We’re thrilled to spotlight the Burmese/British singer-songwriter, producer and DJ Lucy Tun in this month’s Artist Spotlight.
As LCYTN, she found success with her debut project 'Good Nights Bad Stories' and the glossy trap-influenced forerunning single 'Kulture Klub', which has amassed over half a million Spotify streams. She was also courted by the fashion world, having DJed for the likes of Gucci and ROTATE.
But while her music and coming-of-age story as LCYTN was mired with self-doubt, she returns as Lucy Tun: a confident turning of a new chapter as a woman, artist and storyteller.
Lucy Tun’s ‘adhd images’ taken from her Instagram account (July 10, 2023)
What one thing do you hope your fans will take away from listening to your new EP?
I hope that they get a little piece of me because a lot of the songs are quite personal. This is my first project so there is a lot of vulnerability. I hope that they'll see that and appreciate that, and relate to it. The second thing I hope for them to see or hear or take away is the idea that change is a natural process. It has been a natural process since the beginning of time. We're all changing all the time. It's something that we all go through. Because of that, it's something to not be as fearful about as you grow up.
It's okay that change happens. It's okay to change. It's okay that your friends change. It's okay that your circumstances change. It's okay that your life changes. It's natural. And you're not alone in feeling that way.
How do you balance expressing your personal experiences and emotions through your music?
Well, this project is personal. But there are some songs in there, some elements of my music which I'd say I've moved away from. I've always written about me before that. Now I'm kind of wanting to tell different stories and take influence from people I know, things I've seen, things I've dreamt. And it is also personal. I think it's like accepting that you're going to be vulnerable and you're going to be a bit exposed, and people are going to perceive you in a different way, and you can't control that. You can't control how they perceive your music; that's been really helpful, just letting go of all of that.
Your best advice for young people wanting to become music producers, singers, songwriters?
I think that there are two elements of being a musician. There's the creative part of it, and there's the not-so-creative part; the industry. Some people love being in the industry. They love networking. They love meeting people. They see it as an extension of their creativity. Some musicians hate the industry. They don't like the business side of it and the networking side. They prefer to just make music on their own or with a very small circle and not branch out any further. It can be really overwhelming. There are some musicians who probably feel like it hinders their creative process when you care too much about this side. It's this weird, like, weighing scale of balancing it. And I find that when you're starting out specifically this part, the business side, the industry side, doesn't matter.
You need to focus on finding your sound and what matters to you the most; the music you enjoy making the most. That is the first part that you should only focus on. The music industry side, the business side of things, will come later, and it will come naturally. All you should focus on first is finding your sound. You probably don't need a lot of people to do that. You just need yourself or one or two people that you really trust, and you work with creatively. That's it. Find those people.
If you had to pick one song from your new EP to introduce to your music which would it be and why?
I'd say Kulture Klub. Kulture Klub is my pop banger. It's my baby, you know? I'd love to show off my baby and be like, hey, here's my baby. It's a very cute, very poppy baby. Here you go.
If your album was a color, what color would it be and why?
Ultramarine blue or that royal blue. I feel that deep blue color is a primary colour. It feels so intense and grandiose and almost whole and perfect in a way. There are a lot of connotations with that. I want to reference something; to make the ultramarine blue color, they used this stone called Lapis Lazuli in the period of ancient Egyptians.
So this colour has been around for a really, really, really long time. And it creates this intense, perfect, primary feeling that connects to me. Because just like a primary colour, this EP is the foundation of my music as Lucy Tun, so I see the connections there. This is the primary color of my music; whatever might be my second EP, an album, or any music after that, I'll mix in this first batch of music with that color. This EP is my primary, my foundation.
We as young people feel this pressure to be perfect and to be bold and striking and interesting. We want the same feeling of being like a perfectly shined shoe. We want to be that shiny all the time. When we don't feel like that, we tend to go into really existential feelings of like, gosh what am I doing with my life, you know? I think that that blue colour really represents that perfection that us as young people always strive to be. I think as you get older, kind of becomes a little bit calmer. I don't know if that makes sense, but yeah.
What's my favourite and least favourite thing about making music?
They're both the same answer, and it's the unpredictability of making a good song. You never know when you're gonna find, like, creative inspiration to make something. It is not a nine-to-five job. I cannot sit down and be like, hey, I'm just gonna write a good song today.
I think maybe there are some people who can, but I can't. So it always comes off to something, you know, at a random time, four in the morning, 2 p.m., on the train, on the toilet, something will come, and I have to savor this, and I have to write this, and I have to make this song. It's like a pang that comes. So, you know, that's great because you always have to be open, and it can come at really great times when you need it, or it can come at the worst times when you actually need to focus on other stuff. I remember being in uni and not being able to concentrate because all I cared about was making music. So that was when it wasn't as helpful but I did write some really great music during then.
If your music had a signature dance move, what would it be?
Like.. “emotional cramping”. Intense dance movements… but there's some welling up in the eyes. That's how I imagine it. I would love that to happen at a show where people are really dancing their hearts out; they see it as an emotional release. If there are some tears there, as long as they're getting it out (I wouldn't want anyone to just cry, you know, for no reason). But sometimes you just got to let it out. That's how I would love people to kind of dance to my music as a form of release.
What are your top go-to emojis?
The crying face emoji. I always find the crying face emoji can exhibit a lot of different moods. Like I'm so happy I'm crying, or I'm so sad I'm crying, but also not in a way that's too, you know, intense. It's like… you know, unstressed crying face emoji. It can be so many different meanings. It's a very Gen Z emoji. I love it. I use it all the time and people just get it. You know?
Second one; probably a blue emoji. Maybe a blue heart. The third emoji is the safety pin because it ties in a lot with the motifs of my EP, which will be shown later.
Three things you can't live without in your bag.
Number one, my keys! That might be obvious, but I am very forgetful. Number two, lip balm. Lip balm, lip balm, lip balm. When I have dry lips, I feel like a shrivelled-up tumbleweed in the desert.
It's a must. There are so many situations where even just putting on lip balm - emotionally and mentally - it does so much for me because I feel secure. So lip balm.
Number three probably blush. I wear a lot of blush. I love blush. I'm wearing blush right now. I feel a bit dead without blush.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Time travel, time travel.
I would love to like experience the past and see how it's shaped the present and also see the future. That would be amazing to be able to just travel between all of that. That would be incredible, BUT without messing anything up.
Okay, well thank you so much and have a good day.