A seriously refreshing artist in Australia’s music scene, Lucille Croft is omitting the norm and establishing herself as an upcoming force in the realm of future and bass house. This Australian DJ, producer, and fiery fashion influencer is fast becoming a queen behind the decks, earning herself an electrifying calendar both in Australia and internationally.
We caught up with Lucille and spoke to her about her new single with Swarm and plenty more. Read our chat, below.
T.H.E – Hey Lucille! How’s it going and what have you been up to?
Lucille Croft – I’m pretty good. I actually just got home from talking at a high school about being a DJ/producer, which was super weird, but fun. Apart from that, I’ve just been working on some new music, been trying to push my latest release and finish off a few upcoming features for my magazine – For The Wolves HQ.
T.H.E – Your new single with Swarm just dropped today, on Bourne Recordings. How did the collaboration come about?
Lucille Croft – Yep, it just came out! I’ve been so excited to release this, and it’s already been receiving amazing support! I actually came across Swarm randomly one day while browsing through Soundcloud looking for new music, I heard one of his songs that a music blog I like re-posted, and I was immediately drawn to his dark, heavy auteur and wanted to hear more. I found him on Facebook and asked for collab after that, and it honestly came together so easily. We just clicked, and he’s super talented – I actually learnt a lot from him.
T.H.E – It represents dark, bass sounds and the title is quite dark as well – Psycho. Can we consider this to be an example of the kind of sound you want to be known for?
Lucille Croft – Hmmm, I’m honestly still figuring out my sound. I don’t think I want to be known for a particular sound, because as I evolve and grow as an artist, so will my sound. I’m definitely drawn to darker sounds in my production though, so you can definitely expect more of that vibe in future releases.
T.H.E – Do you have intentions of moving out to different genres, sometime in the future? If yes, what sounds can we expect from you?
T.H.E – Lucille Croft – Yes! I love to experiment. I love the bass housey vibes I’ve been doing so far, and Psycho was the first of many new directions. My music has been getting slower and darker, and I’m really loving mid-tempo vibes at the moment. With my music, I draw inspiration from a lot of different places and artists. Gesaffelstein, Hans Zimmer, Rezz, Tchami…even a lot of bands I’ve been listening to lately… Next two releases are both 100bpm, and then after that, I’m actually looking at doing a collab with my friend who is a trap producer, so that could be like 150bpm which will be interesting…
T.H.E – The past year has been quite busy for you in terms of touring. How important do you think touring is for building a DJ brand?
Lucille Croft – Honestly, I think the brand should come first. Build the music and the brand, and when everything is strong and ready to go, focus on touring. That’s what I did, and now it’s beginning to pay off and fuel my touring – which is awesome. So, if anything I think the DJ branding is very important to lead to and sustain, touring.
T.H.E – What are your views on the importance of building your brand as a DJ, and the focus that seems to cover it these days?
Lucille Croft – As I mentioned above, I think branding is REALLY important. These days, social media is everything. Social media is the biggest tool a DJ can use to promote themselves, so it should be utilized. Branding is also about being unique and establishing who you are as an artist – that to me includes the music I play, how I dress, even down to how I caption my photos etc on Instagram.
T.H.E – Not a lot of people might know this, but you are quite the superwoman! You run a magazine, are about to launch your own lingerie label and also are a DJ/producer. Quite simply, how do you manage to ensure that you give 100% to each of these initiatives?
Lucille Croft – Haha, well I’m trying! I don’t actually sleep a lot, so there’s that. Honestly, my mind is always ticking, and I like being busy. If my plate were half full, I wouldn’t be satisfied. The magazine is a passion project at the moment, but I get to interview artists and DJs as well as meet amazing contacts and photographers etc who I can get to shoot the lingerie, so it all ties in together. If my lingerie label takes off (fingers crossed) I’d bring a few friends in to help. And even though I’m beginning to travel more now with music, I make music off my laptop so I work on it when I’m in hotels/on a plane etc. My time management skills have improved a LOT in the last year!
T.H.E – 2018 is almost getting over. What have been the top highlights for you, and why?
Lucille Croft – I’ve met some incredible producers in the last year who have really inspired me musically! I released a collab (Got The Flow) with one of my favourite producers in the world – Nukid. I signed tracks to some of my favourite labels – including Pinnacle Collective and New Noise. I toured all over Australia and Asia. Honestly, this year has been INSANE, and I’ve got SO much planned for next year.
T.H.E – Lastly, any upcoming plans in terms of releases or touring.
Lucille Croft – SO much! So my newest release dropped on Wednesday. Next is a release in November on Pinnacle Collective, then my single on New Noise, and I have at least 9 projects and collabs currently in progress at the moment – including a follow-up collab with Swarm too, because he’s now one of my favourite producers and a close friend. In terms of touring, I’ll be doing Australia-wide and Asia again very soon, and there may be BIG news regarding touring after that on the horizon… but we’ll see.
T.H.E – Thanks, Lucille! It was a pleasure talking to you.
