Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of talking to New Orleans soulful R’n’B artist Lucky Daye, who is set to perform at the 2019 BET Awards. Lucky Daye will perform a live rendition at the BET Awards, alongside the likes of; H.E.R, Cardi B, Lil Nas X, DJ Khaled, Migos, DJ Mustard, Billy Ray Cyrus, City Girls, Lizzo, Lil baby, and Kiana Lede.
Lucky Daye and I had a great Conversation about:
- The meaning behind his songs and his name having a deeper meaning
- Dealing with attention from fans and his rise
- His home town New Orleans and their Southern Hospitality
- His live London show and musical influences
- Music of course and much much more.
Continue reading to find out all you need to know about the delightful Lucky Daye. Whose London show was great and full of vibes, energy and left the crowd wanting more… You can also watch the full video on youtube
Full Lucky Daye Interview
Hello Everybody! I am joined with a very special guest, and I’m going to drop a little cheesy joke….. It must be my Lucky day!
*Makes siren sound*
Because I am joint with Lucky Daye.
*Laughs* Yes, Yes, Yes. Thank you for having me.
How you doing?
Yea, I’m good. I’m good
Is this your first time in London?
This is my second time in London. But this is my first time in London with a dollar in my pocket. *Laughs*…Like… I could go to the store and be like…. I was just talking about this with somebody, and like we’re like. Yea- I go to the store and be like I could buy that. But I’m not *Laughs*…
But last time you were here, you were probably just staying in the hotel then?
Yea
You got here. but that was it?
Yea, that was it.
*Laughing*
*Laughing*
Now your name is really interesting. Why Lucky Daye?
Erm… Well… Lucky is when preparation meet opportunity. And I want it to be every day. It took me like two weeks to figure out. I only looked up the definition of ‘luck’, because one of my family members thought it was like it sinful to call myself Lucky.
But, really?
Petty, right? Yea, I know. But I looked it up and I was like isn’t nothing wrong with that. So…. I’m ’bout to make a stand. I’m like I don’t know why they make me do this…. * Laughs*Like imma make a stand. I’m a be Lucky every day. And then I read Marvin Gaye; his name use to be no ‘e’ and then he added an ‘e’ so like I’m a start mine with an ‘e’.
Ok, ok!
ummm hmmm
Now speaking of Marvin Gaye, you see when you sing you got this like old soul passion.
I like to think I channel the greats.
So, who did you grow up listening to, cause I feel like I can hear it in your music?
errrr….. I eventually listened to like Tyrese. And well I never name women, but there it’s a lot of women that have influenced my voice.
Like who?
Like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. People like that.
Yea!? Can you hit them high notes though? Like Mariah?
Yea, I just got my whistle voice.
Ooooh, *Claps- applauds* Congratulations!
Thank you!
I’ve been working on mine for a very long time.
Oh, Really? Let me hear you?
*Attempts to sing*No. Oh, It’s just not there. It is usually there but I’m just stage fright.
Oh nah, nah nah.
I mean you know- there is a professional in front of me.
*Laughs*
I’ll send you a voice recording then you’ll get it. If it sounds like Mariah it’s not her, it’s me!
Oh, Yea *Chuckles*
Did you also listen to 90’s R’n’B?
Yea, I listened to Tyrese and Kelly price.
The Iseley Brothers and that?
I listened to them like later
But you do know that song ‘Mr Big Song’, right?
The ‘Mr Big Song’? How does that go? Use your whistle voice on that one.
*Sings Isley Brother song*
You can’t sing that! *Laughs*
What about? Oh yea. What about Busted? Is that? oh
You can’t sing that either. Cancelled!
Moving on to the next question. Moving on swiftly. Your tune Karma taken from your latest project, talk to me about that one?
That song…. Tune-How y’all say it. That is called Karma and it’s talking about a friend that I had…. that I wanted to just stay friends with so bad- because she was so sad all the time. But then she liked me in a like romantic way and I knew at the end of the day I just wanted to help her not be sad. Because for me my care comes before my physical needs.
That’s nice. so…You’re not an F boy?
Oh, Nah nah. Never that.
That’s lovely. Continue ….*Laughs*
That’s a disaster story right there. But nah she alway came around telling me stories and stuff. And like I’m empathic. I wanted to like build her confidence and that. She liked me but I couldn’t like her because that wasn’t the way. But, it got to a point where it was like…alright- you cute, you nice, you know what I’m saying?
Did you let her grow on you?
I let her grow on me
Ahhh, thats dangerous you know.
It’s bad, but I let her grow on me and right when I let her grow… she did something bad to herself and it broke my heart and then she left us. I was like- wow why would you do something like that? So the song comes from- she won’t stop running round you and right when I wanted to love her she do something like that.
But does that then make you think you’ve got a kind of maybe, when something is presented to you, take it straight away or like… do you know what I mean?
But I didn’t like her (in a romatic way). but when I started liking her and I just like prep her up. She went to like a deeper depression, because when I wasn’t around it was worse.
Yea. Did you become her happiness?
yea
It is a lot of responsibility when you become somebody’s happiness
I know now. Yep, I know now
I never knew that listening to the song. It sounds like
It’s a happy song?
Yea, so it doesn’t sound like. It’s like- how can I say it? It doesn’t sound like Destiny’s Child- Bug-a-Boo.
*Bursts out Laughing*
But it’s like the 2019 male version of Bug-a-Boo.
It gave you that feeling?
Yea *Sings You make me wanna* through my Karma… Remix!
Ahhhh… *Sings Karma
That’s interesting how you are able to go so deep on a tune, but still keep it up beat
yea because, I wanna be ok to dance. I wanna be ok to know that. What is crazy is her mom tried to blame it on me. She killed me. I was broken down. I didn’t even have a Christmas. I was like wow. that crazy.
Was this recently?
Yea- it was erm 2016.
How are you know Lucky?
Yea, I’m alright. She chose.
Aww this is so sad. I feel for you. I’m going to need tissue
I know, this is why I don’t talk about my songs. Now you gonna be thinking about it in a sad way? You suppose to be dancing!
What we will do is everybody listening out there. I mean I like it, it’s chilled, it’s a vibe. What we gonna do is when we are out with friends (summer is here), we are gonna have a good time with it. It is when we have gone home and we are by ourselves we can take it in.
Think about it. And have a box of tissues?
Yea. Now your London show is tomorrow? I’m going!!! *Cheers* I’m super excited.
I’m gonna be looking for you.
I’ll be at the front. So when you point at me Imma scream, ‘He was pointing at me’?
Yup. Imma be like- you damn right.
Thank you
*Laughs*
What kind of energy you gonna bring to the stage?
Oh, big energy!
Ok
I got my band. I flew my band out.
Yaahhh!
I aint gonna do that for nothing.
I love a band!
Oh yeah? We bout to tear that stage up. It’s gonna be a sweaty floor, when I get off stage.
Oh, I don’t like sweaty
when I get off. You gonna be on the floor.
I don’t like on the floor either. Maybe I should wear jeans, i was gonna wear a nice little dress and heels.
You should wear a raincoat.
*Laughs* and an umbrella. How does it make you feel to have so many fans around the world?
Well – Somebody just bombarded me for an autograph outside. So, that was nice
Was, it weird. Is it weird when people do that?
I was like damn how you supposed to be like a star? Are you meant to sign it? Are you meant to be like, nah so they can want it next time. I don’t know. But I just want to be nice to everybody. For some reason. so, I just signed it- then I was like let me take a picture. cause I appreciate them. I didn’t make the songs for people to like do that, I didn’t make the songs for people to go crazy over me. or noting. Cause I go crazy over them. I got crazy over people, and I realised that.
That’s nice. Really?
Yes!
So, they are like Lucky Daye and you’re like… So like, can we get a picture? And you are like, can I get a picture?
Oh My God! Yea. *Laughs*. Literally, I do.
No way? That is so awesome. That’s nice. Don’t ever lose that. Some people over the time get a bit tired of it.
Nah, I do. Don’t (ever lose it)?Nah, I am not gonna be uptight. I’m from New Orleans man! Southern Hospitality. You know we know how to do all that. We keep it real country.
I like that. I’ve never been to New Orleans.
You know we have great food?
I’ve been to Atlanta, is that close?
No-Kinda.
OK. I’ll make sure next time I go over. I’ll go there.
Atlanta is nice. Atlanta taught me how to make commercial music. And it taught me like how to hustle. In the street…. like how to make money and stuff like that. So…
Did you live in Atlanta?
Yea, I stayed out there for like 3 years, 4 years. and I was just trying to like survive. And make money.
Were you there whilst doing music?
Yep, that’s why I went. Like, trying to make music, because I didn’t know nothing about music.
I’ve notice in America, people either go to like LA (Los Angeles) or Atlanta.
It use to be like New York, Right? Somebody told me that New York use to be like popping for that.
But isn’t that more like just for Rap?
New York?
Yea?
ummm, maybe.
I don’t know- im making up. Just like I dont know
You might be right.
LA was more for acting. New York was more rapping and Atlanta was more like…..
Everything black
Who would you like to work with in the UK?
Who would I like to work with in the UK? Errr…. Is Sampha still working? He is cool!
Do you know who you will sound good with? Nao
I hope she come to my show
If she does come to your show. I will be screaming for you and her.
*Laughs* Ok, that will sound good. That will be fire
Yea, she is sick. You got to reach out
That would be crazy I was listening to her song ‘Another lifetime’ today. It is one of my workout songs.
Oh, you’ve got Nao on your workout playlist?
I workout to Soul R’n’B. Y’all can workout to Trap all day. I don’t care. I’m working out to slow stuff.
I heard someone else say that. Like they run to slow jams.
Yeaaah
That will put me in my feeling. I’ll probably run to like my ex’s house
I work out to like James Blake.
But like Jodeci Feenin’. I’ll be like running to my ex. I went for a run but I ended up at your house like, I don’t know how I did this?
*Laughs*
Ok, we are gonna wrap this up. But before you go. To prepare for you show Tomorrow. Where can be keep up with everything you have going out?
You can keep up instagram @IAMLUCKYDAYE
Daye with and ‘e’.
and YouTube Lucky Daye I put some live videos on my YouTube.
Are you dropping a video for Karma?
Imma drop a video for every song.
Do you know why? because I fully know what Karma is about now? Before I was like Bug-a-Boo. But if you tell that story in a music video. It would be like a mini movie
Oh my God, you said the magic words. I think you woke up a chil’. Mini Movies. Yea.
I’m telling you, and obviously if you are looking for a lead?
*Laughs* Yeaaah. A lead in it. We’ve got a lead.
Yea, I can be the girl moving in slow motion. Loook….
Oh, that’s the Spike Lee Joint.
*Acting out scene* That’s me crying cause you don’t like me. Look see
oh, no. I don’t want you to cry.
I think I did quite good- innit?
Oh you got the 411 with it.
Yea
That’s nice. I digg
Thank you for joining me today.
Thank you for having me.
Enjoy the rest of your time in london
I will
And i’ll see you tomorrow at your show
Make sure you tell me, where to turn up at?
No, I will
Do you want me to tell you
Ok
On air or of air?
No this is off now. Done