Lukey Talks Going Against the Grain in “FOCUS” Podcast
Filipino-artist, Lucas Geniza or better known by his artist name, “Lukey”, recently shared his journey as an Asian-American artist on the FOCUS Podcast hosted by Marina Ballesteros.
Aside from writing and producing his own music, Lukey creates his own cover art and has built an aesthetic concept for himself as an artist. Characterized by pastel colors and grainy photos, Lukey’s music is catchy, cleverly-written, and mainstream. Lukey’s production is stellar to the point that it might even be comparable to that of his inspirations, Frank Ocean and Toro y Moi.
In the podcast, Lukey talks about trying to find his path after taking music production classes and graduating from Montgomery County Community College. Without a proper music background to pursue a degree, Lukey ended up at Temple University and pursued a music technology degree there. What struck me about Lukey’s story was how similar it was to my own experiences. Although music technology is rapidly improving and advancing, there are still very few universities that offer it as a degree, especially in Canada. It seems that even the schools with music technology degrees are a few years behind the actual development of the industry, which is advancing exponentially every day.
Lukey’s 2020 EP, Periwinkle, is a perfect combination of acoustic and digital songwriting. The EP opens with “DAYDREAM”, a piece riddled with delay throws and ambient reverbs but is grounded in a beautiful acoustic guitar and sounds of nature. “BLUSH” is another track that stays on the same chill, laidback vibe. My favorite track on the album was “GALE”, which features chopped vocals and a rusty drum machine. The song reminded me a bit of Lauv’s 2018 mixtape, i met you when i was 18. Lukey takes his listeners into a dreamlike universe where sounds blend together and melt away all your worries.
Towards the end of the podcast, Lukey states that he doesn’t just make music ‘because it’s cool’ but because he finds ‘sentiment and significance behind the work itself.’ As a Filipino-American artist, Lukey hopes to pave the path for other unconventional Asian artists.
The FOCUS Podcast is about giving a platform to fellow creators around the world. We invite creators who have their own stories to tell and content to share. We talk about the creative’s journey, current issues, and social advocacies close to their heart. In this way, the podcast creates a safe space to showcase talents and inspire revolutionary change with music, media, and art! Check them out below:
FOCUS Podcast — Apple Podcasts
Listen to Lukey’s EP, periwinkle, here:
