INTERVIEW: Alessandro DeCaro
Photos courtesy of ILUKA
Welcome to Artist Spotlight, our series where we introduce you to fresh and exciting artists you need to hear now! This week we caught up with Australian-born singer-songwriter ILUKA to unpack her witchy and empowering late 2025 sophomore album, the wild, the innocent & the raging. In addition to the interview, we also hooked ILUKA up with select Pretty Cult and Cult Couture items for a stunning photo gallery and style guide.
With a sound that fuses pop, alternative, and rock, coupled with lyrical and aesthetic references to witchcraft and Western culture, ILUKA is undoubtedly an artist hellbent on originality and authenticity. Whether penning anthemic tracks like "Witch Girls" and her breakout single "Wings," or more personal and introspective ballads such as "Hard to Love Me," ILUKA's sophomore album, the wild, the innocent & the raging, is a soundtrack for the misfits and outsiders of the world seeking refuge. The result is an exhilarating ride that feels, on one hand, like a party and, on the other, a much-needed therapy session.
Read the interview and view the style guide below!
Your sophomore album the wild, the innocent & the raging dropped this past November and seems to have really avoided the dreaded sophomore slump in more ways than one with this new material resonating even more deeply with fans both new and old and further elevating your career immensely. What do you find yourself reflecting on about this album now nearly six months later? Any lessons you learned in the process of writing and recording this album that you will apply to your next chapter?
The album came out of a pretty intense dark night of the soul. I’d moved across the world, gone through a huge breakup, been dropped by my old team, and it felt like every door had closed at once. It was a real stripping back of everything I thought I was.
But that’s also where the record was born. I started writing from a place that was way more raw and unfiltered, just being honest even when it felt messy or uncomfortable. And the more honest I got, the more people connected to it. When I leaned fully into my weirdness and my witchy side, it was like my people found me. The biggest lesson I’m taking forward is to trust that instinct. Be honest with myself first, because that’s where the real magic comes from.
ILUKA wearing the Poison Flower Dress
Lyrically, the wild, the innocent & the raging covers so much ground whether it’s themes of empowerment and womanhood, critiques on the trappings of modern society as well as embracing uniqueness. What was your overall headspace like during the writing and recording process for this record and how important was it to take a defiant stand on important issues while also still offering a powerful and uplifting message at the same time?
The headspace was pretty extreme, if I’m honest. It came from a complete stripping away of everything I thought was stable, which was terrifying at times, but also weirdly the most expansive place to create from. When you’ve got nothing left to protect, you stop filtering yourself, and that’s where the honesty really came in.
I’ve always seen art and politics as completely intertwined. Just existing in a femme body and moving through the world the way I do, that’s already political. So it feels natural, almost like a responsibility, to reflect the time I’m living in. I’m always going to be that artist who pushes back, who questions systems and calls things out when they feel broken or limiting.
But at the same time, I’m not cynical. I’m actually a bit of a romantic at heart. The rage on the record comes from caring deeply, from believing that something more beautiful and more just is possible. It was important to me that even in the anger, there’s still a sense of hope running underneath it. Like, yes, everything feels chaotic and intense, but there’s still this belief that we can build something better out of it.
ILUKA wearing the Weeping Tank Top & VOL.1 Skirt
Obviously a huge part of your empowering message is embracing being an outsider or a "weirdo." What do you ultimately hope listeners will take away from your music and is there any advice you could offer to any of your fans who look to you as an inspiration of becoming more comfortable in their own skin?
I think more than anything, I want people to feel a sense of freedom when they listen. Like they have permission to be fully themselves, even the parts that feel a little strange or hard to explain. Nature makes the most bizarre, unexpected things, and those are usually the most beautiful. I feel like we’re the same.
I’ve always felt like an outsider, but what I’m realizing now is that the more I lean into that, the less alone I actually am. When you stop trying to smooth out your edges, you start attracting people who see you properly, and suddenly you’re surrounded by all these incredible, like-minded weirdos.
If I had any advice, it would be to trust that. The things you think make you “too much” or different are usually the exact things that will connect you to your people. It’s less about fitting in and more about finding where you naturally belong.
Is there a particular song on the wild, the innocent & the raging that holds the most significance to you from a personal standpoint?
I think “Hard to Love Me” is probably the most personal for me. That was the moment on the record where I stopped hiding behind anything and got really honest about the more uncomfortable parts of myself.
A lot of the album has this confidence to it, that slightly untouchable energy, but that song is the crack in it. It’s me admitting, maybe I am a bit hard to love, maybe I am too much sometimes. And that was actually really difficult to sit with, let alone put into a song. I always knew it had to close the album. It felt like the most truthful place to land, stripping everything back and just being fully seen.
“Witch Girls” is a personal favorite for so many reasons. For one, it’s anthemic and so infectious but it also is such a fun representation of witchy culture. As a media outlet and clothing brand owned and operated by a practicing witch herself, what role does spirituality or rituals play in your life?
Spirituality and my witchy side are a huge part of my life, it’s not separate from what I do, it’s how I move through the world. It keeps me connected to myself and to something bigger. Music is how I express that outwardly, but the grounding underneath it all is my spiritual practice.
It’s also deeply tied to my ancestry. My grandma was very witchy in her own way, and I feel really connected to her through it. It feels like something intuitive that’s been passed down, like a thread back to where I come from, which makes it feel even more personal.
I’m really drawn to cycles, nature, manifestation, that sense that everything is always shifting and transforming. It helps me make sense of things, especially during chaotic moments. Rituals for me don’t have to be elaborate, it can be as simple as lighting a candle, setting an intention, journaling, or just taking a moment to check in with myself. It’s less about perfection and more about presence. It keeps me anchored, especially in an industry and a world that can feel quite ungrounded at times.
“Wings” was undoubtedly a massive breakout single for you and remains your most streamed song to date. When you finished writing this song, did you feel like you had captured something truly special that would resonate with a wider audience or did this viral reaction exceed your initial expectations?
I had absolutely no idea it would connect the way it did. I knew I loved the song and that it felt like a real creative breakthrough for me, like I was finally saying things I’d been holding onto for a long time. There was something in it that felt honest and a bit bigger than anything I’d done before, so I knew it was special in that sense.
But the way it resonated with people, that completely exceeded any expectations I had. Watching it take on a life of its own and seeing how deeply people connected to it has been really surreal and honestly really moving.
You were raised in the farmlands of the Blue Mountains in Australia. How did your upbringing in this region of the world ultimately shape your art and perspective? With you now being based in LA, how does it compare and do you find yourself still connected to your homebase spiritually and artistically?
My upbringing was kind of magical. I was on a property surrounded by rolling green hills, horses, and music, with so much space to just dream and make up my own little worlds. My dad builds guitars, so we’d sit on the balcony for hours playing and writing together, and my mom and I would ride horses. I’d also go stargazing with my Dad most nights, which sounds very wholesome but also definitely shaped my brain a bit… I’ve always felt really connected to nature and like I was part of something bigger and a little bit mystical.
LA is obviously the opposite in a lot of ways. It’s louder, faster, a bit chaotic, and sometimes I do miss that grounded, nature-y feeling. I have to work a bit harder here to find it, like intentionally getting out of the city or creating my own little rituals to stay connected.
But I still feel really tied to home, spiritually and creatively. That part of me hasn’t gone anywhere. My mum sends me videos from the farm basically every other day, so I’m always a little bit there!
ILUKA wearing the Poison Flower Dress
Who or what is your biggest style icon or inspiration? Additionally, what is your process like when putting together outfits for your photoshoots, music videos, and live shows?
I have so many style references, it’s honestly a bit of a collage. People like David Bowie, Grace Jones, Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Kate Bush, and Anita Pallenberg have all been huge for me, just in how they built entire identities and worlds around themselves.
I’m also such a film nerd, and that probably shapes my style just as much. I’m really drawn to cinematic worlds that feel a bit surreal or emotionally heightened. Paris, Texas has that lonely, open, desert romance that I love, while Suspiria is all about bold color and this almost hypnotic, witchy intensity. The Love Witch feels like stepping into a hyper-feminine, retro spell, and Badlands and Wild at Heart have that chaotic, rebellious lovers-on-the-run energy.
I love the softness and eeriness of Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Virgin Suicides, that kind of dreamy, feminine melancholy, and then something like Only Lovers Left Alive feels very romantic and gothic and timeless. Crimson Peak is just full drama, romance, and that lush, haunted beauty. I’m obsessed with anything that feels like it exists slightly outside of reality but still feels emotional and human.
When it comes to putting outfits together, it always starts with the song. As soon as I write something, it kind of drops into its own little universe in my head, like a film still or a mood board. I’m really visual, so everything I do, whether it’s a shoot, a video, or a live show, is about building that world. The styling becomes part of the storytelling, it’s how the music turns into something you can actually see and step into.
ILUKA wearing the Weeping Tank Top & VOL.1 Skirt
If your music could score any film, new or old, what would it be and why?
I feel like it would live in something really strange and dreamlike, like Valerie and Her Week of Wonders or Daisies. Those kinds of films feel almost like fever dreams, very feminine, a bit chaotic, playful but also quietly unsettling underneath. Nothing is fully explained, everything just sort of feels symbolic, and I love that.
There’s something about that mid-'60s/'70s arthouse energy where it’s surreal, a little anarchic, a little witchy, and not trying to make you comfortable. I think my music would sit nicely in that space, where it’s beautiful one second and slightly disturbing the next.
I’m really drawn to things that feel like they’re slipping between innocence and something darker, where you’re not quite sure if you’re watching a fairytale or a nightmare. That kind of in-between space feels very creatively home to me.
Looking ahead, what is next in the world of ILUKA in terms of new music, touring, or anything else people should be excited about?
There’s a lot coming, which feels really exciting! I’m about to announce a new tour for this summer and I genuinely can’t wait to get back out on the road and feel that energy again, it’s my favorite part of everything.
I’ve also been really deep in the songwriting world since getting back from the last tour, just writing a lot and following whatever feels a little bit dangerous creatively. There’s a lot of new music on the way, and it already feels like a new chapter starting to take shape. I cannot wait to start sharing it all <3
ILUKA wearing the Weeping Tank Top & VOL.1 Skirt
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