Lucy Feliz for The Meadow
interviewer: Sara Sharif (@sarangelic)
interviewee: Lucy Feliz (@lucyfelizmusic)
Lucy Feliz is a musician from Brighton.
Her music is a "blend of low key, intimate dream pop.. with hints of American folk and shoegaze".
This interview was incredibly fun and she was the sweetest to send us some BTS videos of her MV for "Last Laugh"!
Keep scrolling for some BTS videos, a message from her to Pastel Serenity and fellow creatives, and much more!
t h e i n t e r v i e w
1. Please start with a little introduction about yourself!
I’m Lucy Feliz, a Brighton based artist and musician that loves day dreaming and escapism... and I’m also a virgo! I have a new record coming out at the end of August, called 'Last Of The Sun' out on OK Pal Records.
2. What genre would you say your music belongs to?
It’s a blend of low key, intimate dream pop.. with hints of American folk and shoegaze. There’s not really a defined genre as such.
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3. When did you decide you wanted to be a musician? What was your purpose?
I used to be obsessed with my casio keyboard growing up… the nineties kind with the ‘DJ’ button. I had a secret music den under my cabin bed. I’ve ebbed and flowed between visual art and music my entire life, so I’ve never truly defined myself ‘to be’ a musician.. For me, it’s a way of expression and a tool for working things out that will be with me forever.
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4. How has your journey been so far?
Completely transformative. It started out as a secret project with a hidden agenda! ... Basically I wasn’t brave enough to really own something so personal. But now I just see it as part of my broader existence, and it’s all the result from looking inwards and processing everything properly. I'm more accepting now.
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5. What is your creative process?
I dive into the subconscious all the time. When writing music, I have chords and riffs floating about for months, and when I’m ready to develop something, I just start singing along… making shapes with phonetics.. really painting a scene in my head, and I go fishing for meaning. ‘Last Of The Sun’, is my first studio album and I used other musicians to bounce ideas off. I found that sense of collaboration really engaging, and it’s definitely something I’m going to tap into more going forwards.
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6. Who is your musical inspiration?
Nature, soft lighting, and finding subtext to the mundane, are all sources of inspiration. But musically… I love a bit of Angel Olsen, Roy Orbison, Weyes Blood, Sharon Van Etten, Beach House, Patsy Cline, Disney’s violin section…
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7. I’m in love with your songs, “Last Laugh” and “Magic Hour”. They have different vibes to them yet very evident childhood themes to them! Tell us more about them and what they mean to you.
I wrote them at different times, maybe six months apart… but I’ve been doing a lot of therapeutic reflection in the past few years.. and that always brings up childhood.. Nature and nurture. So when I’m writing, looking into the psyche for meaning, there is no doubt that my inner child surfaces. Last Laugh is an ode to childhood and putting on a brave face to the world. When things get overwhelming, taking back control and having the last laugh. Both songs have a positive spin on innocence lost.
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8. Last Laugh has a very fun touch to its MV. We would love to know more about the making of the MV and what you wanted to convey.
Yes, back to childhood, and innocence lost… the video is set in a nineties dream world where I’m a kid exploring boundaries.. Only to realise it’s not so fun playing alone. The MV was a very DIY affair. Shot in the local village hall with a bag of props, my synth player Tiia on camera, and my partner Jo on production. Lots of haribo was eaten in the making.. and I think that comes across.
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WATCH THESE BTS VIDEOS OF LAST LAUGH RIGHT HERE!
9. Your fashion and costumes have been so unique and beautiful. Who and what influences your taste in fashion?
I’ve always loved shapeshifting with fashion. I used to have an amazing dressing up box, and my favourite piece was a corduroy cowboy dungaree set with spurs and sheriff badge included. I think that imagination, magnificent stories and old films have always inspired me to dress in certain ways.. It’s all about having costumes and being like Peter Pan.
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10. Do elaborate on some of your shows and performances. Which has been your favourite as an experience?
I once played a rather spontaneous set at this amazing festival in New Zealand. We had a site meeting on the first night, around a big fire, huge commune vibes.. and the festival organizer put up the PA system on a pop up stage for anyone who felt like they had something to share. It was really liberating pulling a show out the bag so last minute.
11. What message do you wish to convey through your music?
This is a big question, but the answer is really simple. When you share your truth with other people, it can be settling and reassuring, especially when opening up to vulnerability. So if anyone connects with my music… hopefully it’s about sharing a sense of humanity. It’s not about pedestals, but giving yourself the space to just feel and be.
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12. Is there anything you would like to add about the current stresses all around world?
If you’re reading this and you’re a creative, artist, or musician ... and you’ve hit a brick wall with the world crumbling around you.. just breathe. Everything we do has its own pace. I predict there’s going to be a lot of creative togetherness coming up as a communal response to all the tragedy. So use the time for being still, to heal, to think, to totally zen out … and remind yourself that we all need the arts in these times.
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13. How do we gain access to your music?
One can preorder the vinyl on Bandcamp and it’s on all the usual digital streaming sites like Spotify etc. Come see me at a future show and collect some of my merch in person :)