Lucy Crisp
Circle of Light’s Very own Lucy Crisp has been successful in securing funding from Youth Music’s next generation. After joining COL in its 4th year, Lucy has gone on to release her own single, ‘One Summer’s Day’ and has an EP pending release. Inspired by 80’s and 90’s styles, Crisp beautifully intertwines a comfortability with vulnerability throughout her lyricism, forming a nostalgic pop form.
Below is an interview transcript where Crisp details her musical style, the funding process, her Circle of Light Journey, and tips to other musicians starting-out.
Congratulations on securing Youth Music next gen funding! How did the process feel?
Thank you so much! The process was really detailed and I had to really think about many different aspects of a project that I normally wouldn’t have considered before. When I submitted my application, I had no idea what would happen and it was a long wait of not knowing whether had the funding or not. I found out earlier this year that my application was successful and I ended up crying in front of my friend at Uni when I found out the news! She thought it was sad news at first but I promise it was happy tears haha! In that moment, it just felt like my dreams was starting to become a reality!
Sounds incredible, which of your works are you most proud of, how would you describe it?
I describe my music as nostalgic pop, a lot of synths in places that gives you a vibe of 80s and 90s music from back in the day. An important thing for me is to always have lyrics that have meaning and people will relate to, it’s what brings a comfortably vulnerable community closer together. I think “Feet” will always have a gem to it as it was released at a time when a lot of us felt trapped. "One Summer’s Day” is a proper anthem for me and something that I can hear on “Love Island”. The upcoming EP fuses a wide range of genres, such as synth wave, dance and indie, and it all forms together really well of who I am as a person. I’m so excited for everybody to hear it!
Myself included! As a part of COL’s 4th year, did the experience impact you as an individual or as a musician? Did you take anything specific away from Circle of Light?
The experience with Circle of Light allowed me to develop further professionally and personally as a musician, and collaborate with people I had never met before. I was definitely nervous on the first day but after two weeks it felt like the place was a family to me. One of my favourite sessions from those two weeks was when we created “One Lie”. I remember walking in on Alex and Omari’s session and I loved the vibe of the song and knew I wanted to be part of the track. We finished the demo in pretty much 2 hours and when everyone came to listen to it, they was just blown away.
I love how you draw on the experience as a collective, is there any advice you could give to the next gen of COL or any other aspiring musicians?
I think stepping out of your comfort zone sometimes it's really important as a musician. I almost decided to not go ahead with applying for COL4 because of my lack of confidence at the time but I’m so glad that I did as it was such a rewarding experience and a great opportunity to get to know people better. Another piece of advice I would give is to always keep striving for more, in a positive way, and never let anyone or anything stop you from pursuing your goals. It’s so hard in this industry to get known so putting yourself forward for opportunities, like COL and funding, is always worth it!
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