Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with Chester artist Lucas Jay to find out more…
Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I’m originally from Stoke-on-Trent which is one of the most working class cities in England! I moved to Chester for university and have stayed here ever since! I started making music 2 years ago when my brother heard me singing karaoke and asked me to write and sing for one his tracks! That was the first time I had ever sang in front of anyone and was very scary!! But we made absolute magic, I have been writing ever since but never had the skills to produce my own music. I started playing around last August and have been self producing bedroom pop since then. Music has been a huge passion of mine since I was a kid but I never felt like I had any talent until recently.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
My biggest influence is for sure Lana Del Rey, I’ve been a STAN since 2012 and I just think that she is true artistry in its rawest form. Growing up I listened to a lot of 90s grunge because of my dad and I’ve always admired a blend of melancholia and romanticism in music. I’ve always loved pop music and especially alternative pop. One of my biggest inspirations is actually the Tumblr era circa 2014 haha. That era was so strange and definitely impacted my formative years and my love for the beauty of melancholia. My big brother Levi David is also such a huge inspiration to me, his pure musical talent is unmatched.
How would you describe your sound?
Moody bedroom pop would probably best describe my sound. But I am ever changing and exploring different genres all the time.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Second Chances – this is actually the first song I ever created, as I mentioned earlier that me and my brother worked on! It’s written about my brother’s near death experience and is an uplifting melodic dance track. The main theme and influence is living life to its fullest, embracing each day like it’s your last.
What’s your local music scene like?
Chester is a small city and the local music scene is not huge, but there’s an ever growing techno scene.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I plan to write as much as possible, keep up with the world of production! It’s difficult and I admire anyone that does it all themselves because it’s a lot of work! But I aim to be the best artist I can be independently. Aiming to have an EP released this year too and grow my fan base.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Yeah for sure! Teddy Is Offline is another independent artist I absolutely adore I think it’d be fire to work with him on a track. OBVIOUSLY Lana would be my number one. She truly is a genius.
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
My lyricism is both personal and relatable, I love that people might hear my voice, my words and feel comfortable, heard and seen.
You can find out more about Lucas via Apple Music, Instagram, Spotify, TikTok or X (Twitter).
Merryn 