Lucille Croft on Infusing the Arts and Fashion into Music [Exclusive Interview]

Lucille Croft on Infusing the Arts and Fashion into Music

2/8/2019

Lucille Croft is by far one of the most versatile and ambitious people we have interviewed to date. As a producer, she has had multiple successful releases on Bourne Recordings, PINNACLE COLLECTIVE, Teamwrk Records, and most recently on Kannibalen Records with her latest single, "Don't Go" featuring past interviewee, Micah Martin. She has also traveled the world performing her music and on top of all of that, she runs her own blog called For the Wolves HQ. Coming up, she'll be performing at two Ultra shows and launching her own clothing line.

Looking over your previous interview, you mentioned that you got into fashion when you were just fifteen but I don't believe I've come across the story of you entering the EDM and touring scene. How did you first get into DJing and what keeps you coming back to the decks?
I got into modeling when I was around fourteen or fifteen and then I got into fashion after high school. I actually first started university to study law but transferred into fashion design after a year after I got bored.

When I was eighteen, I started going out to clubs which is where I first really saw a DJ. I was going out a lot - like two or three times a week, and after watching them for a while, I decided that I wanted to do it too. So I bought my own decks and taught myself how to play. A few months later, I told my promoter friends I was a great DJ (I wasn't) and that they should book me. I did however end up practising properly, and even played a little vinyl for a while too at the start when I was mainly playing techno - as most of the clubs actually had turntables.

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A post shared by Lucille Croft (@lucillecroft) on Oct 30, 2018 at 1:59am PDT

As for what keeps me coming back to the decks - when you play, you essentially are in control of the room. I feel like I'm the curator - setting the feeling, the mood - it's like you're in Lucille's world. I love to be able to do that and create an experience with the crowd.

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A post shared by Lucille Croft (@lucillecroft) on Feb 2, 2019 at 10:33pm PST

Tell us about the making of "Don't Go" with Micah Martin and what it means for the direction of your sound moving forward.
Micah was amazing to work with. He's honestly such a legend, and I've already got him featuring on another track I'm working on at the moment. There was absolutely zero challenges when it came to making this track. I hit him up, he sent me the vocal, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. Working with Micah has been a great step in a new direction for me which is working with actual vocalists. I also love that he's in a band, The Zealots, because this year I want to combine my love for bands into my music.

As for my direction, I've mentioned before that I never want to be stuck in a box or known for just one specific sound. I'm continuously evolving and trying new things, as a person and an artist, and I want my music to do the same.

This type of dark midtempo music has been rising through the ranks for the past few years. Having plenty of experience playing it out live and making tracks of this style, what do you believe the driving factor is for its growth in popularity?
It has definitely blown up. I think people just like to follow the footsteps of artists who become super popular like Rezz for example, and when something becomes super trendy, everyone likes to jump on the wagon. In Australia, mid-tempo hasn't exactly taken off just yet. I usually start playing it about halfway through my sets once I've warmed up the crowd a bit. I've personally found that crowds usually go even harder with the slower drops too.

What does a normal day in the life of Lucille Croft look like? How do you juggle preparing for gigs, spending time in the studio, maintaining your social media pages, keeping up with your own blog, For the Wolves HQ, and working on the launch of your lingerie lineup amidst it all?

Well, I have bouts of insomnia so I usually get up quite early. If I can't sleep at all, I'll get up at like 4AM or something and just start my day then. When I'm up, I make a super strong coffee and usually go to gym first. Then if I don't have meetings, shoots, or anything that involves me leaving the house, I like to play music from Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, or Depeche Mode annoyingly loudly in my kitchen while I do emails, write articles and do admin stuff for my lingerie line. I find that I work best on music after it gets dark. Every day in my life is really different, and I love that. I keep trying to make strict routines but I get bored too easily.

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A post shared by Lucille Croft (@lucillecroft) on Oct 24, 2018 at 1:25am PDT

As for For The Wolves HQ - it's a blog/soon-to-be online magazine which I created. I had the idea for ages to create a platform that helps push creative people. Every creative industry is extremely hard to get proper recognition in, and I see so many amazing struggling artists, so I created it just as a platform where I could help some people go further with their craft. I'm loving it so far since I love writing and interviewing people.

Something you've covered in multiple interviews before is the idea of branding but what I'd like to focus on is the influencer marketing aspect. There are now billions being spent on influencers and it could be a great way for rising talent to supplement their income. What are your opinions on the matter and what insight can you bring in from being in the fashion industry?

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A post shared by Lucille Croft (@lucillecroft) on Sep 15, 2018 at 11:30pm PDT

Influencer marketing is the #1 conversion to sales for brands on Instagram. As someone who is about to launch their own clothing line, I definitely understand how valuable influencers can be. It's also kind of annoying to scroll through the platform because everything seems to be an ad or sponsored post these days. I generally avoid any paid posts or brand deals because there's nothing I'd hate more than to fall into that category. I only work with brands I really love and believe in.

You've touched on the topic of mental health before and how important family and friends are in keeping you grounded. What are some of the practices you've adopted or plan on adopting to stay on top of your game moving forward?
Yeah, my mental health over the last few years has been a bit of rollercoaster. 2017 was a really dark year for me, 2018 was me trying to figure my life and mind out, and 2019 is all about kicking ass. When you're going through a hard time, you usually end up feeling like you'd be a burden to people, so you shut off - and things only get worse. I can't stress enough how important it is to reach out to people when you're struggling. For those who aren't struggling, go and ask anyone you're concerned about if they're doing alright.

This industry in particular is really rough on people. Trying to get your name and music out there can be SO stressful. On top of that - the constant rejection along with hate from certain people and it can really take a toll on you. I personally get a lot nasty messages almost daily - from things ranging about how I look, to the quality of my music, or people just seeing a photo of me and saying "Yeah, she clearly can't DJ." I just work on blocking it all out, staying focused, and working harder. I try to laugh at most nasty things I get thrown at me, although it sometimes really does hurt. I want to create some kind of mentor program this year - I don't know exactly "what" yet, but just something to help support young artists and help connect them with established artists for some kind of support.

You've got quite the exciting year ahead starting of with a performance at Ultra Australia at the end of the month. How will you be preparing for that gig and what else can you tease for the rest of 2019?
Yep, I'm SUPER EXCITED for Ultra! I'm just prepping for it by trying to finish off as many current projects as possible to play for the two Ultra shows. As for the rest of 2019 - it's going to be a crazy busy year for me. I think I'm going to do an EP this year, something that really captures everything that I'm about. I'm also starting to play around with using my voice in my music. I don't really sing, but perhaps in the future I might. I like talking in weird ways, so maybe you'll be hearing that in some upcoming music.

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A post shared by Lucille Croft (@lucillecroft) on Dec 10, 2018 at 12:13am PST

A huge thank you to Lucille Croft for taking the time to answer our questions! Please go and follow her using the links below and also check out her blog, For the Wolves HQ!