Aluna Francis was born in Wales in July 1988 to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. After her parents separated, she was raised in New Jersey and London. Her name “Aluna” means “come here” in the Mwera dialect of Tanzania, “pupil” in Portuguese and “Mother Earth” in Mayan. Before working in the music industry, Francis worked as a reflexologist. Francis' first venture into the music industry came when she sang in a group called My Toys Like Me. In 2013, Francis appeared as a panellist on the BBC music game show Never Mind the Buzzcocks. In July 2019, Francis announced that she was expecting a child by the end of the year. Francis announced on 17 November 2019 via Instagram that she had given birth to a girl named Amaya.
Francis released a solo album, Renaissance on 28 August 2020 through Mad Decent. In January 2022, Francis teamed up with Diplo, Kelli-Leigh, and Italian producer Durante for an indie-dance single called “Forget About Me”, which was nominated for a Grammy. In 2023, Francis featured on the Skrillex track "Inhale Exhale" alongside Kito. Later that year, on 7 July, Francis released her sophomore album, titled MYCELiUM, featuring collaborations with producers such as Route 94, MNEK, Tchami, MK, and Chris Lake.
