Lucy Clearwater – Feel Again

By starrymag | August 11, 2020

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

 

Q) How would you best describe your sound?

A) New-acoustic, singer-songwriter indie/folk with an emphasis on vulnerability and honesty.

 

Q) Who were your musical influences growing up? 

A) Eva Cassidy, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens

 

Q) What inspired you to write the Feel Again EP?

A) LOVE! [laughs] I actually didn’t realize I was writing an EP at the time that I was writing the songs. I was really just writing to express what I was feeling throughout this relationship and once they were all written it kind of just made sense to me to put them together into an EP.

 

Q) You recently mentioned how Feel Again focuses on vulnerability and embracing a wide range of emotions, including self-love. How has music allowed you to share your own vulnerability and embrace the very emotions that you wish to share with your listeners?

A) Writing music for me is always a very honest and vulnerable process. I write exactly what I’m feeling even if it’s things I wouldn’t necessarily want people to know or it helps me discover things about myself I didn’t realize. Releasing the music for the whole wide world to hear is where the vulnerability in sharing comes out…I have to make peace with the idea of tons of strangers knowing the personal depths of my life. Music is like the carrier or information are emotions for me, whether I like it or not, because it’s pretty much always gonna be painfully honest.

 

Q) The cover art for each track off the Feel Again EP is unique and stunning in their own right. How did you decide on each picture for the corresponding song?

A) Honestly, it was random at first. I had the concept for the painted body parts but didn’t know which one would correspond to which song. It wasn’t till after we finished the shoot that I got to sit with the images and try to read their feelings. It became clear which image fit with each song based on the emotion it seemed each image was portraying. It’s wild to me how a picture can hold a feeling in it, just like a song. It felt like they kind of “revealed” themselves to me.

 

Q) I absolutely love the song “Insecurities,” which may be my favorite song. Is there any particular song on the album that you would consider your favorite?

A) Ooooooh! Picking favorites is so hard for me because each one is special to me for different reasons. I LOVE the production on “Insecurities.” And I love the energy of “Restless”…But I think my favorite might have to be “Feel Again.” To me, it captures the overall sentiment of what the entire EP is about. Also, it’s probably my favorite one to sing when I play live!

 

Q) You had the chance to work with Jacob Jeffries (Jacob Jeffries Band) on the song “Restless.” How did he wind up working on this song and in what way do you feel his input influenced the overall feel of the song? 

A) I loved working with Jacob. He’s such an incredible musician and just an awesome human to be around. He was working with my producer Justin Glasco at the same time I was working on recording my EP and so Justin connected us when I mentioned I was looking for a male singer for “Restless.” We had so much fun in the studio and I love the energy he added to the song. I think it’s fun to have a male-female duet on the EP to kind of change up the vibe. “Restless” is definitely the most up-beat, high energy song on the EP and Jacobs vocals were the perfect fit.

 

Q) What do you hope fans take away from Feel Again?

A) I hope it makes people feel something. Anything really. That’s the point. I think emotions are so important and a huge part of the experience of being human. So, why not let yourself feel!? So many people have emotional walls up. The goal is to help the listeners let some of those walls down, and simply “feel.”

 

Q) You started violin at an early age with your mom hoping to have you learn classical music. What was one of your favorite classical songs to learn and how has your musical background influenced your writing style? 

A) One of my favorite violin pieces I learned is “Meditation from Thais” by Jules Massenet. My background in violin has definitely influenced my current songwriting style and musicality. I think I subconsciously pull melodic ideas and stylistic choices from classical music, resulting in lots of melismatic lines in my songs.

 

Q) With live shows currently on hold, have you done any livestream shows or given thought to a livestream show in the near future?

A) I did some livestream shows at the beginning of lockdown, but I’m taking a break from that now and focusing mainly on writing new songs for my next project!

 

Q) What has been one of your favorite places to perform?

A) The Hotel Cafe is one of my all-time favorite venues in LA. It’s like a second home to me.

 

Q) In 2018 you auditioned on “American Idol.” What did you take away from that experience that has helped you in your music career today?

A) My main takeaway from “American Idol” was relationships. I made so many amazing friends, and also met the guy that the whole Feel Again EP is about while we were on set. [laughs]

 

Q) If you could share one piece of advice to those trying to break into the music business, what would it be?

A) Educate yourself on the legal/business side of the business.

Find your community. This business is not a competition. Friends are important and can lift each other up!

If your goal is to make a lot of money, try another career. You’ll probably only enjoy a career in the music industry if you are the kind of person that genuinely enjoys the JOURNEY, not so much the destination.

 

Q) What would you like to share with your fans and supporters?

A) YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!