by Luke “Chameleon” Mornay
I have lost count of how many times I have been asked why I do not stick to one sound. Sometimes it comes with admiration, sometimes confusion, and sometimes quiet disbelief. I understand where it comes from. The music world, like most industries, loves categories. It makes people comfortable to know where to place you, what playlist you belong to, or what box to tick in a digital store.
But I have never been comfortable inside those boxes. My instinct has always been to move, to question, and to rebuild. I never wanted to be the artist who repeats the same idea until it loses its meaning. For me, music has always been about motion, about evolving as I learn and learning as I evolve.
The Blessing and the Curse
Being a creative chameleon is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is clear. I get to explore, to work with very different artists, and to challenge myself across genres and aesthetics. I can step into a funk groove one day and into cinematic sound design the next. Each space reveals a new angle of what I love about sound.
The curse is quieter but real. In an age of branding and algorithms, people often want more of the same. Consistency sells, repetition comforts. The artist who keeps shifting can seem unpredictable, even unreliable to those who want to know exactly what they will get. But art is not supposed to be predictable. It is supposed to be alive.
The Art of Moving Without Losing Yourself
Every collaboration, every genre, and every project teaches me something new. It is not about erasing what came before but adding layers to what already exists. When I shift, I do not disappear. I expand.
Working across musical worlds keeps me humble. It prevents the trap of overconfidence. It reminds me that there is always more to learn and that mastery is not a destination but a process. I like to think of myself as a lifelong apprentice of sound, always curious, always rebuilding, never finished.
The Irony of the Chameleon
The nickname Luke “Chameleon” Mornay was not my idea. It began as an observation, a remark made when someone noticed I was changing colors too often to track. I did not take it seriously at first, but the name grew on me. Especially after working with Boy George, who gave the world Karma Chameleon. There is irony there, and I enjoy it.
For me, the chameleon is not a creature of disguise but a symbol of awareness. It adapts not to hide but to respond to light, to mood, to environment. That is how I see my work. I do not change to fit in. I change to reveal what is possible in each moment.
Evolution as Intent
People sometimes mistake versatility for confusion, but I see it as clarity. My purpose has always been to explore the full range of what sound can express, not to be everything at once but to experience creation from every angle. Whether I am producing a disco rework, shaping a modern electronic texture, or designing a sound library for producers, the intent remains the same: to push boundaries, to stay engaged, and to create something that feels alive.
I would rather risk misunderstanding than repeat myself into comfort. Evolution is not chaos. It is commitment. The constant thread in my work is not genre or format. It is curiosity, craftsmanship, and emotion. Those never change.
The Constant Is Change
At this point in my career, I have stopped trying to explain the transitions. They are not random. They are the map. Every project, every collaboration, every sound is a different color on the same palette.
My consistency lies in curiosity. The colors may change, but the hand that paints remains the same.