If you put on your air pods to stream Lou Beauty’s music on Spotify, you may hear lush synths, soulful grooves, and dreamy soundscapes, but if you listen closer, what you’re really listening to is an artist’s melodic pursuit of creativity set to the beat of their curiosity. 

Luis Velez, a communications major at CSU Bakersfield, is the musician behind this self-described “synthpop & bedroom indie project,” professionally known as Lou Beauty. He has been writing music since he was in middle school, honing his craft performing in talent shows throughout high school, and is now curating his curiosities in a number of creative endeavors while in university. 

Velez has been busy, acting in the short film “Contamination,” acting in the web series “Life Lessons for Horrible People,” writing and acting in the short film “Swiping,” performing as a musician in CSUB’s spring 2020 musical “The Who’s Tommy,” and all while producing the independent, self-made, synthpop & bedroom indie project known as Lou Beauty. 

Each creative venture may function as a means of satisfying a momentary curiosity, but what’s driving this creative pursuit is an everlasting push to become a better artist.  

“I want to get better in my own songwriting, my own production. So every time I write, every time I produce something, it’s just in an effort to really better myself as a creator and as an artist,” Velez states. 

Where Lou Beauty’s adventures might lead is still to be determined, but when asked what the future holds, Velez confidently responds, “I see myself thinner, but not too thin. Definitely.”