Hi Luchi and welcome back to College Radio Charts. How have you been?
Hey, thanks for having me back. I’ve been well thanks. Busy as usual but I have some time off over Christmas so looking forward to spending the with friends and family.
You just released a new single called “Fix This Love” which was released last week. Can you tell us about the new song?
Fix This Love is the sister song to my last single Mountain which was about someone close to me who has addiction struggles and while that song was about their side of the story, Fix This Love shows my side of the story and how addiction doesn’t just destroy the addicts life, it destroys the lives of people around them too. It is like emotional torture watching someone you care about destroy their lives and every effort you make to help them doesn’t work. I wanted to release them back to back so that people can see both sides of the illness. I really hope these two songs shine a light on an often misunderstood illness and we learn to have more understanding through it.
What inspired you to write “Fix This Love” and how was the writing process for this track compared with your previous songs?
This song was one of those 3am, sitting by my keyboard songs that just poured out of me. I have someone close to me who suffers from addiction and they just couldn’t seem to get a grasp on recovery. This was my way of getting out how I felt about the situation without blowing up at them because I didn’t want to bring all my feeling towards the situation at that point. My writing process is different every time. Mostly it’s a melody or lyric that I hear in my head, and then the song builds from there, but there have been times where I’ve written to a track or a beat, and that’s inspired me in a particular direction. I have hundreds of voice notes on my phone of melody ideas that come to me and a bunch of lyrical ideas in my notes as inspiration comes from all different places in life. With Fix This Love, I just sat at my keyboard and started singing; it just flowed out of me. All the emotions were there, and it was one of those songs that wrote itself. I love it when that happens as it just comes out of you and you feel like you’re just a channel for the song, it’s a bit of an out-of-body experience and usually, those are the songs that people connect with the most because they are just real and authentic
Can you share some of the personal experiences or emotions that influenced the lyrics?
I don’t want to go into too many details about the situation as I am keeping the persons identity private so I can only speak from my own experience. Watching someone you care about in that kind of turmoil really is one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced and I’ve been through a lot in my life. Your mind races with all the possibilities and we were at the stage where it felt like I was just waiting by the phone to hear that this person wasn’t here anymore as we were at that stage. Addiction is such a cruel and often misunderstood illness that a lot of the discussion happens in the shadows and I think that adds to the stigma of shame and misunderstanding about it.
How was the recording process this time around? Any challenges or memorable moments during the recording?
I recorded this song over in The Chairworks in Leeds and we were locked away in studio for 4 days which was a really nice experience to be able to totally immerse myself in it with no outside distractions. We recorded a few songs that trip but this one was a really hard one to record as it’s so packed with emotion. Fix This Love is one of hardest song I’ve put out because it’s so real and painful for me to sing. When I hear it back or sing it, I am transported back to the time of writing it and I was a mess. I wasn’t eating, sleeping, my life was turned upside down.
Can you talk to us about some of your favorite artists or genres that have influenced your own style?
My biggest inspirations are artists who are honest and vulnerable, addressing issues that are often uncomfortable, sharing their life experiences to help others. Artists like P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Sam Smith, Lewis Capaldi, Callum Scott, Adam Lambert, Michael Rice.. artists who aren’t afraid to be themselves.
You’ve worked with a number of different producers and songwriters and participated in various writing camps and workshops. How have these experiences influenced your approach to songwriting and can you share a bit about your collaboration process?
I love to pick up a little from everyone I write with as it builds up your abilities as you go. Everyone has different approaches and different styles so it makes for a fascinating evolution to take little bits from them all. The biggest thing I’ve taken from every session is confidence, for these big writers and artists to believe in me, and all have confidence and compliment my abilities as a singer and writer, that gives me the encouragement to believe in my own abilities and that I deserve my seat at the table. For me I love collaborating because it brings out different things in you and sparks different ideas. I always say it’s a safe space with no judgement and no idea is a bad idea. It can be tricky because it’s like a first date when you first start working with someone and you’re both feeling each other out but it can be magical with the right people.
Your previous singles have achieved success on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Charts. How do you handle the pressure of chart expectations with each new release?
To be honest I don’t feel the pressure. I have got the stage where I am happy just putting the songs out into the world and letting them find their own way. For me it’s never been about the accolades, for my success is connecting with my audience and knowing that my music is a friend in some of their difficult moments. Music is magic to me and it can heal in so many ways so chasing a chart position or numbers doesn’t fulfill my soul.
With the success of your previous singles, what are your goals for the future in terms of your music career?
I just hope I can continue to build and have a career where I can do this for the rest of my life. It’s really as simple as that for me. For me I could spend every day of my life in the studio creating so more collaboration with other artists and writers and still working on my own stuff too. I know that probably sounds a bit boring to most but I’m in it for the music and that’s it for me. Releasing and writing good music and let the cream rise to the top.
Your lyrics often draw from personal experiences. How do you hope your listeners will connect with the emotions conveyed in “Fix This Love?”
As with all my releases, I just hope that I can be a comfort to people in these difficult times and they can find their own story in my music. I like to talk about things that are sometimes taboo or not spoken about because I think it’s important to bring these things out of the darkness and shine a light on the reality of life. There’s so many great songs out there about love and relationships and I’ve got some in my back catalogue too but I want to be an artist who is out there challenging the social norms and a voice for the often voiceless.
How do you stay true to your artistic vision while navigating the demands of the industry?
I think being an independent artist, it helps because I have the final say on what I do and don’t do. I’ve always had a strong vision for my career and that is why I have taken it in the direction I have. I don’t chase fame or things like that so for me I’m happy to build slowly and have a genuine connection to my audience. The industry has a lot of expectations for artists and I’m just being me and I never born to be put in a box.
What’s next for you and where can people go to find out more about you and your music?
Well this is the last single of 2023 from me, then in 2024, I’ll be back with a bang. The songs I have lined up are so exciting and different for me so all I’ll say is hold on tight cause it’s gonna be a fun ride. You can find me on social media at www.instagram.com/luchi.music and https://www.tiktok.com/@luchi.music.tiktok
