Hey Baby Luck! How are things?
Things are great! I’ve had a lot of fun being the featured artist over the last 4 years, and I’m very excited to finally release my debut solo EP with Plump Records!
What role does music play in your life and how long have you been involved in the industry?
Not to sound cheesy but music is my religion. From ancestors to people I’ve never met, music is how I connect with people, and myself. For me, music is evidence that we are all connected on a deeper level. And it’s been my companion since I was a baby – I slept with a small statue of Mozart when I was 2 years old. I’ve always danced, played piano, and sang. I made mix tapes for all my friends from elementary school on, including my best friend Kevin Knapp, and now I’m mixing records and making music with people I love, so it all feels very right, natural and aligned.
You have a great relationship with the Plump crew and you now release your own EP on the label, how did this come about?
Kevin is the closest thing to a big brother I have. We’re both only children, but we are chosen family members, and have been since I was 7 years old. Our parents are good friends, so my family would fly to visit Kev’s family from Oakland, California to Katy, Texas every New Year’s Eve when we were kids. During those trips, Kev and I would perform dance routines for our parents’ entertainment. We would play each other our favorite songs, and dream about one day making music together. We’ve always connected and maintained our friendship through music, even when we’ve lived very different lives on very different continents. When I got pregnant with my daughter in 2016, he called and said, “Ok, we have to finally make music together so we can stay connected” And so it was. Our first track was “Find Me” on Rebellion. It was so good, and so fun, and of course we’ve made a lot of music together since then. I’ve also directed award winning music videos for Hutchtastic, Kev’s partner in all things, including Plump Records, so it’s a natural next step to release my debut solo EP on Plump. I couldn’t be more happy about this, and can’t wait to share these bomb ass tracks with everyone!
What was your approach for these tracks?
I thought about how I wanted to feel, and what sounds I was loving at the time, and worked to create tracks that made it impossible not to dance. For Touchy Feely, my husband, rapper Old Man Saxon, and I created a song together, and selected one lyric from the song to be featured on the track. It’s crazy how one line can be pulled from an entire song and it just works, ya know? And for Fire, I was on the mic one night free styling and it just came to me – or the spirit came into the room – and it was easy to make a beat to work with those fuller lyrics. It’s always a dance between the lyrics and the beat – until you find that sweet spot and declare the song complete!
Do you have a preference between DJ’ing, producing, singing & directing?
I think everything is everything and all the creating feeds all the creating. When I’m writing for film or TV (my other job), it helps to mix records. Mixing forces me to stay digging’ in the crates, and I’m usually like, “Ok I can’t find something I love so I’m gonna make that shit.” And singing is always amazing – using my voice to create something from nothing is everything. I highly recommend it. It’s freeing and fun – like we are allowed to play – we are supposed to play – but we forget as adults that that’s what we’re made for. For me, singing is play. Directing, for me, is everything combined. It’s taking my producing background and my love of music and building a bridge between those worlds. I love collaborating – I love writing but it can get lonely – so directing is a chance for me to be with other humans in real time and make something magical. DJ’ing is so fun – sometimes I have to remember not to dance so much while I’m mixing! But for real, I envision DJ’ing quite a bit in the near future, and hope to see you on the dance floor soon.
What would you say is the proudest moment of your career so far?
As a vocalist, my proudest moment is seeing how many people loved “Drug Birds” (Sola). I couldn’t believe how well it was received – and it gave me the confidence to continue pursuing my dream of using my voice to connect with people and bring people together. In a fun, club environment ;). And as a music video director, when we won Best Underground Video at Clubbing TV Awards for my song with Kevin Knapp, “Cute” (Desert Hearts), I was so proud of our entire team! We made that video in March, right before COVID shut down the world, and it was a real labor of love and a bold statement of body positivity, performed beautifully by Hutchtastic. I loved making that video with our amazing cast and crew, and I love the message and boldness of the song, and I love putting music to images. So it was a true love affair inside and out.
Who are your current favourite music artists?
Aside from Kevin Knapp and Old Man Saxon, obviously, I love Solange, Erykah Badu, Helado Negro, Demuir, Bach, Michael Bibi, Saweetie (I’m from Oakland so naturally I love her and hip hop), Kendrick Lamar, Shermanology, and Pote, to name just a few.
What else do you get up to outside of music?
I write for TV and film, I co-host Unsent, a live show where brave souls get on the mic to share messages they wrote but never sent! I direct movies and music videos, I dance, I’m a Voice Artist for podcasts, I do yoga, mother my two wild daughters, make bomb pesto, meditate and rest! I also write a crazy ass newsletter called The Overshare, so I stay writing. You should def check it out. I get very private in public.
What’s next for Baby Luck in 2022 and have you set any targets for the future?
I’m working on a lot of new music these days. Fun times. I plan to release more soon as a solo and collaborative artist, in both the electronic and hip hop spaces. I would love to collaborate more with artists I admire, as a vocalist, producer and music video director. I also plan to DJ at future Plump events when the stars align, so I’ll see y’all there!
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