio show, Rocket Hour, “I love that LOONY!” Her debut EP, JOYRiDE, came out a month into the Covid pandemic and was well received; the lockdown-induced downtime that followed led to her immediately diving into work on singles that built on her sound, like the brass-accented “raw” and the shimmering “either side.”