LUKE MARKINSON
Luke Markinson is an American dance-pop and hyperpop singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. He made his debut in 2020 with “Never Alone”, which was featured on Charli XCX's official “Beats by Dr. Dre” playlist. The following year, his song “Dead of Night” became an international success, reaching #1 on the house charts in Finland. Following the release of his breakout dance-pop track, "Hit and Run", Luke opened for American rapper, Flo Milli, further cementing his place in the gay dance-pop scene.
YEARS WORKED: 2022-2024, 2025
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I led digital publicity efforts, securing features in The Fader, CelebMix, Poptized, KLATBLUT Magazine, and more. Using spreadsheets, I kept track of and built relationships with over 200 music journalists, often reaching out via Twitter, Reddit, Email, and niche blogs to create a targeted and unique pitching strategy. I wrote data-driven press releases that emphasized the sonic identity of each release.
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I developed and pitched social media ideas with a goal of creating long-term fandom. I created Twitter edits using popular gay artists that were posted in fan replies and led to spikes in Shazams and engagement. While Luke was sometimes hesitant to speak on camera, I worked around that by crafting campaigns that still felt authentic and shareable.
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I helped reposition the artist’s visual and sonic identity, moving them away from the hyperpop space and into a dance-pop aesthetic inspired by 2010s artists like Kesha and early Charli XCX. I created moodboards, selected press photos, and crafted biographies. I also influenced the music itself, introducing the artist to a new producer, Bobby Marks, whose dance-pop style helped shape the sound of the artist’s most successful releases to date.
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I scouted and facilitated organic collaborations with producers and viral musicians, including Bobby Marks and Julie Ragbeer. I discovered Bobby through Tik Tok and immediately recognized his talent. I also helped arrange a remix collab with Julie Ragbeer during her viral moment on Twitter, leading to increased attention and streaming growth.
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I conceptualized a longform experiential campaign inspired by ARGs (including Harry Styles’ Eroda universe), where Luke would become trapped inside his phone, with Tik Tok acting as his only line of communication to the outside world. Fans would explore his “phone” through Tik Tok posts and secret websites, uncovering clues and personal details that in turn would build an emotional connection. It would eventually lead to an EP launch. Though the campaign was ultimately shelved, I led a creative team including illustrators and ARG specialists to develop the interactive world over several months.
HIGHLIGHTED WORK:
“HIT & RUN”
Undoubtedly, “Hit & Run” stands as Luke’s breakout hit. Currently sitting at over 300k streams across streaming platforms, it was his first song to surpass 40k streams. People still ask us about this release. It was a moment in the gay dance-pop community. This also marked the beginning of my involvement in his music creation process.
I discovered the dance-pop producer Bobby Marks through social media and was immediately drawn to his remarkable production style. I facilitated the collaboration between Bobby and Luke and guided the sonic shift toward a dance-pop sound that felt fresh and ahead of the times. This new direction not only elevated Luke's sound but also helped position "Hit & Run" as a fan favorite and the artist’s most successful release to date.
Luke and I believe the promotional strategies I created through Twitter and Tik Tok were what made the song blow up. I created edits to popular artists and posted them on Twitter, which then went viral and got fan accounts talking and retweeting the song.
“VITAMIN D”
Following the triumph of “Hit & Run,” “Vitamin D” stands as the second collaboration between Luke and producer Bobby Marks. Anticipating its success, I focused promotional efforts primarily on Twitter and Tik Tok.
During the release period, Julie Ragbeer became a viral sensation on Stan Twitter, with users mass streaming her music and engaging with her content. Leveraging this momentum, I strategically shared snippets of "Vitamin D" in content related to her and encouraged Luke to interact with her. This resulted in her organically tweeting about the song and him.
To push the viral moment further, I facilitated a collaboration between the two artists. Julie agreed to contribute a verse to a remix version of "Vitamin D," which was created and released within a few weeks while the viral moment was still unfolding. This remix marked Julie's debut collaboration, providing Luke with an opportunity to further capitalize on the momentum.