Lana Karlay – Ghost Of You
18-year-old Lana Karlay returns with ‘Ghost of You’, a close-cut R&B/pop duet about the strange afterlife of a relationship, when it’s over on paper but still everywhere in your day.
Written with Aussie brother duo Mason & Julez, the single marks a shift from her earlier pop-rock releases, leaning into conversational detail, airy vocals, and two perspectives that circle the same ache from different sides. “It’s the weird in between where the relationship is over, but you’re still haunted by them,” says Lana. “The song looks at that from both sides, which I think makes it so interesting. Both sides are trying to let go, but still thinking about each other.”
Written earlier in the year during a three-week stint in the US, ‘Ghost of You’ was shaped around a simple idea: tell the same emotional moment from two angles, and let the lines speak back to each other. It plays out in specifics rather than sweeping statements: the scroll through old photos and messages, the passenger seat you still default to, the everyday muscle memory that keeps pulling someone back into focus. It’s intimate and restrained, more like a late-night confession than a big break-up anthem.
Lana describes the “ghost” as non-literal, less supernatural and more psychological: the memories that keep resurfacing, uninvited, in the middle of normal life
Mason & Julez have a similar origin story to Lana. Like Lana, they grew up in Victoria, Australia, with a strong passion for music and a fascination with the industry in the US. They convinced their parents to move to LA to pursue their dreams of music. They started posting covers and writing songs at the young ages of 11 & 9. It’s this shared mindset and strong work ethic that brought Lana to Mason and Julez.
The brothers worked on her previous release ‘Cross Your Mind’ and dived more into songwriting together for ‘Ghost of You’. with mixing and mastering by Mark Parfitt, and a music video filmed in LA with RYE Productions. It follows a standout year for Lana, including a support slot for Darcie Haven as part of the Church Geelong series, and recognition as a Runner Up in the Unsigned Only Top 12 Teen category and a finalist in the American Songwriter
‘Ghost of You’ also arrives as Lana’s fifth single of the year, released while she’s still in Year 12, juggling school leadership as Music Captain alongside rehearsals, ensembles, and performances. That pace has sharpened her work ethic and made her ruthless with time, but the through-line is simple: even when things get hectic, she keeps writing, keeps building, and keeps moving toward the next release.
At its core, ‘Ghost of You’ leaves room for the listener. It’s written from a real experience, but it’s designed to be reinterpreted, whether it brings up an ex, a friendship, a situationship, or anyone you’ve had to learn to live without.
While building her musical career, Lana has been completing her final year of high school at Geelong Grammar. With graduation imminent, Lana sees the end of Year 12 as a turning point and plans to push her music even further!
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