FEATURE: Spotlight: Arabella Lucia — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Arabella Lucia

_________

I did want to spend time…

with an artist who has had a terrific year. Releasing singles such as Unpretty and Steal My Shimmer, I do think that there is going to be this momentum carried into next year. I will bring in some interviews with Arabella Lucia so that we can discover more about her. I will end with an interview where Arabella Lucia discusses her new E.P. I am writing this on 7th November. The E.P. comes out on 13th November. She also tackled TLC’s Unpretty and talks about that. Before coming to that interview, METAL discussed an artist who is among the most promising coming through. Steal My Shimmer is her latest single. One that tackles sexism and people who try to shrink you:

“After meeting a male musician who apparently struggled to accept her guitar-playing skills, Lucia found herself dealing with comments questioning whether her Gibson SG actually belonged to her father, alongside attempts to undermine her talent. “Not everyone will celebrate your wins, recognise your skills or acknowledge your merit,” she explains. Instead of letting the experience discourage her, she decided to write about it.

The result fits naturally into what Lucia calls her Rockstar Princess universe, where feminine aesthetics coexist with a punk attitude. It's an approach that reflects both her musical identity and her determination to challenge expectations within a traditionally male-dominated scene. She's also been taking that energy to the stage, performing at events including The Alternative Escape, Bludfest and Gibson Garage London's Acoustic Sessions.

The single follows her recent reinterpretation of TLC's Unpretty and Hostage You Call Baby, two releases that have already introduced different sides of her songwriting. Both will feature on her upcoming five-track EP, a project that promises to explore personal experiences and the complicated process of finding your own voice.

For now, Steal My Shimmer makes her position quite clear. “It's an anthem of defiance dedicated to anyone who's ever been told to shrink their spirit to accommodate the insecurities and limiting projections of others,” she says”.

Original Rock spent time with Arabella Lucia earlier in the year. She also talked about TLC’s Unpretty and her take on it, but she spoke about recording her E.P. In addition to that E.P. coming out on 17th November, she is also working on a debut album. This is an artist that you need to know about:

“What’s it been like finding your feet in London, releasing your first music and starting to make your mark on the city? How are you finding the music scene around you?

It’s been incredible so far! Moving from Montreal, Canada, to London was a dream come true, and starting to release the music I’ve been working on has been so rewarding, thanks to the incredible and overwhelming response. I love how vibrant the grassroots music scene is in London, and it’s quickly become home to experiences, lifelong friends, and opportunities that are at the center of a city I now call home.

You’ve described your music as a ‘Rockstar Princess’ world with a punk attitude. What inspired that aesthetic, and what does pairing femininity with a rebellious edge mean to you?

Just before moving to London, I was working as a kids’ party princess. It was quite a contrast to simultaneously making guitar-driven music. This created “Rockstar Princess”, which quickly caught on with fans and became such a big part of my artistic identity. It represents the duality and multifacetedness that’s always resonated with me. Ever since I was a 7-year-old singing Led Zeppelin at open mic nights and seeing the pure shock on people’s faces, I’ve been inspired to embrace standing out rather than conforming to expectations. Challenging what punk looks like is part of what punk means to me. By making room for femininity in rock, we invite more women into a male-dominated space that often dismisses and rejects traditionally feminine traits. Rockstar Princess proves you don’t need to fit into a box; create your own.

You’ve described your music as a ‘Rockstar Princess’ world with a punk attitude. What inspired that aesthetic, and what does pairing femininity with a rebellious edge mean to you?

Just before moving to London, I was working as a kids’ party princess. It was quite a contrast to simultaneously making guitar-driven music. This created “Rockstar Princess”, which quickly caught on with fans and became such a big part of my artistic identity. It represents the duality and multifacetedness that’s always resonated with me. Ever since I was a 7-year-old singing Led Zeppelin at open mic nights and seeing the pure shock on people’s faces, I’ve been inspired to embrace standing out rather than conforming to expectations. Challenging what punk looks like is part of what punk means to me. By making room for femininity in rock, we invite more women into a male-dominated space that often dismisses and rejects traditionally feminine traits. Rockstar Princess proves you don’t need to fit into a box; create your own.

Following the release of your upcoming debut EP on November 13th, You’re currently recording your debut album at Eastcote Studios. Can you give us a glimpse into the creative process and what you’re learning along the way?

It’s been such an incredible and fun process. We wrote these songs in intimate sessions with the same team, so it’s easy to start with a good chat and write about something that feels vulnerable and real. Having a safe space to do that is really special. From there, it’s a mix of playing around with chords or riff ideas (usually on an acoustic guitar), jotting down lyrical phrases in a Google Doc, and keeping the voice-memo app on hand to capture any improvised melody worth remembering. With a 10 am start, we usually have a full song written with a one-take vocal demo by 6 pm. That said, the refining, rewriting, live instrument tracking, vocal takes, harmonies, etc. that go into the rest of the process shouldn’t be overlooked. I’ve learned so much through these experiences, but most of all, I’ve learned the power of collaborative songwriting. These were my first times writing in an environment beyond my bedroom, and I’ve grown significantly as a songwriter in turn”.

I am going to finish off with Fierce & Fabulous. I am new to Arabella Lucia. I am not sure if there are tour dates booked for next year already. I can see her having a pretty busy year. With a new E.P. out – by the time you read this -, there is going to be a lot of focus on her. In terms of her sound, I don’t think there is anyone quite like Arabella Lucia. She is an extraordinary artist:

“Hey Arabella, thank you so much for this interview. Can you start by introducing yourself to readers who might be unfamiliar with your music?

Arabella: Hey Fierce & Fabulous! Thank you so much for featuring me!

I’m Arabella Lucia, the Rockstar Princess. I’m an Armenian-Canadian pop/rock musician based in London. I’m all about guitar-driven, catchy tunes that tell a story, and energetic performances that captivate audiences and get them singing with me!

When did you first discover your passion for music and realise it was something you wanted to pursue?

Arabella: I feel so lucky that I was exposed to music and the arts at a very young age. I was communicating through melody ever since I could speak, and I actually learned to read through my family’s old karaoke machine at home. Going to Armenian school, at age 4 I began singing traditional choir songs and was exposed to important cultural artforms like poetry and dance. My love for the stage grew and led me to starting violin, ballet, and finally discovering at age 6 that voice lessons and guitar were what I wanted to pursue and work at for the rest of my life. Music being so embedded in how I learned to express myself very quickly led me into songwriting, and my participation in The Voice Kids Canada solidified the passion within me that still keeps me going fearlessly down this path today.

You recently shared your take on TLC’s “Unpretty”; how did the idea for this come together?

Arabella: I’ve always loved covering iconic hits and switching the vibe and genre up to make it my own. Unpretty is such an incredible song with a truly timeless message that rings so true in today’s world of social media. From the moment the idea to cover this song was brought up, I knew this would be a special cover and there was no looking back.

How did you decide what tempo and emotional context to develop your version in compared to the original?

Arabella: I definitely had to hone in on myself and have a really clear idea of what makes a song undeniably Arabella Lucia in sound and in essence. Live performance with my band was a large consideration in the development of my version of Unpretty and thinking about the energy and tempo that would feel the most seamless amongst a setlist of my original music. In addition, giving myself the space to relate to the song and understand what it means to me helped me capture a version emphasizing empowerment and rebellion alongside the vulnerability that lays the foundation for the emotional context.

What does this EP personally mean to you?

Arabella: To me, this EP really marks the start of a big chapter. It’s the culmination of work from my first years in London and the first glimpse into hours of dedication, hard work, life experience, growth and honesty. Each song is an important story of agency and survival that I really look forward to sharing with people”.

I am going to finish off here. It is an exciting time for the remarkable Arabella Lucia. You can feel that she is going to have a very long and exciting career. A tremendous young artist whose singles so far mark her out as a distinct and unique talent. After her E.P., the debut album will come out (though no release date has been confirmed). It is exciting to see…