Armed with another brand new single and a clear switch in mood, Luchi stopped by to talk the upbeat sound and revealing, empowering story of You’ll Hurt More, as well as creative plans for the summer weeks ahead. Here’s how it went.
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Hi Luchi – great to catch up with you again! Huge congrats for the launch of You’ll Hurt More. How did the single come to be?
Thanks so much for having me again. I’ve been so excited to get this song out so I’m relieved it’s finally out in the world.
The song came about after I got a DM from one of my ex’s on Instagram asking to meet up for a coffee and a chat. I decided instead of responding that I’d write a song and that’s how You’ll Hurt More came to life.
I think a lot of us have been there after a break up when you’re heartbroken and after some social media stalking, you see that your ex has moved on, well this ex moved on while we were still in the relationship but that’s a different story and song, haha. You can sometimes feel like it turns into a game of who is doing better and that you lost the breakup but in time, once you’re heart has healed, you can move on while they have to live with the fact they lost the best thing that ever happened to them. Know your worth and don’t settle for anything less I say.
Is this a personal moment of reflection and overcoming, or a more general attempt at relaying the ache of regret and the optimism of moving forwards?
I’d say it’s more about reflection and overcoming. Love can really hurt but I believe that you learn about yourself through every interaction and as the saying goes, some people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. You take the lessons you need to learn and in time you move on. You’ve got to go through the heartache at some point and once you’ve processed it all, you then think why did I stay so long.
You know that ex ick? When you look at them and you don’t even find them attractive anymore, that’s when you know you’re healing in my opinion because there’s no chance of reconciliation after the ick sets in. I don’t believe in regrets because everything leads you to where you are today and some times you have to go through to learn what you want and what you don’t want.
The only thing worse than being with the wrong person for 2 years, is being with them for 2 years and one day your heart isn’t in it anymore, then you have to go and both find where you’re meant to be. I couldn’t help but throw a little sass in there as well on the second verse, but it’s all meant tongue and cheek (wink wink, haha)
The underlying piano meets the electro-pop overtones well for a timeless sound – did you compose this on piano, and how do you decide which direction to take the production?
I didn’t actually, it was composed on guitar and for a long time it was just a guitar and vocal but I could just hear the song being a anthemic uptempo and luckily, my producer Chris Stagg agreed so we got to work on bringing the song to life. The song has got live drums, live piano and live guitar on it as I wanted it to have a timeless authentic sound while still hitting all the pop elements so I’m glad that has come across.
Me and Chris have worked together for years so we have a good rapport now and he usually knows exactly what I want before I have even said it haha. Even though I am really hands on with my music and like to be involved in all aspects of the creation, Chris is a big part of it too so I always like to acknowledge his role in creating the “Luchi sound.” It is really hard to trust someone to bring your vision to life so I’m very lucky to have found Chris who gets me and we work really well together.
The song quickly moves from resentful to celebratory and self-empowering – who do you imagine this will connect with, and what do you hope those listeners take away from it?
I think the song is really relatable because heartbreak is something that a lot of us go through. I hope that the listener feels empowered by the song like all of my music. I always try to sprinkle a little hope into all my songs as nothing is permanent in life, not the good and not the bad.
The biggest lesson I learned from this particular relationship was that I never wanted to be in another relationship where I was willing to give up part of myself for the other person. I learnt to love myself and know my worth when it ended so I hope this song can be a step in the healing journey of anyone who needs a reminder that it’ll be ok in the end.
What do you think makes a great pop song, and what’s one of the best pop songs ever written, in your opinion?
Oh that’s a tough one. I think what makes a good pop song is a really strong chorus, easy to sing along to and smart lyrical choices. Those would be the 3 main ingredients I’d say.
Pop is so open as a genre so you can pull in lots of different elements from other genres which is what I love. You could have a country influence on one, maybe more rock on another, it’s so open to interpretation.
One of the best pop songs? I have loads going through my head but I’d say one of them would be Sound Of The Underground by Girls Aloud. I remember when I first head it, it really blew me away and it really defined a new era of pop music in the early 00s. The way the guitars come in and smack you in the face, the darker lyrical theme and it has almost a drum and bass feel to it while still being a pop anthem.
I remember hearing an interview with one of the writers Miranda Cooper from Xenomania, and she said that the chorus has initially been inspired by the nursery rhyme “The wheels on the bus” and I think that’s what makes the song feel really familiar when you first hear it, you almost feel like you have heard it before and now if you listen to it, you’ll hear what I mean. The fact that it’s still played 20 years later and gave the band a massive career, is testament to how great a pop song it is.
I love dissecting music and when speaking to new artists, I usually advise dissecting songs that you love and seeing what makes them great and how you can bring some of that to your own songs.
Can listeners catch you performing live much this summer?
This summer unfortunately not, I’ve had a lot on and when I do finally get back on stage, I want to return with a great show for people and I just haven’t had the time to focus on it yet but next year, let’s just say there’s some things in the pipeline and it’ll be worth the wait.
Last time we spoke you mentioned you’d be out in LA this month, writing songs. How’s that going, and what are you excited about for the months ahead?
Well I actually leave in a few days so I’m very excited although I still haven’t packed yet. I have the suitcase out but nothing in it yet, I’m a very last minute person but it always works out. I love LA and I’ve fallen in love with the Santa Monica area as I just love the laid back beach vibes. Waking up to the ocean every day, the sunshine and the friendly people, it’s great.
I’m really excited about the months ahead, there’s a lot more music to come and you’ll be inundated with music right through to the end of the year and I really feel like I’ve hit my stride as an artist. I’ll let you know next time I am on about the LA trip.
“I’m also having a few days holiday in Las Vegas & I was lucky enough to get tickets to see Adele & Kelly Clarkson in both their residencies, so I’ll be posting lots on my Instagram stories. If you hear about some 6ft 4 Glaswegian trying to get on stage to sing with them then I apologise in advance, haha.”
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about the music industry since first releasing your music, and what would be your best piece of advice to new starters?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is there is no such thing as an overnight success in the industry. It takes years of hard work, plugging away, dedication and a lot of people don’t stick it out because it’s not easy.
There will be a lot more nos than yes at the start but you just have to grab every opportunity with both hands, work hard, show up and never give up.
My best advice to new starters is surround yourself with the right people. I was told this at the start and didn’t really understand the importance of it but I’ve learned over the years that you have to make sure that everyone who is in your team has the same vision, has the same passion and if they believe in you, they will fight for you to succeed. It can be alluring to jump in as you might feel your ready but take the time to discover yourself as an artist and what you want before jumping in .
“Go out and live, have experiences so that you have something to write about.”
Talk about things that matter to you and things you’ve been though as it will always feel more authentic if it’s coming from that place of truth, I think that’s more than one piece of advice haha.
I am really passionate about helping new artists as I was winging it at the start and sometimes still am but my DM’s are always open for anyone that wants to ask anything. Open to everyone apart from my ex’s haha.
What’s the best way fans can support you right now?
The best way to support me is to keep streaming the single and follow me on social media. I’m most active on Instagram so that’s the best place to catch me.
Is there anything else we should know?
Well I’ve just announced that the acoustic version of the song is coming on 21st August which is exciting as it will give my audience a look at how the song started, just me and a guitar without all the additional production. You can pre-save it on Spotify and the links are all on my socials. Thanks again for having me back on and I’ll hopefully speak to you again soon.
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Stream You’ll Hurt More. Find Luchi on Facebook, TikTok & Instagram.
