Luci Waves Goodbye to the Alien, Ventures Into Pop Music After Overcoming "Identity Crisis"
Luci is sending the Alien back to space after releasing her new pop single, “Narcissist.”
For Luci, there is no “i” in alien and one less in her name.
The space bass extraterrestrial is evolving into pop music and putting her wubs in a space capsule. Luci’s recent release of “Narcissist” and her impending album are major departures from what fans are used to as she works towards touring with a live band this summer.
An isolated Luci was forced to confront herself in 2020 during the pandemic’s global siege. If she were being honest, she was in a creative rut and masking her dissatisfaction with the thrill of performing.
Artistically unfulfilled and unable to compensate with live touring, Luci did what artists do best—she created.
“I had kind of an identity crisis in my career,” Luci tells EDM.com. “I went from experimental dub to heavy dubstep to the pandemic happening and me being like, ‘Oh my God, am I only making dubstep because of the crowd reaction?'”
“It made me do a lot of inner soul-searching,” she continues. “And I made a pop song and I was like, ‘Holy s**t!’ Music almost felt like homework to me. I loved touring so much more than making music. Now I think making music kind of wins because there’s just no better feeling than making a song and being like, ‘Holy s**t, this is f***ing crazy!'”
Queue Katy Perry’s iconic pop song, “I Kissed a Girl.”
“It’s almost like when I f***ing knew I was gay,” Luci says. “I kissed a boy and I was like, ‘This is cool.’ And then I kissed a girl and was like, ‘Holy s**t! This is awesome!'”
Luci’s new album will completely redefine her as an artist. Songs like “Narcissist” and “Sleeping Pills” are about as close to familiar sounds as fans should expect.
“‘Narcissist’ is probably the most bass-y song I have on the album,” Luci explains. “I think ‘Sleeping Pills’ was a very nice crossover, but ‘Narcissist’ definitely has—not a drop—but it’s almost like if I had to compare it to Billie Eilish, her first album had some bass in there. ‘You Should See Me in a Crown.'”
“I love that kind of dark pop and I think ‘Narcissist’ really shows that I’m going to keep my dance roots sometimes, but this is the new dance roots Luci,” she continues. “There’s definitely no more dubstep, but I think it just showcases my vocals, my songwriting and just a very mature, real side of Luci.”
Such a drastic change may alienate some fans, but longevity in the arts is rarely attainable without enduring passion. Luci is eternally grateful for the love and support of her fanbase, but she must seek out the most fulfilling endeavors.
“I still get messages like, ‘I’m going to miss your wubs.’ And I will too, but my new music is so much better,” she says.
The subject matter of her new album is as therapeutic as the separation from electronic music itself.
“It’s purely a breakup album. There is not one love song on that b**ch,” Luci says. “It is so angsty, but it’s also so emotional. I have songs like ‘Narcissist’ and ‘Cry Baby,’ which are savage to the girl after me. So savage. Then you have songs like ‘Why Am I Not Okay?’ and Please Don’t Hate Me’ which are just so vulnerable.”
“It’s like the stages of going through a breakup,” she continues. “I wrote it when I went through a very big breakup for me. It’s not even based on one breakup. I think when I had that heartbreak, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I haven’t written about any of my heartbreaks.’ So it was just a whole emotional process of me writing about everything. Even people from years ago.”
Naturally, people will wonder if “Narcissist” and other songs on the album are inspired by Luci’s fellow electronic music star, Rezz. The pair were romantically involved and quickly became fan-favorite love interests with their aww-inducing social media posts.
“People love to assume it is because we were so public,” Luci says. “It’s like a Taylor Swift thing: I will never confirm or deny. I just don’t think it is anybody’s business except for me and Isabelle’s and me and my songs. They’re about multiple people. This isn’t just on one person. I have a lot of love for her still and it just didn’t work out. That happens. We’re both very young, so I wish her the best and there’s no bad blood.”
One of Luci’s primary motivations in pop music is to break down the cracked and dented doors for LGBTQ+ artists in the mainstream. Artists like Janelle Monae, Frank Ocean, Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Hayley Kiyoko and Adam Lambert proudly bang the drum for diversity in the music business, but Luci says more action is necessary.
“I feel like a lot of people just want to put us in a box,” she explains. “They’re like, ‘Okay, you’re going to perform at Pride events and you’re going to just do this and this is what you’re going to be.’ But I think someone who is truly breaking the barriers is Fletcher. You look at her and she’s a f***ing pop star. I don’t think, ‘Oh, she’s a gay pop star.’ No. She’s just so much for the community. She is just really honestly one of the biggest inspirations with me being like, ‘I’m f***ing doing pop too.”
“I just didn’t see a lot of lesbian pop stars. I just didn’t really think that was something that people wanted to market,” Luci adds. “I really don’t think a lot of labels did back in the day. I think right now people are wanting it because we need more representation in the pop world and electronic world. I think being put in a box is probably the biggest one. But I think having people like Fletcher are just showing us that you can get the f*** out of that box and do anything.”
Luci expects to tour the album this summer with a full band. The show will be completely dedicated to her original works, a longtime goal for her. Fans craving a little electronic flare will be pleased to know that Luci will adopt visuals to flesh out her new live performances.
“If you’ve ever seen a Halsey performance, she has visuals and it just f***ing makes the performance crazy,” Luci says. “Obviously won’t be to her scale—she’s Halsey—but it’s just going to be different and it’s going to be like more of a CHRVCHES kind of feel.”
“I want this year to literally just play in a band because I think I’m just so exhausted from playing other people’s music,” she continues. “Last year, I was extremely depressed touring because I had this album that’s been done for a year and a half. I’m singing it, but no one knows it. Then I’m playing dubstep and I just didn’t feel like I had a purpose. So I think this year I’m focusing on that and then next year I’ll start doing both again.”
For those willing to take the plunge, a new journey awaits. But fans clinging onto the past will be relieved to learn this is only goodbye for now and not forever. When Luci returns to electronic music festivals like EDC and Electric Forest, she’ll blend the old with the new for a more dynamic and all-encompassing experience.
Follow Luci:
Facebook: facebook.com/LuciitheAlien
Instagram: instagram.com/luciithealien
Twitter: twitter.com/LuciitheAlien
Spotify: spoti.fi/3XKgGgF