After turning out a breadth of much-loved delights throughout last year, Scottish-Italian artist Luchi is now back for 2024 to deliver his vibrant new single 'Web Of Lies'.
Honing more of that broad and emotive alt-pop aesthetic he has been building for himself, 'Web Of Lies' makes for a beautifully riveting listen. With his heartfelt vocals spread across a dynamic production throughout, he continues his ascent as one of the more compelling names on the rise right now.
So with the new single doing the rounds, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most lately.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The first instrument that I fell in love with was the voice but other than that it was the piano. I’ve always been a lover of a good piano ballad and I love how emotive you can make a piano sound with a beautiful melodic riff or an interesting chord choice. Most of the time when I am writing, the songs start with just vocal and piano and build from there.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I grew up in a household that wasn’t very musical so my introduction to music was from the radio. I was born in the 90s so it was pop heavy and my first musical obsession was Spice Girls. I was a total spice boy and had all the singles, the albums, the dolls, loads of merch and even rocked a spice girls watch to school haha. I remember going to see them in Sheffield back in the day and I was beside myself with excitement. Then it was bands like S Club 7, Steps, B*Witched, Sugababes, Girls Aloud, as you can tell I was always a pop music fan. As I got into my teenage years it was P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera and they were some of the artists that inspired me to start writing my story into music as they had all deeply personal albums come out like Missundaztood, My December and Stripped. It was at that point that I realised that I could channel my pain into songs to help others.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I’m sure you can guess from my previous answer it was Spice by Spice Girls. I played that cd over and over to the point I can still sing every lyric from every song to this day.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
That is so hard to answer because there are so many great songs out there. If I had to say one, I would say “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton. That song is so beautifully heartbreaking and the Dolly version as well as the Whitney version show how a good song can be done in different styles and still sound just as good. Each lyric in that song is so beautifully crafted. That’s one of the things I love about country music, they just tell the most beautiful and heartbreaking stories. I’ve definitely drawn a lot of inspiration from country music in my writing.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
This is probably the generic answer that most songwriters give but it’s different every time. I have loads of titles, lyric ideas, melody ideas on voice notes , interesting phrases all in my notes and sometimes I will just be inspired by one of them but a lot of the time, the song just comes to me in a moment of inspiration. I just sit at my keyboard and let it flow out of me. I always find they are the best songs that you go into an almost trance and then 10-15 minutes later, you have this song and you have no idea where it came from but it’s exactly what you wanted to say or even needed to hear. I’ve been in relationships and then written a deeply sad break up song and I’m like “oh no, I didn’t realise I was that sad in this” and it’s usually time to leave at that point. So I guess the only thing I would say is that I am always open to let the idea come through me and just allow whatever comes to come. It’s a bit different if I’m writing for an artist or in a cowriting situation and that’s where all the notes and ideas come out and can just see what is vibing and working with the rest of the room. I’m more ritualistic when I’m recording as I like to have all my throat teas to hand, lots of honey, my favourite lozenges and I’ve even been known to carry my own travel kettle with me. Then I like to have all the lights out so I’m in darkness and create an ambiance to relax into singing.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I listen to all different genres of music and different artists. It depends on the day and my mood to be honest. I love discovering new and exciting artists as well as throwing on some nostalgia tunes. Just checking my recently played, I’ve been listening to a lot of Sekou. His voice just moves me in a way that not a lot of artists can, Morgan St. Jean, who is such a fantastic writer, Sasha Alex Sloan, I love her new album. Michael Rice is another artist that I love, his voice is another one that evokes such emotion in me. I’ve also been introduced to a lot of Spanish language music too and artists like Rosalia who is really inspiring me to get more experimental with my sounds and I’m also loving Samurai, she’s got a cool pop rock vibe going on.
Then there are days that I whack on the 90s/00s pop playlist I have and just dance my heart out to all the songs I grew up on.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Oh these are hard questions as there are so many names that come to mind but I’d say Adele because then I would get to watch her live afterwards haha. We have the same style of music I’d say, emotional soulful pop so I think her fans would enjoy my set too and that’s what’s important when opening up for someone.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
For me it’s the connection to the audience. When I receive a message from someone saying that a song has touched them or helped them in some way, that’s why I do it. I want to give other people what I get from music. I always connected to music on such an emotional level and it was my first best friend in times when I felt so alone, it has never let me down and the fact that my music can be that for someone else means the world to me.
And what is the most frustrating part?
For me, I’d probably say it’s all the stuff that comes along with releasing music, for me, I just want to be in the studio writing and creating but being an independent artist, there’s a lot of other things that come along with it like admin and back office stuff, promotion, marketing, social media, all the parts of the wheel a label or manager would take on. Although I love being independent as I get to release the music I want and there’s not the pressure of a label, it can get quite tiring doing all the non creative stuff.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
The best advice I received was from my songwriting friend and mentor Mark Cawley from Nashville. He said always keep your songwriting antenna up and listening. Listen to people’s conversations and how they phrase things, a line in a movie or tv show that sounds really interesting, just always be collecting ideas and inspiration from the world around you. I always tell young and upcoming artists the same thing as it’s served me well.
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Luchi's new single 'Web Of Lies' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.