We were lucky to catch up with Willa Lucille recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Willa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

After I graduated high school in 2021, I went straight into working full time. I had planned on going to school for music, but things were complicated. Covid-19 cases were still high, most colleges were online, and I would be paying completely on my own. So, instead, I dived into work, juggling multiple jobs in an attempt to afford my first apartment and save in order fund my aspiration of purchasing a vehicle to live in and travel North America full time. I spent the next three years working, letting music sit on the back burner until my need to create boiled over. I can look back now and say I lost my creativity and my purpose.

Flash forward to present day; I purchased and converted a short school bus this spring, and I’ve moved into it full time. I’m currently in Omaha, Nebraska visiting my family before officially hitting the road. Just yesterday afternoon I was sitting in my mother’s living room, sending out countless emails and Electronic Press Kits to venues across Colorado in an attempt to book shows. It had been days of no responses. It was incredibly frustrating.

“If I could just be satisfied with a normal job, I wouldn’t have to worry about money nearly as much.”
“What if all the inspiration just dries up?”
“What if I do this for YEARS with nothing to show for it?”
“What if I’m just embarrassing myself?”
“If I can’t make this work will I have to stick myself in a regular job I hate?”
“God, I picked up my whole life for something I have no idea will work out.”

I sat and pondered these for a moment, anxious and frustrated as ever. I paused and picked up my guitar. I played. Then, I came to the same conclusion that I always do. That I will continue to push through, because even when music is not lucrative, it funds my soul and spirit. I will invest in my art, because I could never picture myself doing anything else. It may be a more difficult path, surely it is one less walked, but I know it is my path to fulfillment.

Willa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Willa Lucille. I am a 21 year old singer-songwriter originally from Nebraska. Music solidified its importance to me early in my life. My dad is a public school string orchestra and guitar teacher, and before my mom was a business owner, she was a classically trained opera singer. I started dreaming up lyrics and melodies when I was a child. Always introspective, always creating, always with her head somewhere else. I’m sure there are some entertaining – albeit embarrassing – videos of 8 year old Willa’s original songs somewhere on the Cloud.

I started really taking music seriously in high school. I was able to work out a deal with my parents to afford some voice lessons, and I spent countless hours learning classical and music theatre repertoire. Now, I have shifted my focus to my main love, songwriting. I attempt to weave my classical training into my songs, always challenging myself to create more interesting melodies. I write lyrics about the sublime, the intimacy of everyday life, my relationships, sometimes just a story a friend tells me. My sound has a heavy folk influence intermixed with some jazz characteristics. I am inspired by artists such as John Prine, Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, Adrienne Lenker, and Rebecca Sugar.

Now, with the rapid advancement of AI, the monopoly of huge record labels, and constant overproduction, I can’t help but think music has lost its humanity. I love performing live, and I truly believe it is the best way to really HEAR an artist. I am always committed to a personal performance, I love to connect with the listener whether I am in a coffeeshop, at a bar, in a listening room, or on a stage. I currently live on the road in a converted short school bus. I am playing my songs wherever I possibly can, and taking as much inspiration from the world around me as possible.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I have had to unlearn to create for others, and relearn to create for myself. As an artist you receive advice from everyone you know, as well as everyone you don’t. You’ll be told how to grow your social media presence, how to appeal to venues, how to MAKE people hear you, how to write a song no one can get out of their heads, how to craft an image that is intriguing and bookable. Of course, all of these things are important! But it is easy to get stuck creating art for others when I have learned the best art you make is the art you make for YOU.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is hearing the way my music has impacted others. When someone approaches me after a performance to tell me how a song made them feel or how they were able to connect to a certain lyric. It makes me feel as if I have done something right with my craft, and it always helps me to gain a deeper understanding of my own art through the listener.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://willarauch.my.canva.site/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/willa.lucille?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willalucillemusic?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@willalucille
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5QpSaPCFgiCDOd5nqwgYAn

Image Credits

James Cooper
Third Eye Feelings
Angelo Poppano