Lucky Lo, the multi-talented artist from the northern part of Sweden, has put her heart on her sleeve on her latest album, building momentum and grandeur like never before while keeping the softness of her melodies. The Big Feel is definitely an album that lives up to its name, exploring the extremities of emotions while diving into its corners.
Lucky Lo was generous enough to converse with Bonus Tracks contributor Miriam Boulos and share how imagination and real-life stories came together to shape her second studio album. In an exclusive sneak peek of the upcoming Spotlight On episode guest-hosted by Miriam, Lucky Lo takes us on a journey through the inspiration behind some of the album's tracks and the intricate process of crafting its sonic landscape.
The Big Feel is all about big feelings and/or feeling big things.
It stands as versatile album shadowing themes such as mental health, sexual freedom, great loves, deep sorrows, climate change. It leaves leeway for retrospection, questioning the state of the world, rethinking our deepest fears, and embracing our child-like playfulness.
The idea of putting this album together first started emerging while on tour for her first album Supercarry. However, it all started with the title The Big Feel that popped into Lucky Lo’s mind and was jotted in her diary where she notes down all sorts of ideas and thoughts that come her way. According to the artist-songwriter, The Big Feel as a title “just felt right for the album.” During this period, she already had in mind to continue the storytelling style from her first album and work again with her band. A more cohesive vison for the album started falling through by assembling pieces via Lucky Lo’s specially designed “sonic” mood boards.
Aiming to build on the sonic foundations of the first album, the artist delved into intentional explorations of dynamics and storytelling for this one. The album is a dynamic versatile compilation of uplifting tracks such as "Hey Let's Go" and the playful funk of "Peak Valley" balanced out with stripped back-softer style ballads emphasizing Lucky Lo’s profound velvety voice such as – the personal favorite- “A Pretending World“ or the violin led “ Bound in Blue“.
Through all the ups and downs that this album encompasses, the conceptual, immersive experience sense is translated to the listener by the third track, which is known to be a Lucky Lo signature move! However, as much as Lucky envisions their music as a shared listening experience, they keep in mind the celebratory element waiting to unfold on stage. “Lucky Lo is definitely a live band, it’s a live experience. It may be more than just an album experience and most of the times I think about what I would like to bring to a concert,” expressed the Swedish artist. “Hey! Let’s Go” was definitely one of those songs written with the intention of making something fun with it when playing it live. Yet at the core of it all, this album feels like jumping on a healing retrospective journey in the middle of nowhere and hiking through highs and lows, through its bumpy roads and its moments of bliss or realization, all to find a pinch of hope by the end of it.
In the upcoming guest-hosted special Spotlight On episode, Miriam and Lucky will dive deeper into the uplifting moments and funky twists that make The Big Feel a sonic adventure giving listeners a more focused glimpse into the emotional core of tracks like "A Pretending World," where Lucky Lo unearths the societal reflections embedded in poignant lyrics. Lucky Lo is not just an artist, they are a storyteller, a multi-instrumentalist, a songwriter, a mood weaver, a wise sister, a shoulder to lean on. On The Big Feel, they invite listeners to experience big feels, and roam through their colourful musical landscape, with its peaks and its valleys, from its darkest corners to its lightest sunbeams, and everything in between.
Tune into Spotlight On on April 4, to hear more from Lucky Lo and guest host Miram Boulos.
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