Welcome back to College Radio Charts, Luchi! It’s always a treat to have you stop by. How has your summer been so far?
This summer has been great so far. I’ve been doing a lot of traveling and enjoying the world so I can’t complain, anything to get away from the rainy summer in the UK haha. I’m off to Bali at the end of this week so I’m excited for that. I love traveling and seeing the world so slang chance I get, I’m on a plane.
The new track, “Like This” has a vibe that feels fresh yet familiar. What was the inspiration behind the track, and how did you tap into that energy? Perhaps it’s just me, but the track seems like one of your more positive and upbeat singles.
You are right, it is one of my most positive singles so far. The inspiration behind the song is all about that feeling when you are falling in love with someone and how that high just feels like the best feeling ever. It is inspired by real life events like all of my songs and I just thought that it would be nice for the summer to release something more uplifting. I don’t just exclusively write break up songs but usually those are the ones I end up releasing haha. It’s actually hard to write a positive love song without it bordering into the cheesy territory so I hope I have managed that. I am very in touch with my feelings so I always find it easy to write about what is going on in my life although the people in my life are probably saying “not another song about me” haha:
You’ve always had a knack for blending different genres. How does “Like This” continue that tradition, and were there any specific sounds or artists that influenced its production?
There wasn’t any specific artist that influenced the production but we did discuss things like if Ed Sheeran or Lewis Capaldi or Callum Scott was doing this song, how would they present it and then took that and mixed it with the “Luchi sound” and came out with this.
The lyric video for “Like This” adds a unique visual element to the track. How did the video come together? I’ve always been curious how these lyric videos are made.
So I work closely with a team called Lyric-Video.tv who are amazing. I’ve worked with them for a long time now and usually what we do is have a meeting about what ideas I’ve got for the video, concepts, imagery, fonts, colours and then they go away and storyboard it for me and then I approve it before it goes into production. Then they send me clips along the way and we make changes to what is working and what is not and then they deliver the final product for me. It’s a very collaborative effort with the team and their illustrators but it’s another creative outlet I love. It’s a good way of making the song come to life without a high budget music video.
Your music consistently feels deeply personal. What part of your own story is embedded in “Like This,” and how do you hope listeners connect with it?
Yeah, every song I release comes from real life experiences so they are all personal and I’m a very honest writer, you can tell exactly how I am feeling when I write a song. While I don’t go into details about the exact inspiration for my songs and name the people who they are about, it’s about that feeling of falling in love and how magical it can be. . I hope people who listen to the song get transported to that headspace where you are infatuated with this new love in your life and the dopamine floods your brain and you are riding high on that feeling. It’s such a rush falling in love that I think that it’s a feeling we all crave.
You’ve been on a journey of musical evolution, from “Fix This Love” to “Mountain” to “Web Of Lies,” and now “Like This.” How do you feel your sound has grown or changed with this new release?
I love to experiment with different sounds with each song and find where the song feels most at home. Sometimes it’s a piano ballad and that’s what the song needs and somethings it’s a full production with all the bells and whistles. That’s what I love about pop music, is you can pull in sounds and inspiration from all different genres and I don’t want to just release a bunch of songs back to back that sound the same as that’s boring for the listener but ultimately, it is led by the song and what that needs. There is always room for growth and trying new things as that’s the exciting part for me.
From our previous talks, we know you’re someone who’s very hands-on in your creative process. How involved were you in the production of “Like This,” and what was that experience like?
Like This has had so many different versions along the way. It started out as a guitar/vocal demo and it had a kind of Latin vibe to the guitar riff. When I was writing it, I imagined that I was on a beach singing with a guitar like in a movie haha. So at first we went with that and overall it just wasn’t hitting the sweet spot in that style, so we decided to bring in a more singer songwriter pop vibe to it with the heavy drums and bass along with the pads, guitar and strings. I always give credit to Chris Stagg, my long term producer, as he is really good at helping me find the right place for songs as I have loads of ideas and he manages to sieve through them and pull out the best ones. We go back and forth for ages working on the songs and exploring sounds so it’s very collaborative. I usually do the demo for the song as a start and it gives Chris an idea of where I am going with it and then I am always up to the last minute saying, let’s change this or change that, move that guitar riff or drop that out, I love the whole creation of a song.
Your fanbase is incredibly loyal and diverse. How have they reacted to “Like This?”
Well I was shocked that within just a few hours, it was already at number 6 on ITunes in the UK. It never gets old seeing your song in the charts and is always exciting but the feedback has been great. I was nervous because I am known for the sad emotional stuff, so to release something different I didn’t want to alienate anyone but the reaction has been great so I’m pleased.
College Radio Charts loves a good story. Can you share a behind-the-scenes moment from the studio when you’ve been creating your new music?
Well for a song that is coming soon, there is a high note that riffs all the way through the last chorus so the breath control and precision on where to drop the notes took me a while to master and I finally nailed it late one night in the studio so I was chuffed with myself and it was the final vocal day so that night I ate what I wanted, relaxed and felt safe in the knowledge we had it all. Then the next day we were going though the songs we recorded and after lunch we opened this session and the files had corrupted. I was like this can’t be happening and I had just eaten a big lunch. Chris just looked at me and said “you’re going to have to do it again.” After a mini meltdown and a rare moment of anger from me, I went back into the vocal booth and actually nailed it first time and it was better than the one the night before so sometimes it works out the way it is supposed to. I’ll remind you for this story when that song comes out and you’ll be able to hear what I mean by how hard it is. Sometimes I write these things then think, “why did I do this to myself?” but I love being creative with my backing vocals and ad-libs so it’s all part of it.
The music industry has seen a lot of changes lately, especially with the rise of AI in music. How do you feel about these changes, and where does your music fit into the equation? Is there a place for AI in Luchi’s music?
This is a tricky one because I am all for advances in technology but I do fear that AI can blur the lines of authenticity. I think that authenticity and real life experience as key to creating a great song and I don’t think that will change. I also love the sound of live instruments and try my best to use as much as I can in my productions so again, I don’t think you can ever recreate that with a computer. Even in vocals, the cracks in someone’s voice, the particular phrasing, it’s all human and I think that’s what makes music special. Who knows what the furtive holds but for now, there isn’t a place for it with me.
We know that you draw from a mix of genres and influences. What artists and songs are you loving just now?
There are so many great artists out there at the minute. Sekou is one of my favourites at the moment. His voice is just phenomenal. He can sing anything and I’m just in awe. I’m also loving the new ROSALÍA and LISA single “New Woman.” It’s such a vibe and I love the cross genre influences in it. The JADE single “Angel Of My Dreams” also amazing, what a way to come out of a big girl band and make your mark. Loi is another great new artist and her voice is just stunning too. It’s the answer a lot of people give but Chappel Roan, she is just great and I love her story too. I’ve been bopping around the gym to her song “Good Luck, Babe!” a lot recently.
What do you want your musical legacy to be?
When I write songs, I always want them to be relatable and timeless. I think a lot of music now a days won’t stand the test of time, not that they are bad songs but they are very of the moment, but for me it’s about writing songs that will still be able to be listened to in 50 years, 100 years from now and still be relatable. Also I hope people think of me as a truth teller in life and someone who tells vulnerable and open stories.
So since your new song is about falling in love, tell us what does love mean to you?
Well to me love is about accepting each other as whole people, the good and the complicated parts of each other, and being able to be your full authentic self when you’re together. It’s about sticking around in the harder moments and those are the times you grow together and for me, when I am in love, I want to learn the ways that someone needs to be loved as it’s different for all people. I’m a romantic at heart and I love to do little things just to show I care and sometimes it’s just a “I got you babe” or “I’m here if you want to talk” text that mean the most. It’s not all the grand gestures and Hollywood style moments, for me love is in the quite intimate moments, or the times when you belly laugh together at an inside joke.
Lastly, with the music landscape constantly evolving, where do you see your sound heading next? Is “Like This” a glimpse into the future direction of your music, or just one chapter in a broader story?
Well I know what is coming next as we are heading in another direction again. Still expect the pop vibes but I am so excited for the new music I have coming. I have some of my best songs yet coming. The next single in particular, I am super excited for as I think it’s a total anthem and the story is one that I think needs to be told. You’ll just have to wait and see but the wait won’t be that long. This year you’re going to hear a lot of new material from me.
Thanks so much for spending some time with us today, Luchi! Where can people go to find out more about you and your music?
Thanks for having me again, always lovely to chat to you. The best place to keep up to date with are on my socials.
Instagram
TikTok
