When Luke Eisner and Gus Ross returned to Eisner’s Midwest roots to perform at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wis. in 2018, their electronic-turned-alternative duo, VOILÀ, had just three singles to their name. “Lately”, “Hundredth Second Chance” and “Stand Tall” were the beginning of a new chapter for both of them.

It was also the beginning of our own chapter.

We met again a year later; same time, same place. This time around, there was so much to talk about. An upcoming debut EP, Déjà Vu. A song placement for upcoming film Tall Girl, which Eisner starred as romantic lead Stig Mohlin. Their set later that evening, opening for Walk The Moon.

After last seeing each other at Summerfest in 2019, we reunited in the apartment above Reggies Rock Club last fall, where later that evening a sold-out audience would experience The Magic Word Tour. In between signing posters for the VIP meet and greet, Eisner and Ross reminisced on all that happened to get them to this exact moment.

While their college experience wasn’t necessarily impactful on the future of VOILÀ, it was where the duo met and began to understand the importance of meeting the right people.

“What school does very well is it puts a bunch of people that are all interested in the same thing together,” Eisner said. “I noticed the things I learned from school are the friendships that I’ve taken out of it. I think not only is it a wonderful network but I feel like it’s a network of people you had experiences with that end up being the real lessons. I think college is a really great place for that.”

They worked their way up to where music could be their full-time job, which can be incredibly difficult as an independent artist. However, they always encourage others beginning their own journey to learn how to create themselves. The amount of artists that have to rely on producers or writers or executives to push them in a certain direction, Ross said, limit their output by doing so. By starting their careers as producers, they quickly realized that the only people they wanted to rely on was each other.

“It was the inception,” Ross said. “It was the spark that lit the fire. I think that if you ignore that spark, good luck. You’ve got to keep that one thing that works and just rinse and repeat.”

An aspect of their music that they find incredibly important is collaboration. Yes, the two of them collaborate to make the best music possible. What they have the privilege to do as independent artists is also find likeminded artists to perform with. Against The Current’s Chrissy Costanza and Sleeping with Siren’s Kellin Quinn are prime examples of pitching their music to artists they look up to and getting a satisfying end result.

Eisner meeting Quinn was by pure chance, running into each other in New York and staying in touch until the right song came along. The Sleeping with Sirens LP, With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear was a prominent album in his life, and it became a surreal moment to create music together. The same goes for the songs created with Constanza, which gave them the opportunity to tell stories from a female perspective. It was a challenge they wanted to dive headfirst into.

“Through producing our own music, we have the opportunity to send a bunch of songs to a bunch of people and see interest in different markets or different teams and then go with who we think is the best fit,” Ross said. “[‘Caught It’] was a shot in the sky and then she happened to be a fan and it was a perfect storm.”

Another collaboration, “PAPERROUTE” with WesGhost on their 2025 album, The Last Laugh, gave them a different take on the marketability of music. As an independent artist, it isn’t just about writing and recording a song. It’s about grasping the business side as well.

“It’s a different perspective on music that I think is quite refreshing to the purists out there,” Ross said. “It can be a bit intimidating. To me, it’s really inspiring because when you meet people at the show you realize every single, tiny piece of visibility is worth it because they’re finding their best mate in a night.”

Eisner compares their collaborations to building a house. Him and Ross may be excellent electricians, but they need carpenters and plumbers in order to fully complete the build. When they finally get to open the house to the public, that’s when they know it has become a home.

What might surprise fans is that the duo does not hang out in a traditional friend capacity. It’s not that they don’t love each other, but doing something as simple as sitting on the couch and watching a game together is not their idea of a good time. Any moment they can be together, they want to make music.

“There is a high when you craft a song,” Eisner said. “Hanging out with Gus is my dealer of that high. I’ve never felt anything like it. You get goosebumps over your whole body when that song clicks. I literally love doing the one thing that puts everything in place. It makes the entire world make sense.”

All these years later, their process is still the same. They know what works for them musically and they use that to their advantage. They love a deadline. They find their creativity is best built under pressure, and that the same creativity comes from being the true definition of a duo.

Midway through the interview, Eisner’s mother, Denise, walked into the room and was introduced. Before heading back downstairs, we stopped to talk about how proud she is of both of them, and how the people in their corner are the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

That includes their fan base, who have travelled far and wide to catch a performance. Eisner really believes that the stars aligned to find such kindhearted people who connect with their music. Every night of The Magic Word Tour, they watched audience members respect one another in a way that makes the experience all the more enjoyable. That night in Chicago, in a room that Eisner spent time in as an audience member, was now full of people waiting to see him. Ross keeps thinking that surely people bought tickets to the wrong show. They agree that they are still in a pinch-me state of mind.

Going from DJ sets to live instruments was a major change, and Ross admitted that when we saw each other in 2019, they did not know how to perform. He promised that night’s show was completely different, and they did not disappoint.

Getting to see them perfect their craft and be a small part of their story is just as magical as their music. There is no misdirection when it comes to VOILÀ. Instead, there is absolute drive, an unbreakable bond and a discography unlike any other.