Mojo Juju Is Changing Her Name Out Of Spiritual Respect
"I no longer feel that it is appropriate for me to continue performing under this name."
Australian musician Mojo Ruiz de Luzuriaga — previously known as Mojo Juju — has today announced she will now perform under the name Mo’Ju.
Luzuriaga announced the name change in a press release that shed light on reasons she chose the old moniker, and her reasons for abandoning it.
“For around the last 15 years Juje and/or Juju has been the nickname of choice for some of the closest people in my life,” Luzuriaga writes. “And thus, by combining my two names, ‘Mojo Juju’ was born. A name that allowed me to draw upon the strength and support of all my loved ones when I walked onstage.”
However, recently, Luzuriaga found herself doing some research into Indigenous languages. In the course of this research, the performer discovered that ‘Juju’ has a range of meanings in a range of different languages. “It appears that in the Banuba Country in the Kimberlys, Juju is the word for a particular type of narrative driven dance performance. In the Kuku-Yalanji language, which is spoken in Far North Queensland/Cape York area, ju-ju is the word for blood.”
Thus, it is out of respect for these different meanings that Luzuriaga has decided to change her name as a performer.
“Despite my own very personal connection to this word and the many varied meanings that these sounds convey, it is out of respect for this spirituality, its divine origins, connections with nature and the Ancestors, and for the people who practice them, that I no longer feel that it is appropriate for me to continue performing under this name.”
Summing up the change neatly, Luzuriaga noted that she will always have a connection to the old name, but is excited for this new direction.
“Mojo will forever remain the name on my driver’s license. And I have no doubts that I will always be Juje to those who know me personally.”