Sure, singer Lucia Carrera worships musical heroes. The Cranberries, Fleetwood Mac, Amy Winehouse, the list goes on, but she’s reluctant to single anyone out. She can tell us the artists she admires most have got up when they were at a low point and made something. They turn to music rather than shy away from things. “I respect when an artist uses experiences which make them feel down as inspiration.”
Families often see something in us we locate at a later date. Lucia’s dear grandma used to hear her mumbling tuneful sounds as a baby tucked up soundly in bed. “My grandma knew singing was my future.” When she was four, Lucia couldn’t stop humming. The melodies poured out from her mind to her mom recording them on her Blackberry phone, “I didn’t consciously realise it at the time. Looking back, those were the first moments creativity and me connected.”
At 12, she put pen to paper and wrote songs, identifying most with rock and pop sung in English and Spanish. “My music tells stories about my life and how I see the reality around me or how I wish my reality could become in the future.” It’s for people who dream hard and face the struggles thrown at them. “Sometimes life is great, and sometimes it just isn’t.” So, we must take the rough with the smooth.
It’s easy to see the musical scene in Peru, where Lucia grew up, as a place to dance your troubles away with a vibrant, neighbourly feel. Rock, Latin pop, ballads, and more mingle happily. “Peru is a diverse place, so I’ve been lucky enough to listen to and work with well-known musicians here, and the amount of talent impresses me.”
Lucia got into musical theatre when she was ten and pitched her first concert at 13. Now, she’s in the right place with the right people at the right time. “I love that each performance feels unique. The audiences willing to let go with me enjoy my music the most. I want people to identify with my songs and feel accompanied in life.”
Although Peru nurtures creativity, there are inevitably obstacles in the music industry. “But there are challenges in any industry, like the people you’re working with, how much money you earn, noticeable injustices, haters…” She pushes that all to one side and remembers why she’s here: for the music. “We want to relate to others, and this happens through art. It’s the main reason I want to make music forever.”
Our trickiest barrier to overcome can be holding ourselves back. “There can be many reasons, but the main one is putting too much pressure on the public’s opinion of our art or even us as people.” Lucia allows herself to ignore fear and enjoys the process. “Find yourself, try new things. Fail a thousand times or more. The biggest musicians never stop trying. That’s something I live up to because It’s key to crushing every challenge I face growing as an artist.”
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