photo credit: Waryamus
We’ve been captivated by Swedish RnB sensation LUCIIA for a while now, and her latest release has only heightened our excitement. Her latest single, “Happens,” features the incredible Sabina Ddumba and is already making waves. The music video, which dropped on September 19, showcases Luciia’s unique style and undeniable talent. It’s the perfect moment to dive into the world of this Swedish phenomenon, who is on the brink of an international breakthrough. Don’t miss out on experiencing the magic of Luciia!
Q: ‘Happens’ marks an exciting new chapter in your music career. How do you feel about this journey leading up to the release of the track and what does it represent to you at this stage as an artist?
LUCIIA: I would say just the process of the song like I’ve been sitting with the song for almost a year so for me like if I’m going back to when we made the song, it was just so organically made, if that makes sense. I’ve known from the beginning that I always wanted to do something with Sabina, I’ve always loved her voice and loved what she represents as an artist. I felt like when we created that song, I was, I think we both were in a space where we felt like we really wanted to write about something that’s real. Talking about yourself and how we view the world and, you know, and how we feel about things. Even just the release of this song has been so overwhelming because I think people can really relate to what we are saying in the song. And that was our goal. We wanted to do something that people really could relate to. And that’s life. Everyone is a human being and everyone goes through things. I think that was what we really wanted to present.
Q: It feels like the song has quite a personal background. What would you say is your inspiration as an artist? And what does your typical creation process look like for those who might not know?
LUCIIA: I would say, it depends. It depends on who I’m working with. Sometimes I already have an idea or a topic I want to speak about. But sometimes I just go into the studio, if it’s a new producer I’ve never met before, or a writer, I always tend to start a conversation because for me it’s so important that everyone in the room feels safe. Because I feel I’m very big on energy, so if I sense that someone is a bit off, that makes me off. So I tend to always like to break the ice and make people comfortable and not have too high of expectations from the session. Let’s see where it comes or where we can take it. But I would say like when I write and what I speak about is always my personal experience or my personal feelings I’ve been feeling or it’s my friends who are going through something and I’m like, oh, this is a good song or how can I, you know, change this.
Q: That feels very organic. In your process, you mentioned the notion of feeling safe. Is this something that you might have felt earlier coming up as an artist, spaces where you might not have felt welcomed or with other people in the industry?
LUCIIA: If I’m being honest, I feel like it’s more about me, you know, because it’s so hard entering a room, and then you need to take space. And maybe you have an idea in your head that you’re going back and forth with it, asking is it good enough? Should I say it? And how are they gonna take this in? I know how it is, and I know how I’m always struggling with my demons in my head. I just want to make sure that everyone feels like their idea is welcome in the room. Everyone has a space. Everyone’s valid.
Q: You’ve had an incredible rise in the industry, coming from both Cuban and Swedish influences. How have these cultural backgrounds shaped your identity as an artist and your approach to music?
LUCIIA: I would say as an artist, and just as a human being because growing up: my mom’s Swedish, my dad’s Cuban; but it was always Spanish in my household. We never spoke Swedish in the household. It was always Spanish and there was music all around. In the Cuban culture, everyone is welcoming and I feel like that has really shaped me into who I am as a person and as an artist as well. When it comes to my roots, reflecting my artistry, I would say I haven’t really touched that yet. At times I feel that as an R&B artist, it doesn’t fully encompass Cuban culture. But my next album that I’m working on currently is about really reflecting on my childhood, my culture, and everything. I haven’t shown everything yet.
Q: Is this the time for you in your journey as an artist where you feel ready to go into that more intimate space of yourself that people might not know about yet? What about now has made it feel right for you?
LUCIIA: I feel like it’s the time for me because it’s a personal journey as well. I always say that I don’t put up a persona. There are a lot of artists that have alter ego’s and that’s their artistry. But, if you know me on a personal basis, you know me as an artist as well. I try to be myself as much as I can be. For me personally, like my journey now where I’m at, I’m just really trying to figure out how I can really present that to the world. Like my Cuban roots and how I grew up and you know just why I am how I am and why I think the way I do and what I stand for. And I feel like that’s the personal journey as well, and it goes with the artistry.
Q: Was the collaboration with Sabina part of this journey? How did the collaboration with Sabina come about?
LUCIIA: I always knew that I wanted to work with her. It was just a matter of time. We did the song last year after my Coldplay shows, and I was just in a space where I really wanted to be honest. I’ve always been singing since I was a kid, you know, and everyone was like, oh, she’s an artist, or she’s gonna be this, and to be able to actually take that space and say, “I’m an artist”, that has taken me a while to really feel comfortable to say, “I’m an artist, this is what I do.”
I feel like in the collaboration with Sabina, I really needed to be present in the room, like, okay, “I’m an artist”. This is how I see things. This is what I wanna do. And just step into that role, you know? But Sabina is so humble, and she’s done this for years, you know. And so she stood there with open arms. And she was just like, “LUCIIA, I see you”, let’s do this together and be as honest as we can be. We started with a normal conversation, talking about life. I would feel sometimes, like, I’m in my 30s now, she is as well. I remember when I was 15, I was like, “Oh, when I’m 30, I’m gonna do this and I’m gonna become this” and yada, yada, yada. Everything I wanted to do maybe didn’t happen, but it’s okay, shit happens. So I think that was like the core of the song and just like being real to yourself as well. It’s okay, everything happens for a reason, but it’s okay to be in this.
Q: The lyric, “Wish someone would have said that it gets like this”, really stood out to me after listening to the track. Can you elaborate on what this lyric means to you? Were you speaking to something specific, something more personal? Maybe in your experience as a person or as an artist?
LUCIIA: When I said, “Wish someone would have said that it gets like this”, it’s like just the other day, my friend, she’s a new mom and she said, “I wish someone could have told me how it is to become a mom”. And then she said, “but even if someone would have told me, you would never understand until you are in the situation”, you know? I feel like that is the same with anything in life. You can always say, “don’t do that because this would happen”, but you will never understand until you are in it.
Q: The track emphasizes sisterhood and mutual support between women in the industry. Can you share your thoughts on how important it is to highlight this type of narrative in today’s music scene? Why is this message one that needs to be heard?
LUCIIA: I’ve been looking at the young people right now, struggling. I grew up without the internet and then later on with the internet but I didn’t have an iPhone. I’m from that generation where it was real in a different way. Now there are so many mixed messages because of social media. But if you just sit back and look at life right now, we all are human. We all go through things. It doesn’t matter if you’re SZA, Rihanna, or whatever, we all are humans. And I feel like we need to speak about those things. Especially when it’s so easy to be like, ‘you’ve accomplished this or that, and you’re there now, you are where you want to be’. And in my head, I’m just thinking, I appreciate you by saying that, but I’m not. I’m struggling every day. I’m struggling to find myself. I’m struggling, like, what’s next? What do I want to do? I’m just being a human and I feel like it’s important to talk about those things and for women as well I feel like it’s a lot of competition. Like it’s a lot. Females don’t collaborate with each other. You know it’s a lot about talking shit towards each other and I hate that. I hate that. Why? We shouldn’t. We should help each other instead and lift up each other, you know? And that is my message and I feel like it was really important for me to show people as well that I’m here to collaborate. I want to be a part of making everyone great, every woman great. It doesn’t matter if I have success, that doesn’t take away yours. It is a space for everyone to shine.
Q: Looking ahead, what is the future for LUCIIA? You already mentioned you’re going to be touching a bit on your Cuban roots, but where do you see yourself going? Do you see yourself potentially working on more female collaborations?
LUCIIA: Now, I would say I’m ‘soul searching’. I’m really trying to see where I wanna take this and what I wanna do next. I know that I’m a woman’s woman. So that means I’m always gonna stand up for women and of course, I wanna collaborate with even more women. Right now, I would say I’m just working on my album, trying to make it as pure and honest as I can. And yeah, I see myself not being in Sweden, moving potentially, and just doing more as an artist.
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