Having already released a flurry of bold, guitar-driven anthems over the last year, emerging artist Lucas Watt is ready to kick off his 2021 campaign with gusto as he delivers his blistering new single 'Fake ID'.
Taking his cues from the likes of Sam Fender, The 1975 and Tom Grennan, 'Fake ID' makes for an incredibly powerful start to his new year. Filled with euphoric hooks, soaring production, and his own shimmering vocals at the helm, it feels like he is reaching for the cusp of greatness on this new offering.
So with the new single doing the rounds, we sat down with him to find out more about his background and what has inspired him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Definitely the drums. I started playing when I was just over six years old and it was all I ever did for a good few years. I had this absolutely huge drum kit in the garage that when I sat behind it you could barely see me. Was great fun for a lot of years and it’s also what I played in my first ever band. The drums were what started me off in my love of playing music. It wasn’t until years later I finally picked up a little nylon string guitar and started learning with all the coloured dots stuck on the neck so you knew where to put your fingers (I’m sure a lot of guitarists can relate!)
What kind of music did you love as a teenager?
It was my Dad who got me into music in the first place and in my early teens we would jam out in the car to bands like Linkin Park, Green Day, The Killers and it was actually Nickelback that he took me to see at my first ever concert. As I progressed into my teens I started to develop a love for indie music and got into a lot of artists who were up and coming in the indie scene at the time like Sundara Karma, Declan McKenna, The Night Café etc. All of these bands that I listened to through my teens have inspired the type of music I make today.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Robbie Williams - 'Angels'. A classic! Cheesy, but who doesn’t love that song?!
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I’d love to say I have some sort of ritual for writing songs but to be honest I’m all over the place. One day I could start on acoustic guitar, the next it’s a vocal melody, the next it’s a synth idea that I’ve been sent. Songs start from whatever I find inspiring at the time which is usually when something just feels right and I have to work on it there and then. If it’s not flowing straight away, usually it’s not going to work for me.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I’ve been listening to a lot of music by Patrick Droney at the moment, his voice is just ridiculous and the production on his tracks is really cool! I’ve also been playing music by Chet Faker, Matt Corby, COIN, Tom Grennan and music from some of my mates - Mike Dignam, Tim Gallagher. I listen to a lot lot of music on the daily so it’s hard to just pick a few!
How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?
Not many of my songs are about my own life. A few years back I wrote some songs about my own relationship struggles but apart from that I do a lot of my songwriting based on observation or to describe an experience that I find relatable and hopefully resonates with other people. Maybe I’ll write some more songs about people in my life in the future but I usually just write about what is on my mind at the time.
What has been the funniest or most unusual moment in your career so far?
I played in the cocktail tent at Bingley Music Live festival a couple of years back. All the music at the festival had pretty much wrapped up and everyone was waiting for Noel Gallagher to headline the main stage. I was playing on a little stage in the corner of this cocktail tent and I started playing some Oasis and Noel Gallagher classics to try and hype up the small number of people in the tent at the time. Well as I played the first song, people began to flood into this tent! Within a few songs there were 400 people plus in there singing and dancing. The festival had to provide extra barriers to security as people crowded at the entrance trying to get in. The sheer number of people packed into this tent singing at the top of their lungs was surreal and something I’ll never forget. I was half expecting Noel to come waltzing in just to see what all the commotion was - now that would’ve been cool!
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
This is a really tough question as there are a whole bunch of people I’d love to open up for. I did open up for JP Cooper on his UK tour back in 2019 and would love to do that again but if I had to pick someone else it would probably be Sam Fender or The 1975. Great music and their crowds are just mental - in a good way!
If you weren’t a musician, what other path do you think you might have taken?
I think it definitely would’ve been something to do with graphic design and branding. I do all my own branding and promo stuff for my songs at the moment and it’s something I love to do. I even considered going to uni to do at one point but I quickly talked myself out of that!
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
It was from the producer I’ve been working with since I first started making music. He has consistently told me “just keep writing good songs” because if you’re not writing good songs people aren’t going to listen!
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Lucas Watt's new single 'Fake ID' is available to stream and download now. Check out the new video for it in the player below.