All Music Magazine UK - Interview With Lusaint - The Apothecary, Manchester and Finding Her Own Voice
Interview by Desh Kapur
There’s something fitting about Lusaint bringing her latest chapter home. Born and raised in Manchester, the singer has gone from cutting her teeth in the city’s pubs, restaurants and legendary small venues to performing across Europe, appearing at some of the biggest shows of her career and even finding herself performing at the Vatican. With her distinctive, smoky voice and a growing catalogue of original material, Lusaint has steadily carved out a space that is entirely her own.
Her new EP, The Apothecary (Pt. 2), arrives in September, accompanied by the new single ‘Tib Street’ — a song rooted firmly in the Manchester music scene that helped shape her. As she prepares to return home to play Band on the Wall on 23 September, Lusaint sat down with All Music Magazine UK to talk about Manchester, songwriting, healing, life on the road, those unforgettable early gigs and the journey from playing packed bars to performing across Europe.
All Music Magazine UK: “Manchester has always played such an important part in your story. You were due to return to Band on the Wall in September — what does playing in your home city mean to you now, particularly after spending so much time touring around Europe?”
Lusaint: It’s really special to be playing back in Manchester with my band. It means a lot to be in my hometown and in the UK performing. It’s been a dream of mine to play at Band on the Wall too. It should be a really beautiful show!
All Music Magazine UK: Your new EP, The Apothecary (Pt. 2), arrives in September, with ‘Tib Street’ as the new single. What can you tell us about the song, and why did you choose that particular Manchester street as its title?
Lusaint: Matt and Phred’s Jazz Club was a huge part of my growing up in the Manchester music scene. It’s where I met my band and performed there many times. It was a real hub for musicians and I have so many amazing memories from Tib Street and Manchester in general.
All Music Magazine UK: There seems to be a real sense of healing running through The Apothecary. You’ve previously described the project as exploring heartbreak, healing and starting over. Has writing these songs actually changed the way you look at some of those experiences now?
Lusaint: Yeah, massively. When I perform them on stage, I realise how much I’ve overcome and I think I sing them with a lot less pain than I did! But remembering how they made me feel when I wrote them was very freeing. Writing music definitely is a form of therapy!
All Music Magazine UK: ‘Love Bites Back’ has been picking up serious momentum and is approaching two million streams. You’ve also had enormous success with your covers of ‘Don’t Let Go’ and ‘Wicked Game’. Do you ever feel that you’re still having to convince people that Lusaint the songwriter is just as important as Lusaint the incredible voice?
Lusaint: Not massively! I take huge pride in both covers and original music. Those covers are what originally helped lift my career, but I also love writing my own music now and expressing myself through my own stories.
All Music Magazine UK: Your voice naturally evokes that smoky, timeless soul tradition — people will inevitably make comparisons to artists such as Amy Winehouse and Duffy. Do those comparisons flatter you, frustrate you, or do you simply take them as part of the territory when you have a voice that sounds like it came from another era?
Lusaint: I take it as a huge compliment but would never try to emulate their art. Every artist is unique to themselves, I guess, and I love to explore my music in so many different ways. I grew up with those voices, so I’ll always find it really beautiful to be compared to such iconic singers!
All Music Magazine UK: You’ve gone from playing pubs and restaurants around Manchester while working other jobs to performing across Europe and supporting artists such as Calum Scott. What was the moment when you finally thought, “Okay, this really is my career now”?
Lusaint: Performing in those stadiums was a real pinch-me moment and I learned so much. Every performance makes me realise why I do what I do. Meeting people that come to my shows is so incredible and I’ll never take that for granted.
All Music Magazine UK: You’ve spoken before about the nerves involved in those early Manchester gigs, including playing to very drunk Saturday-night crowds! What did those shows teach you about performing that you still carry with you onto a big stage today?
Lusaint: I learned so much about performance during that time. There were moments that definitely weren’t easy, but rowdy crowds can also be very fun! Experience with the bar gigs, I’ve found, is so important, and I’m so grateful I had them beforehand!
All Music Magazine UK: One of the more extraordinary chapters in your story is being invited to perform at the Vatican and meeting the Pope. What actually goes through your head when you look back at something like that? Did it feel surreal at the time, or were you too busy trying not to mess it up?
Lusaint: It still feels very surreal. We met him very early in the morning before we went on to do the TV performance at the Vatican. I was dressed by Chanel also, which was such a beautiful experience, and it’s something I’ll always carry with me.
All Music Magazine UK: You’ve recently completed your own European headline shows and are now supporting Calum Scott. What have you learned about yourself as a performer from being on the road at this level, and is there anything about touring that has surprised you?
Lusaint: Touring can be challenging. Being on the road so much, little sleep and long days after one month are hard, but the reward of being on stage is everything. Performing to your own crowds or new crowds is the best feeling in the world and makes everything worth it. I still get nervous for each show, but when I compare the start of my journey to now, it’s crazy!
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