Lucy Dacus
Lucy Dacus (born May 2, 1995) is an American indie rock singer-songwriter from Richmond, Virginia.[1][2] She has released two critically acclaimed albums: No Burden (2016) and Historian (2018). In 2018, she formed Boygenius with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker.
Lucy Dacus | |
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Lucy Dacus in 2018 | |
Background information | |
Born | Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. | May 2, 1995
Genres | Indie rock |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 2015–present |
Labels | Matador |
Associated acts | boygenius |
Website | lucydacus |
Early life
Dacus grew up in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia.[3] She graduated from Maggie L. Walker Governor's School and began studying film at Virginia Commonwealth University but left to pursue her music career.[4]
Career
Dacus first performed in New York City in March 2015.[5] Her first single, "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore", premiered in November 2015. Her debut album, No Burden, was produced in Nashville by her hometown friends, Berklee College of Music graduate Collin Pastore and Oberlin Conservatory of Music graduate Jacob Blizard, and was originally released digitally on CD, and on vinyl via Richmond's EggHunt Records on February 26, 2016. No Burden was engineered and mixed by Collin Pastore.[6][7] Dacus was then signed to Matador Records, who re-released the album on September 9, 2016.[8][9][10] In the same year she performed at Lollapalooza, in Chicago's Grant Park and made her national television debut on CBS This Morning.[11] She recorded a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR the same weekend.[12] In October 2016 she played the London Calling festival in Amsterdam, as a replacement for The Duke Spirit, who were forced to cancel.[13]
Dacus's second album, entitled Historian, was released on March 2, 2018.[14] Like its predecessor, it was met with widespread critical acclaim. Writing for Pitchfork, Sasha Gessen praised its nuance and sensitivity: " It’s not an easy album to wear out. It lasts, and it should, given that so many of its lyrics pick at time, and the way time condenses around deep emotional attachments to other people." Rolling Stone rated the album 4/5 stars, as did NME. Historian, like No Burden, was recorded in Nashville, at Trace Horse Studio, in a similar collaborative effort by Lucy Dacus, Jacob Blizard, and Collin Pastore.
In September 2016, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine stated in an interview that Dacus was a "new favorite".[15][16] In a 2019 interview, Dacus revealed that she had attended kindergarten with Kaine's daughter and that she considers him to be an old family friend.[17]
In 2018, Dacus, along with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, formed the group Boygenius. They released three songs in August 2018 and subsequently announced an EP and tour.[18] The EP, titled boygenius, came out on October 26, 2018.
To coincide with Valentine's Day 2019, Dacus released a cover of La Vie en rose, the first in a planned series of songs commemorating major holidays.[19]
Personal life
Dacus is friends with singer-songwriter and fellow Matador signee Julien Baker, for whom she has opened several times following their first show together in Washington, DC. Lucy is raised Christian and describes herself as "kind of queer".[5]
Discography
Studio albums
- No Burden (2016, EggHunt Records/Matador Records)
- Historian (2018, Matador Records)
EP
- 2019 (2019)
Singles
- "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore" (2016)
- "Strange Torpedo" (2016)
- "Night Shift" (2018)
- "Addictions" (2018)
- "La Vie En Rose" (2019)
- "My Mother & I" (2019)
- "Forever Half Mast" (2019)
- "Dancing in the Dark" (2019)
- "In the Air Tonight" (2019)
EP
- boygenius (2018)
References
- "10 New Artists You Need to Know". Rolling Stone. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- "Discovery: Lucy Dacus". Interview Magazine. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- Halthcoat, Rebecca (2 March 2018). "Lucy Dacus Is Paranoid, In Pain, and Writing Great Indie Songs By Accident". Noisey. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- Scott, Nate (23 June 2016). "New Matador signing Lucy Dacus talks her startling debut LP (and why we all need to go to Croatia)". USA Today. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- Hughes, Hilary (13 September 2016). "The On-the-Road Education of Lucy Dacus". The Record: Music News. NPR. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- Langford, Hilary (February 16, 2016). "After Hype from Rolling Stone and NPR, Richmond Musician Lucy Dacus Keeps it Humble". styleweekly.com. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- Murray, Robin (25 November 2016). "In Conversation: Lucy Dacus". Clash. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- "Lucy Dacus: No Burden". Allmusic. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- Vozick-Levinson, Simon (August 10, 2016). "Lucy Dacus is the Author of Her Own Story". MTV.com. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- Berman, Judy (8 August 2016). "Lucy Dacus On What It's Like to Have 20 Record Labels Fight Over You". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- "Saturday Sessions: Lucy Dacus performs 'I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore'". CBS News. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- Boilen, Bob (29 July 2016). "Tiny Desk: Lucy Dacus". NPR.org. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- "The Duke Spirit Moet Annuleren, Lucy Ducas Is De Vervanger". londoncalling.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- Waite, Kelsey J.; Gerardi, Matt; McLevy, Alex; Anthony, David; Erickson, Steve (March 2, 2018). "The Breeders, Camp Cope, and more albums to know about this week". avclub.com. AV Club. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- Guilbault, Kristy (19 September 2016). "Tim Kaine Says Lucy Dacus is One of His Favorite Artists in New York Times Opinion Column". Paste. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- Murphy, Kate (17 September 2016). "Tim Kaine". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- Webb, Dan (February 12, 2019). "Lucy Dacus talks religion and politics". Sungenre. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- Rincón, Alessandra (August 21, 2018). "Julian Baker, Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers Form Boygenius, Release Three Singles From EP: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- "Lucy Dacus Covers An Edith Piaf Classic And Pays Homage To Love". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-02-15.