Lohanny Santos joins Shelf

Lohanny Santos isn’t performing authenticity—she’s living it.

Lohanny is joyfully unserious, yet stunningly intentional. With her cosmic charm and “Purple Aura”, she isn’t just navigating the internet—she’s reshaping it into something softer, truer, and a little more sparkly. This summer, she’s channeling that energy into music with the release of her debut single, “Your Aura’s Purple”. Whether she’s revealing honest reflections about unemployment, or filming an endearing fit check with a passerby in the streets of NYC, Lohanny’s presence feels like a confetti-filled sigh of relief in an internet that often demands perfection. Her version of success isn’t built on algorithms but on happiness, connection, and the kind of honesty that makes strangers feel like friends. She treats the digital world like a mood board of feelings, pivoting when needed, sharing when she’s moved, and always keeping it real (even when the vibe is silly).

ShelfMAG: How do you define authenticity in the digital age and how has your understanding of it changed over time?

@lohannysant: My most authentic moment on the internet was definitely when I talked about my unemployment journey on my platforms. A lot of people really related to that and felt seen by it because it was no longer somebody selling something to them, but somebody speaking the truth about life and the unemployment epidemic.

ShelfMAG: I've seen the video, by the way. I also deeply related to it because I was also unemployed when I watched it. You once mentioned being inspired by Addison Rae's transition into Hollywood. I feel like in this era of creating, everyone's encouraged to build a brand. How do you stay grounded in your own identity as you continue to grow and get other opportunities?

@lohannysant: Oh, my God. First off, I'm incredibly inspired by her. I think she's incredible. And I think what works for her is her personality and her light really shines through everything she does. And I think she's really good at creating wow factors. Everything she posts, you kind of tilt your head a little bit and you kind of wonder, what's she doing? You kind of question it, but then you also take it in and you admire it at the same time.

I think about what I want, how I want to present myself, who I want to be connected with—what kind of brands I take on or not. But I also keep the fun in what I do, because you have to love what you do in order for other people to enjoy it too. People can really tell whether or not you like whatever you’re doing. I also take it day by day. If something works, I keep at it. And if it doesn't work, I pivot. And I think that's what keeps me and my content alive, because I know when to make changes and how to make changes.

ShelfMAG: If you could redefine what success looks like for people who are building lives on the internet, what that vision include?

@lohannysant: Being on the internet for a few years now, I think the ultimate success is happiness. I think that's what everybody's chasing. And stability. Happiness and stability are the two main things. That's at least what I've been chasing online. And that's also why people become influencers. You see other people succeeding and having these amazing careers, and you want that for yourself, too. You want to buy a house in the Hamptons, you want to buy yourself a car or support your family or be able to treat your friends to a trip to Europe or whatever. But also, ultimately, you just want to feel happy and you want to feel seen. I think it's also about connection. You want to feel connected to people around you, and you want to feel like you're not alone in the world. And that's another reason why I post. I want to know, am I alone in this, or are other people in this with me, too? So happiness, connection, being and feeling seen.

ShelfMAG: I love that so much. Okay, this one's a bit more lighthearted. What's a piece of pop culture that probably shaped your personality a little bit more than it should have?

@lohannysant: I think just being unserious. I remember when Addison Rae first started releasing music, people were like, “what? A tiktoker is releasing music? That's so weird”. And now she's slaying the house down. Lately, I've been inspired to be like, “who cares”?

I learned that you don't have to be good to be at the top. You don't even have to have talent to be at the top. You just need to be yourself. And you also need to have connections. That's why people post on the internet. Sometimes I judge myself and my art so much that I think to myself, “nobody's gonna want to see this”. But then I think, “but I like this, but it's coming from me”. Actually, I wrote a song and it's coming out this summer. It's gonna be called “Your Aura’s Purple”. And it's so fun, it's so vibey, and there's no pressure behind it. I don't care if one person, a hundred people, or a million people hear it. I'm just putting it out there because I thought it was so fun and it's a vibe.

ShelfMAG: ShelfMAG with the exclusive scoop!

@lohannysant: Exclusive scoop!

ShelfMAG: What's a song that you would defend with your life, even though everyone else thinks it might be trash?

@lohannysant: I don’t know if anybody thinks it’s bad, but I think this song is too good. “I got a pocket full, pocket full of sunshine I got a pocket”—that song. We'll say that song for now, even though I don't think it has haters.

ShelfMAG: Honestly, who knows? If it's good, it has a hater. That's what I've learned. Okay, last one. What's the item on your shelf that you think is most likely to stay there forever?

@lohannysant: Oh, damn. One of Sally Rooney's books, because I really love her novels so much and I've read almost all of them with the exception of the new, fourth one. So let's say Normal People by Sally Rooney. Also, fun fact, I named my dog Rooney after her.

ShelfMAG: Did you watch the show as well?

@lohannysant: Yes, I did. Well, I didn't watch Conversations with Friends. I saw five minutes and it was really boring and I immediately turned it off. But Normal People? Masterpiece. That was good.

Curious about what else Lohanny is into? Get real-time updates at shelf.im/lohannysant