Interview with Music Artist “Luchi”
Q: Please Introduce Yourself To The Readers And What Made You Want To Become A Musician?
I’m Luchi, a singer-songwriter originally from Glasgow, Scotland. I’ve been releasing music since 2017 and in those 6 years, I’ve been lucky enough to have 12 of my singles hit the top 10 on the ITunes Singer Songwriter Charts, travel the world attending various writing camps from Nashville to Spain to Santorini, I was selected to take part in the inaugural year of Stargate’s music mentorship in LA, been mentored by some of the best songwriters in the industry and I’d say that’s not bad for a guy who dropped out of school at 16 (well a few days before my 17th birthday.) Becoming a musician was an easy one really because its my passion and I just adore music. I believe when you have that kind of passion for something, it chooses you rather than you choosing it.
Q: Who has been your most influential teacher or mentor?
That’s a really tough one to answer as I’ve had so many great people mentor me and they have all given me little nuggets of wisdom along the way. My friend Mark Cawley in Nashville told me to always keep my songwriting antenna up as you never know when you are going to hear something that would be a great song idea, that was great advice and Judy Stakee really pushed me to believe in myself and she said I was her “secret sauce” in a songwriting session which really boosted me.
Q: What are your favourite musical genres, and are there any you dislike?
Oh, these questions are all tough haha. I love all different genres of music and I’m really eclectic. I think it depends on my mood. Pop is always going to have a place in my heart as it was what I grew up on and still love, you can’t beat a solid pop song. I love Country music as well as a close second and those songs can really pack an emotional punch. There is no genre of music that I dislike as I appreciate all forms of music but things like heavy mental and screaming aren’t my thing.
Q: What would you say is your greatest weakness as an artist?
My greatest weakness I’d say that I am my own worst enemy. I really hold myself to a high standard and that has really been an issue I’ve had to work on because I give myself such a hard time. I think its a confidence thing as because I didn’t know a lot when I got into the industry, I felt like I had to work 10 times harder than everyone else to catch up and hit a bit of burn out early on as I wanted to build momentum but I am a work in progress like the rest of us and a bit easier on myself these days.
Q: In terms of the overall composition, what is your favorite song and why?
Oh I always say the same song and that is “Because Of You’ by Kelly Clarkson. The vulnerability in the lyric, the production and the elegant piano and string arrangements and how it builds, I think it is one of the best pop ballads out there.
Q: What kind of music artist would you classify yourself as?
I’d classify myself as a truth teller artist. I don’t hold back and there really isn’t any topic off the table for me. I expose my scars and vulnerabilities so that people don’t feel so alone. I think that is what makes my music relatable because we all feel the same human emotions and I like to lead from that place, even though the situations and circumstances are different, under it all, we all feel hurt, we all feel pain and human connection is something we all long for.
Q: Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry?
Again, I don’t feel that it was a choice, it was just something that I had to get into to be able to pursue my dreams. There is a big difference between the music industry and the music business as once you get into it, there is a lot of business involved alongside the art but being able to do what you love, makes the rest of it tolerable.
Q: Would you agree that it is very important to learn, study and understand the old music and music history?
I’m torn on this one to be honest. I do believe that artist should study music that they love as you can pick up tips and how the song was crafted but with the way the industry is going at the moment with copyright cases, you have to be careful that you don’t take too much inspiration. When you look at TikTok trends etc, you will see that a lot of the songs are older songs that go viral because they were solid songs. That art can sometimes get a bit lost as people are chasing a hit or to go viral but when you see how many songs get sampled years later, you’ll see its because they were solid songs from the start and I would love to see the tide turn again back to that.
Q: Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
I don’t have any upcoming shows at the moment but keep your eyes peeled as there may be something coming up. I have performed all over London and the UK but I wouldn’t say I have a favourite or least favourite venue but that I much prefer a more intimate setting where I can connect to the audience rather than a big crowd where it’s just a blur of faces. My music is all about connection so being in a venue I can do that is my fav.
Q: What’s next for you?
There will be a few different versions of this song coming in the next few weeks (wink, wink) which is something I haven’t done before so that’s exciting for me. Keep an eye on my socials for that news.
I already have the next single ready which is back to the ballads, my forte. The song has a really powerful message so I can’t wait for everyone to hear it and hopefully you’ll have me back to discuss that when it’s out.
I’m off to LA in a few weeks to write so hopefully some good things will come out of that trip. There are some things in the pipeline that I don’t want to jinx by talking about but fingers crossed you’ll be seeing a lot more of me coming up.
I’ve also been in the studio recently working on new songs, which are sounding great and are a bit of a different, more edgy pop sound to my previous releases so there’s a lot more music to come from me.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for your lyric video?
For my previous projects, this year we had done animated lyric videos and that went down really well but for this one I wanted it to be more fun and bright and appropriate for summer so we went for a neon theme and I think it really works well with the graphics and the whole vibe of the song. There are also some audio-synced animations in there so it feels like you’re on the journey of the song. I have a great team out in the States who take my ideas and storyboards and run with them. I find a lot of my audience appreciate a lyric video so they can connect with the words and like back in the day when you used to buy music, you used to get lyrics in the liner notes, they can sing along and learn them easier.
Q: Do you have any advice for young music makers like yourself?
It’s a bit cliche but make sure that everyone around you is on your side and has the same vision. Having people around you that believe in you as an artist is so important as they will help you succeed if they are passionate about the project as well. Also, I’d say, do it yourself until you find the right people, it can take a lot of work and a lot of learning, especially on the business side but you will then have a greater understanding when you are approached by labels to know exactly what you want and have an audience already built.
