Memories turn to music

She showed up on the scene in 2010, a typical girl-next-door, acoustic guitar in tow, playing on the open mic circuits, eventually ending up all over the radio. Today, with two memorable albums, and a third, Something’s Changing that she believes she’s committed everything to, Lucy Rose has come a long way. Stopping by Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru on her India tour, she speaks to us about what she calls her ‘artistic peek’ in this exclusive.

The 27-year-old singer/songwriter, who describes her sound as folk and country, hopes that after her first two albums – Like I Used To and Work It Out — that her latest is a mature piece of art. “I feel like I really committed to something this time, I’ve always wanted to make a timeless classic record, and I’ve tried my best to do that with this album,” she confesses.

The biggest inspiration for his record has been her trip around Latin America, where she stayed with her fans and learnt the importance of music; finding out what life has been like for other people in the world and realising that she actually had fans on the other side of the world. “My husband filmed the trip just for our memories but suddenly on the trip we released that there was a real story to tell; not just about music but about trusting and humanity. All the people we stayed with were complete strangers and I trusted that they would look after me — which they did — above and beyond what I could have dreamed of,” she says, making a documentary about it and sharing it along with her music on this tour.

She’s equally excited about being in India again. “I had heard only amazing things about India; about how it was a country I must visit and I completely agree. I think it’s one of the most wonderful places I’ve ever been to on my life and I’m looking forward to seeing more and discovering more about the cities I’m visiting,” she says.  

Rose’s tryst with music began in school while playing drums for her school’s orchestra. “Writing songs and playing the guitar/piano were always a huge part of my life and being. As soon as I finished school, I knew that was what I wanted to pursue. I think I always knew this is what I would do,” she smiles.

Her biggest influences — Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Carole King, Nick Drake and Tom Waits —only inspired her to continue practicing the art of songwriting and to learn more about how to express herself through music. Judging by the powerful emotiveness of her album tracks and lyrics that take you back to a memory or hit home, you wouldn’t believe that someone of Lucy’s calibre never knows when she’s about to write a song. “There is a real mystery to it, I have no idea why it happens but when the words feel just right and flow perfectly, there is no feeling quite like it,” she says.

When her lovely frayed vocals aren’t putting you in a state of soulful bliss, Lucy is like any of us, really. “I love a bath. That’s the best way to relax, and reading a book always helps take my mind off everything,” she says. When anxiety or insomnia strikes, she listens to Nick Drake’s record, Pink Moon. “I’m also extremely superstitious — I say touch wood and tap my head three times all the time. You may have seen me do this in a gig. It also makes me happy to see the numbers 11.11 or 22.22,” she says, always believing in fate. For her, it’s about releasing records, but also seeing what’s around the corner, because, Something’s Changing, always.