Lucy McWilliams’ impact on the Dublin music scene is rapidly growing. With support slots confirmed for major shows such as Two Door Cinema Club’s sold out Iveagh Gardens appearance this summer, and Inhaler’s UK tour, she might still be very much in the ‘early singles’ stage, but the omens are beyond positive, and big names are taking an interest.
Her two biggest singles to date, recent releases ‘Slow Dancing’ and ‘Bumblebees and Blue Skies’ are both deeply personal pieces of pop that shine a light on McWilliam’s positive take on life. The Dubliner, previously known for her well-regarded work with spoken word artist Malaki, is starting to make her own impressions.
“‘Bumblebees and Blue Skies’ is a little insight into my fantasy world,” McWilliams says, “I’m always overlooking the dark times and pushing forward hoping to find that light in them. In the studio the guys joked how I just think love will always be bumblebees and blue skies when in reality that’s not the case – that’s how it came about.”
“‘Slow Dancing’ is also in that fantasy world, but more the world you create with strangers. It’s about yearning to be loved and understood, but too afraid to ever show anyone close to you the real you.” Both tracks, in short, contain huge elements looking at who McWilliams is.
“I find it really hard to write without putting myself in it.,” she continues. “I wish I could make up worlds and characters, but that never comes naturally, every song is a little piece of me. I don’t like or dislike it really, it’s just all I’ve ever known when writing.”
McWilliams career so far has been heavily impacted by stints in both Berlin and London, though she’s left the two cities with vastly different takes on the places with only Berlin really having a lasting impact on her style.
“Berlin was such a mad place and such a new, free environment,” she says. “Starting completely clean and being able to adapt to any personality definitely helped me come out of my shell, and have more confidence in creating which I didn’t have when I was in Dublin.” London, though, McWilliams says sapped her creativity, though she wasn’t quite sure why.
Back in Ireland, the big summer support slots are pending, and will see McWilliams take to stages larger than those she’s frequented to date. That’s not a small thing, especially psychologically. “I get really nervous performing,” she says, “but my band are the best. I guess [I’ll prepare by] rehearsing, and pints. Lots of pints.”
“I’ve enjoyed meeting people and working with new people. There’s so many amazing people I’ve met that I would have never met if I wasn’t doing music. So I’m grateful for my friends and collaborators, they’re the best. I guess all my friends are artists so I just kinda follow and learn from them, but like anything it’s up and down, and self doubt will always creep in.”
There’s an EP in the works, though without a release date just yet, an important step in terms of establishing McWilliams more firmly. For McWilliams, though, for now it’s all about the experience. “Being able to make music with people I love and look up to, it’s really that simple,” she says of her future plans. “If I’m able to do that, something is working!”
