Artist Interview: Lucy Robinson

Originally from Northern Ireland and now based in Leeds, originals artist Lucy Robinson specialises in “beachy pop, gritty rock and soulful, emotive songwriting”. Her music incorporates wit with personal elements, with her vocals once being described as “buttery yet stormy”. Going by her full name, Lucy mentioned her deep connection to the music she writes summarising “I like the fact that my artistry is tied directly to who I am and my name. My music is so personal so it felt right.”

She describes her “feel-good tunes” as “honest, written to connect and share a feeling while getting audiences grooving” with “funky basslines, punchy drums, three-part harmonies and electronica ear-worms”. Any fan of Hozier, HAIM, KT Tunstall, Jessie Ware and Billie Eilish should look to Lucy Robinson for their new favourite songs. 

What’s Your Background In Music?

Originally drawn to the guitar, Lucy attended lessons at The Guitar Rooms where she was taught by Neil Kearney and Vinty Gilbert. There, they built her confidence and even performed alongside her at her first live gig.

“They taught me songs I genuinely wanted to learn rather than doing grades, and I just never stopped loving the guitar.”

Now, Lucy is ten years into a vibrant music career. “All I wanted was to play Sweet Home Alabama to impress my friends, now my music career has taken me to Australia, across Europe, Dubai, New York and moved my entire life to Leeds!”

What Are Your Biggest Achievements So Far?

“Just last month I got to play one of my bucket-list stages – The Ulster Hall in Belfast. It was a real pinch-me moment and I just felt this incredible surreal feeling the whole time. I soaked up every second and kept thinking ‘I could get used to this’. This can be such a tough industry to be in but when you get moments of pure magic like that – it just spurs you on to keep on going and gives you a glimmer of why you work so hard; to get you to places like that more often!”

Not only has Lucy recently played a dream venue of hers, but she has a rich career full of achievements: she has won the Ed Sheeran ‘Take The Stage’ Competition which led her to perform for Prince William at the Dubai Expo in 2022, shortly after she secured a slot on the main stage after winning Beat Herder’s Got Talent and returned again last year to a full tent at The Working Men’s Club stage, she returned home in October last year to play at Output Festival, as well as featuring on BBC’s ‘The Stephen McCauley Show’ and BBC Introducing with Emily Pilbeam and Christian Carlisle. On top of all her live performances, Lucy has also facilitated a songwriting workshop to eighty worldwide leaders of Google in New York in December 2024. With such a wide portfolio of wins and her hard-work paying off, it’s no wonder Lucy has been named the ‘Next Big Thing’ by Crash Records and ‘a serious one-to-watch’ by Hotpress Magazine. 

Who Are Your Biggest Inspirations In Music?

A lover of all things guitar, pop and catchy hooks, Lucy takes inspiration from artists like Jack Johnson, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan as well as ‘unashamedly’ her early influence from Maroon 5 while growing up. “Nowadays, I listen to everything and anything. This definitely bleeds into my music writing and production ideas – my music is a bit of many genres.” Right now, Lucy’s artist and genre spotlight consists of HAIM, Djo, Irish folk, house and techno. 

Stage craft is something that interests Lucy as a performer, taking inspiration from other artists she has seen. “I love the in-between bits of songs when the artist speaks and you get to know them a little more.” 

“I absolutely love the rawness and intimacy of playing just me and my guitar, but I am also infatuated by the sound and energy of the full band and a fully produced song.” 

What Artists/Producers Would You Like To Collaborate With?

Lucy mentions artists like Stevie Nicks “because she is an icon” and Jack Johnson as “he would be great to have a jam with and write some songs together”, as well as Finneas for his production knowledge, HAIM to see how they work as a team and would have loved to pick David Bowie’s brain about stage craft. She also mentions wanting to ask Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran how they both built a music “mega-business”. 

Recommend Me An Album/Single/Soundtrack

“I always come back to ‘Rumours’ by Fleetwood Mac. Never get sick of it. It is an absolute work of art. Each song is so different yet they fit together as one body of work and it is so distinctly Fleetwood Mac.” 

“I would say the same for ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ – what a special piece of work – I love how some of the songs blend into one another. Great Gig in the Sky gets me everytime.”

“‘Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder’ as well. You can hear the amount of time and thought that has gone into these albums. I think that’s an interesting comparison to make with some music today. Perhaps we rush things too much nowadays. Perhaps the system in which we consume music encourages us to rush into the music making process.”  

What’s Next?

Lucy is releasing a new single ‘Let Down’ in May! “It’s a funky, feel-good bop that makes you want to have a little boogie. With Van Morrison’s Hammond organ player smashing the keys, Si Frances’ groovy basslines and powerful backing vocals and Abbey Peacock and Holly Mullahy – it’s determined to get you moving those little hips. The song’s happy feel contrasts with its more self-deprecating message of being a “Let Down”. I wrote this song with my producer Matt Weir, we wanted to encapsulate the feeling of striving for success in a society full of hustle culture, overwhelm and spreading yourself thin but often dreaming of slowing down and taking it easy on yourself.”

In the meantime, you can catch her at Oporto in Leeds on the 1st of April with support from Beth Marakiou, “I’m putting this gig on totally independently, it’s been a lot of work but I’m actually loving the process.” You can find tickets to the event here!

How Can We Find You?

You can find all of Lucy’s social media and music via her linktree!