Latest / Ghost Cult Magazine Podcast / PODCAST: Episode 840 - Lucie Sue Talks About Her Long Road to Her Debut Album "Battle Station"

Transcript

PODCAST: Episode 840 - Lucie Sue Talks About Her Long Road to Her Debut Album "Battle Station" · Ghost Cult Magazine Podcast

• 0:00
  Try to put a lot of positivity in this album.
• 0:02
  I I wrote a first album like 3 years ago and it was right after
• 0:07
  my divorce and it was and it sound much more darker because I
• 0:11
  was in a sad phase of my life and it was slow and dark and it.
• 0:16
  It's a beautiful album, but it's not like this one, which is much
• 0:19
  more solar and positive and full of power.
• 0:24
  Because this is how I feel now. And yeah, I want people to to
• 0:28
  feel this energy and to to take it for them and to feel better
• 0:33
  thanks to this album. I don't know if it's possible,
• 0:35
  but I think so. What's up
• 0:43
  everybodyitskeith@ghostcultmag.com. I'm super stoked today to be
• 0:47
  joined by Lucy Sue. How are you doing?
• 0:49
  I'm very good, Keith. Thank you very much for
• 0:51
  welcoming me in your in your studio.
• 0:54
  Yes, the remote studio that today instead of the home
• 0:58
  studio, you have your debut album Battle Stations coming out
• 1:01
  soon. And just First off, I know you
• 1:04
  had kind of a circular, not not a straight line, a circular
• 1:08
  route to becoming a full time artist.
• 1:11
  So if you want to just tell us your back story a little bit, I
• 1:14
  think it would be helpful to get people interested in
• 1:17
  understanding, you know, where you started to where to where
• 1:20
  you are now. Yeah, so first of all, I'm
• 1:22
  French and I, I was born in a family of musicians.
• 1:26
  I studied classical music at the Conservatory of my hometown,
• 1:30
  Lyon. And so I started learning cello.
• 1:34
  And then of course, I was also following the top 50 with the
• 1:38
  pop music and rock music. And so I was always torn between
• 1:43
  classical music and rock. And so I also had rock bands.
• 1:49
  And then I get married. So I had kids and I had to work
• 1:52
  a lot, and I forgot myself. And then I get divorced and I
• 1:56
  decided to put all my energy into music again.
• 1:59
  And that's what I did. And so I still work a lot
• 2:02
  because I just like you, I need to have money to survive and to
• 2:07
  pay the taxes and the food and everything.
• 2:10
  But I really hope that one day I would be able to live from the
• 2:15
  music. Isn't that the dream for
• 2:17
  everybody? Us too.
• 2:18
  I also played music for a long time.
• 2:19
  I also was a classical artist. I was a singer and classically
• 2:23
  trained. It's always very interesting to
• 2:24
  me. I even before rock artists that
• 2:28
  I liked made that or jazz artists made that connection to
• 2:31
  classical music, I always felt like the drama and the character
• 2:35
  of classical music worked for rock artists.
• 2:38
  So when they did like Deep Purple in rock and Queen with
• 2:42
  the Symphony or Metallica with the Symphony, I was like, oh,
• 2:45
  this is exactly or Apocalyptica, this is what I need.
• 2:48
  This is always what I wanted. So it's really interesting.
• 2:51
  Background. I just read that Dimebag from
• 2:54
  Pantera. Pantera also started by playing
• 2:58
  jazz and folk and guitar. Bili Lagrande was his
• 3:02
  inspiration. And it's super technical and
• 3:05
  it's so fun because I didn't expect that at all.
• 3:08
  So we it's always good to have different, different experience
• 3:12
  because it makes you unique. Of course, yeah.
• 3:16
  I think Rex also was a jet. Rex Brown was a jazz bassist
• 3:19
  before. He, like, could have got a
• 3:21
  scholarship to go to like the best jazz music schools in the
• 3:25
  country. And he turned that down to hang
• 3:27
  out with the brothers and and start Pantera.
• 3:29
  So that's pretty amazing. I think we're today would have
• 3:32
  been Dimebag's birthday actually.
• 3:33
  So it's fun that you brought that up.
• 3:34
  It's fun as we recorded this in late August.
• 3:38
  But yeah, super interesting. And then, you know, we're all
• 3:40
  trying to find ourselves. I think it just takes us no
• 3:43
  matter what life, you know, gives you, it takes us all a
• 3:45
  little while to actually find, you know, our our purpose and
• 3:49
  our meaning and our happiness. So I'm glad you're on that.
• 3:52
  You're on that road now. And battle stations is awesome.
• 3:55
  It kicks a lot of ass. Obviously there's the fun music
• 3:58
  video and and satchel from Steel Panther and but when did like,
• 4:02
  did you always love Hard Rock music?
• 4:05
  And what were your favorite rock artists growing up?
• 4:07
  Could be, you know, any gender, it doesn't matter.
• 4:10
  But did you have like a favorite singer ever that made you want
• 4:13
  to sing also? I started listening to Rock with
• 4:15
  the David Bowie and The Who. It's the first tapes that I
• 4:19
  bought and then really quickly I went into Guns N' Roses and then
• 4:23
  Alice In Chains and all the grunge scene from Seattle.
• 4:28
  And that's really the the core thing that made me who I am.
• 4:32
  Then also it was also Metallica, but that was the core thing.
• 4:36
  And then I started listening to other band, you know, for
• 4:39
  example, today I'm wearing a I'm on a Moth shirt.
• 4:43
  I love them so much, but I discovered them like 3 years ago
• 4:45
  only. So I'm very happy because I'm 47
• 4:49
  years old. I know a lot of things in music,
• 4:51
  but I still discover every day, so I'm so happy about that.
• 4:54
  Same with a Steel Panther. I didn't know them like 6 years
• 4:56
  ago and today I did a I'm friend with a sachet and we did a
• 5:01
  collaboration so it's amazing. Life is a life is really cool
• 5:04
  for that. Isn't it, isn't it something I
• 5:07
  always say that, you know, music is, is like a recovery.
• 5:11
  We will take you all the time. Whatever your story is, whatever
• 5:15
  condition, Hard Rock, heavy metal, metal, whatever genre
• 5:19
  will always take you. Other other people are like,
• 5:22
  Nah, nobody is like I liked rock music once.
• 5:25
  I don't think so. I think, you know, pop music is
• 5:27
  great and I and I like a good song is a good song.
• 5:30
  So if you take the bones of a good song, it could work for
• 5:33
  R&B, it could work for metal, it could work for folk rock.
• 5:35
  But I, you know, I just feel like we're a certain type of
• 5:38
  loyal fan base, right? Rock and heavy metal.
• 5:41
  We we are lifers. So I love that about you and I
• 5:44
  love that for you. That's great.
• 5:45
  Yeah, and I, but I also listen to, you know, I have a lot of
• 5:48
  tattoos and I have a Bee Gees tattoo as well.
• 5:51
  I have a, you know, I'm inspired by so many, so many kind of
• 5:55
  music. So yeah, you need to listen to a
• 5:57
  lot of Big Spectre. I don't know how you say that
• 6:01
  music, because that's what will make you different and it will
• 6:05
  give you the inspiration to do something different.
• 6:08
  So it's really cool. Yeah.
• 6:09
  But Hard Rock and rock and but yes, pop music as well.
• 6:12
  It's always giving me the the cheers.
• 6:14
  That's what you say. Yeah, that's there's an actual
• 6:17
  medical name for it. It has been proved by scientists
• 6:20
  that music, the sound can heal people.
• 6:22
  So I really believe in it. And also when you go to concert,
• 6:25
  it's, it has been proved as well as well that it brings you the
• 6:28
  force and the energy. And that's why I think maybe
• 6:31
  during the war they used to play music to, to force people to
• 6:35
  have power and courage to fight. So for sure.
• 6:40
  That music is important and we need music in our life and we
• 6:43
  need art in our lives. March to the rhythm of the drums
• 6:46
  and horns and flutes and violins and violas and things.
• 6:51
  Do you still use any of your classical training now to
• 6:55
  compose the music, for instance on battle stations?
• 6:58
  I use it to train when I practice my my guitar.
• 7:03
  I used to I, I use my cello lessons, but with the guitar and
• 7:08
  when I compose, I don't think like, yeah, I have to remember
• 7:12
  what I learned when I used to go to the Conservatory.
• 7:15
  But I think it's like it's natural.
• 7:16
  It's in me because I did it so many times that I don't have to
• 7:19
  think about it. It's natural.
• 7:21
  It comes like this. I'm very lucky that I went to
• 7:24
  conservatories. So for me it's easier I guess.
• 7:27
  Interestingly enough, I found that there was like kind of a
• 7:30
  disconnect for me personally. Like I'm grateful for my
• 7:33
  training and it made me a better musician and artist, especially
• 7:36
  when I used to perform and, and things like that and, and also
• 7:40
  like in writing music. But also at the same time, I
• 7:43
  think that I was trained so strictly that they, my teachers
• 7:47
  all hated rock music and thought punk rock was terrible and like,
• 7:51
  you couldn't have a conversation with them When I was like, I see
• 7:53
  Queen and Beethoven and I don't see a difference in Brian May
• 7:57
  and and Bach and Beethoven. I see the same guy.
• 8:00
  I see the same people, right? Or, or Runaways.
• 8:03
  Like I see the same thing. Leader 4.
• 8:05
  And they had the same haircut as well.
• 8:08
  They do have. Brian May has always had that
• 8:10
  very big curly hair. He almost could be transplanted
• 8:13
  out of the Middle Ages, the classical era, and he would.
• 8:17
  And he looks good in frilly shirts.
• 8:18
  We already know. So he can make it.
• 8:21
  But yeah, the record is killer. And I love the energy and the
• 8:25
  positivity that you have. I think that's a lot of fun.
• 8:28
  And I don't think we have enough of that right now.
• 8:30
  And the world is a very tough and hard place, which I talk
• 8:32
  about constantly. But music, I think like your
• 8:35
  music has a very uplifting and positive and strong quality to
• 8:39
  it that I think is going to inspire people and will help and
• 8:43
  heal people. I think it's really great.
• 8:44
  Thank you so much. Thank you.
• 8:46
  Yeah, I tried to put a lot of positivity in this album.
• 8:48
  I, I wrote a first album like 3 years ago and it was right after
• 8:53
  my divorce and it was, and it sound much more darker because I
• 8:57
  was in a sad phase of my life and it was slow and dark.
• 9:02
  And it, it's a beautiful album, but it's not like this one,
• 9:05
  which is much more solar and positive and full of power.
• 9:11
  Because this is how I feel now. And yeah, I want people to to
• 9:15
  feel this energy and to to take it for them and to feel better
• 9:19
  thanks to this album. I don't know if it's possible,
• 9:22
  but I think so. Well, I often say, I often say
• 9:25
  that you are your own first fan. So obviously you have to enjoy
• 9:29
  it and, and be inspired and, and be empowered by it first.
• 9:33
  And then, and I think that will translate to people who either
• 9:36
  hear the record, see the music video, watch you perform at some
• 9:39
  point. So I think that that's really
• 9:41
  great and that's what music can do for you.
• 9:43
  We're very lucky. I feel like music is one of is.
• 9:46
  We're just so lucky to have this art form.
• 9:48
  I can't imagine life without music.
• 9:50
  Every single day of my life. Yeah.
• 9:52
  So you mentioned you have this friendship with Satchel.
• 9:55
  You got him to be on one of your songs.
• 9:57
  He's in the video. It's hilariously funny and
• 10:01
  really silly and great in the best way.
• 10:02
  Like I said, things are so serious right now that we need
• 10:05
  to find that joy. I know that doesn't sound the
• 10:08
  most metal thing I've ever said, but like, I think we we need to
• 10:12
  focus on finding the joy. And I love that your music and
• 10:15
  your video especially have that. Yeah.
• 10:17
  It's really important because I just found out that I don't find
• 10:21
  out just right now, but I think it's if you want to spread a
• 10:25
  message, you don't have to criticize the others.
• 10:27
  So you better explain to people the message, but with having
• 10:32
  funs and fun. And if you, if you explain
• 10:36
  things while having fun, they will laugh and they will
• 10:40
  understand it much better than to criticize them.
• 10:42
  And if you say don't do that or if you're sad, no, you have to
• 10:46
  give people the will to, to understand and to be happy and
• 10:51
  to improve. And, and if you do that with
• 10:56
  happiness and with jokes, it's much better.
• 10:58
  I think it's more powerful and effective.
• 11:01
  That's the word. Right.
• 11:01
  That too. Yeah, of course.
• 11:03
  Yeah, we need to. Like I said, the world is hard
• 11:06
  enough and and there's plenty of times, there's plenty of
• 11:08
  opportunities where you can speak out about important,
• 11:11
  serious topics. But I do think there's the,
• 11:14
  there's a fun and, you know, uplifting side of rock'n'roll
• 11:19
  that we need to have back. We don't have enough of it.
• 11:22
  There's a handful of artists out there, whether they're silly for
• 11:25
  the sake of being silly or they're just like I said, just
• 11:27
  joyous, just wild, abandoned, smiling, laughing, happy.
• 11:31
  Because like again, like regular life is hard enough, right?
• 11:34
  We don't, a lot of people come to the arts, to a film or art or
• 11:38
  painting or you know, you know, plays drama, music to escape
• 11:42
  right, to escapism. So I think that that's important
• 11:45
  that to keep that present in your work also.
• 11:49
  And speaking, speaking about Steel Panther, you know, they
• 11:52
  are, they are, they are singing crazy things and it's very
• 11:57
  funny. But nevertheless, they are still
• 12:01
  they are super talented. They play like gods, you know,
• 12:04
  such a it's so good and all of them.
• 12:06
  And Michael Starr sings like it's amazing.
• 12:10
  His voice is amazing. He sings like the guy's from Van
• 12:12
  Halen. So, you know, you can be fun and
• 12:15
  be talented as well and make amazing music.
• 12:17
  So but I am not a fun musician. I try to, I'm not in the same
• 12:23
  position than Steel Panther, but it's not the same kind of, of
• 12:28
  music. But and the way they use humor.
• 12:33
  But what do what did I wanted to say?
• 12:36
  Because it's difficult in English for me.
• 12:38
  But we are not in the same level, but we we both want to
• 12:43
  spread positivity and that's the main thing.
• 12:45
  Right on. I love that for you, you know,
• 12:47
  furthermore, I think it's really interesting.
• 12:50
  The record is like, you know, very I love I grew up listening
• 12:55
  to just albums. I didn't have ACD player, I had
• 12:58
  records and I'm back to having records again, which is very
• 13:01
  nice. And you know, back in the day
• 13:04
  you couldn't really skip around unless you were really precise
• 13:07
  with the record player needle. And now I think that a lot of
• 13:10
  people are making albums with the idea like this is a whole
• 13:13
  album. So this takes you on a journey.
• 13:15
  So I love sequencing and I love, you know, I love the fact that
• 13:20
  your album takes the listener on a journey.
• 13:22
  It doesn't all sound the same. There's a lot of variation, and
• 13:26
  I wonder if that was something you thought about going in or if
• 13:28
  you just write and it turned out the way it turned out.
• 13:31
  Yeah, exactly. I just wrote and this is how it
• 13:35
  is. You know, I didn't say to myself
• 13:37
  I'm gonna create a special concert from A-Z.
• 13:40
  So no, it's just came like that. And and I, it's not a problem
• 13:45
  for me because I like the fact that my songs are different.
• 13:48
  They're all different. There's not a song looking like
• 13:51
  another song. And I like that concept, you
• 13:54
  know, like for example, Soundgarden, they used to make
• 13:57
  this kind of album where all the songs were different and it
• 13:59
  takes you to each song takes you to, brings you to a journey.
• 14:03
  And I like it very much. You know, I for instance, I
• 14:07
  really love, what's his name, Bon Jovi.
• 14:11
  I love him a lot, but all his songs sounds the same.
• 14:15
  You could make one song with all the songs and I love all of them
• 14:19
  of course, but at the end it's a bit boring.
• 14:21
  So I prefer to do totally different songs and eclectic
• 14:25
  album rather than doing the same kind of thing or during the
• 14:29
  whole album. Right on.
• 14:31
  Yeah, Bonjo. I was a big Bon Jovi fan back in
• 14:33
  the day. You're not supposed to be a big
• 14:34
  metal guy and like Bon Jovi, but I always like Bon Jovi.
• 14:37
  I think my music school teacher brought in Slippery to play for
• 14:42
  us. This is like classical music
• 14:44
  teacher brought in that album to say that he liked this.
• 14:47
  He was the only teacher I ever heard that said that they
• 14:49
  appreciated rock music. Most of them hated it.
• 14:52
  It was different, thankfully. Thankfully, I think he'd like to
• 14:56
  keep. My same with my English teacher
• 14:59
  who taught us scorpions. It's nice Scorpions, All right,
• 15:03
  The heroes, the heroes from Germany.
• 15:05
  I'm a big fan. It's crazy they're they're
• 15:09
  around for so long, maybe even longer than I'm alive.
• 15:13
  Did you have like a did you go to a lot of concerts growing up
• 15:16
  or just classical performances? Um, first concert I went to, I
• 15:22
  mean, in rock concert, I was like, I was like 15.
• 15:27
  Before that it was only classical music because I was
• 15:29
  going to this concert with my parents.
• 15:31
  But yeah, I was lucky enough because my parents were super
• 15:34
  open. They don't listen to something
• 15:37
  else than anything else than classical music, only classical
• 15:41
  music and Barack music and that's it.
• 15:43
  But one day my mother had this super cool idea to bring us
• 15:48
  seeing Pink Floyd. And it was amazing because it
• 15:51
  was the the real Pink Floyd. And I was really lucky and I was
• 15:56
  like 17 maybe. And then I went to see Blur and
• 15:59
  then I went to see Faith No More and, and before I was 18 years
• 16:04
  old. So it was so cool.
• 16:05
  And then I saw a lot of lot, lot, lot of bands.
• 16:09
  That's amazing. Pink Floyd and Faith and More
• 16:11
  are two of my favorite bands ever, and I and I can even hear
• 16:14
  some of it in your music. Yeah, Faith and More is.
• 16:16
  Great, the more is really, I think Faith No More honestly is
• 16:19
  my number one favorite. Yeah, Patton is an unbelievable
• 16:22
  singer. It's kind of wild to hear the
• 16:24
  things that he does from song so different, but it's still always
• 16:28
  him. And his other projects are also
• 16:31
  like, every single one of them is incredible.
• 16:33
  It's weird. I don't know that I can't
• 16:34
  almost. Except for Bowie, I can't think
• 16:36
  of anybody else where they did such a vast different array of
• 16:40
  things all the time. Yeah, yeah, he's amazing.
• 16:42
  He's so talented. His voice is crazy and he always
• 16:46
  bring newness into music. He's so modern.
• 16:50
  So would you say that forward? He's fence of all of us.
• 16:55
  And yeah, it's crazy because right now I listen to Benz who
• 16:58
  tried to copy what he did like 20 years ago with Mr. Bengal,
• 17:02
  for example, and it's hilarious because they will never be at
• 17:06
  his level. Totally.
• 17:09
  You know what? That's totally true.
• 17:11
  And that's OK because you can't, you know, like you can get your
• 17:13
  inspiration from a multitude of sources.
• 17:16
  And you, you know, like people say some bands sound like other
• 17:19
  bands or it's copying. And I think like everybody
• 17:22
  starts out as a cover. You, you play, you cover the
• 17:25
  song of someone you love, you sing a song you love.
• 17:29
  And then you, you take on some of those characters.
• 17:31
  That's when you finally make your own music.
• 17:34
  You know, people told me that Greta Van Fleet sounds exactly
• 17:36
  like Led Zeppelin. I think they sound like the
• 17:38
  Grateful Dead, but like that's to my ears.
• 17:41
  I love Led Zeppelin and I think I don't think of Led Zeppelin is
• 17:43
  just like Blues rock. I think of all the other stuff
• 17:46
  they did later. So and I think Greta Van Fleet
• 17:49
  is great. One of our we had like one of
• 17:50
  the first interviews with Greta Van Fleet before they got huge.
• 17:53
  So it was kind of fun for me to see them change and get bigger
• 17:56
  and bigger. It's true that every time I
• 17:59
  heard I hear them on the radio, every time I use Shazam because
• 18:04
  I'm I was like, no, it's like zippin or what is it?
• 18:06
  I'm not sure. And every time it's so funny.
• 18:10
  Yeah, that's okay. And they're, I still think
• 18:12
  they're very good. Yeah, and like I said, I think
• 18:15
  they're gonna change as they get.
• 18:16
  They're young guys still after, you know, 7-8 years they've been
• 18:19
  around and they're not even 30. So I think they started very
• 18:22
  young, you know, and they had, they have a chance to still
• 18:26
  change and not, you know, this may not be where they finally
• 18:29
  stop. They're going to keep growing
• 18:31
  and that's important for all of us.
• 18:32
  So, you know, I love this new first record for you, second try
• 18:37
  at a first record. And, and it's also, you know,
• 18:40
  like a lot of people think that everything they do is great or
• 18:43
  perfect. So it's, it's interesting to me
• 18:45
  that you were, you wanted to kind of like you tried, you
• 18:47
  weren't satisfied with it, you scrapped it, went to the drawing
• 18:50
  board again and made this new record.
• 18:53
  So I'm very excited for you to have this experience.
• 18:55
  What else do you have on tap? Are you going to tour and
• 18:59
  perform? Are you able to do that?
• 19:01
  Do you think you're going to play live shows?
• 19:02
  My main goal is to play at Wembley.
• 19:06
  That's my main biggest dream. The day I will play at Wembley,
• 19:09
  I will say OK, now it's OK, I did it.
• 19:11
  But yes, now I want a tour. So we are working on it with my
• 19:15
  manager. My manager is the used to be the
• 19:17
  manager of Gujarat. I don't know if you know them,
• 19:20
  the French metal band of the moment, they're really cool and
• 19:23
  really good. And so we used to manage them
• 19:26
  for for like 11 years I think. And now he takes care of me.
• 19:30
  So he's working hard for me and it's really cool.
• 19:33
  And yes, we are working on maybe touring first in Europe and then
• 19:39
  touring in the USA, but it's really, it's really difficult at
• 19:43
  the moment because all the big bands, they are married with
• 19:47
  their labels and I'm independent.
• 19:50
  So I do it all by myself. I have an amazing team with me
• 19:55
  of PR. So you have, you know, Monica
• 19:58
  for the US, but I have also PR in UK, in Germany and
• 20:02
  everything. So I build my own label by
• 20:04
  myself. But the only weakness?
• 20:06
  That I have is that I don't have any more other band in the same
• 20:10
  label, so it's hard for me to find a a big band to tour with.
• 20:14
  But my manager is working on it, so we crossed our fingers that's
• 20:19
  very soon we will be touring all around the world.
• 20:21
  Right on. That's amazing.
• 20:23
  We are all over the world. We started as a Zine in the
• 20:27
  Netherlands so we still have a big staff in Europe, especially
• 20:30
  the UK. So I'm sure if you get to tour
• 20:31
  and you go to England and you know thereabouts we will get you
• 20:35
  covered and come out and see you.
• 20:36
  Or if you come to the Netherlands maybe someone will
• 20:38
  come out and check out your band.
• 20:40
  Or if you come here I would love to meet you in person and you
• 20:44
  know it would be amazing to see you live.
• 20:45
  This records killer Battle Station is the record coming out
• 20:48
  on your label, Sphinx label and just I wish you all the best
• 20:52
  success. This is a great record.
• 20:53
  I hope everybody gets to hear it in a couple of weeks when it
• 20:56
  comes out and we'll do this again sometime in the future and
• 20:59
  and hopefully like I said in person.
• 21:01
  Thank you so much. It's really, you know, we need
• 21:03
  people like you because if when we do this music, we need your
• 21:07
  support and we need it's so cool.
• 21:09
  You can't imagine how cool it is to hear you say that because I
• 21:12
  know that you have a big, as you say, a musical education and
• 21:18
  it's it's really supportive for us to hear people like you
• 21:22
  saying these kind of things. So thank you very much from the
• 21:25
  bottom of my heart.