As our sophomore year came to an end, I sat down with Lucia Zambetti, a NYC and Washington DC based soft-rock musician and Georgetown University philosophy student. We talked all things music and some things philosophy over Zoom. With my non-premium Zoom subscription and therefore quick 40 minutes to chat, we delved head-first into what it’s like navigating an increasingly busy and digital world as a musician.
It is in these four years of undergrad where college students, like Lucia and myself, start see-sawing the balance between an educationally aligned career and creative pursuits. (Of course, creative pursuits defined as “unstable careers” if they were to be unabashedly pursued.)
And like many of my peers, I’ve had my fair share of tipping the scale to the ground on either side—of indulging in a fantasy that I can’t set feasible goals to reach or overworking myself to the point of an almost quarter-life (because yes, I’m 20) crisis.
Lucia, also freshly 20, finds herself in a more unique position than most. She has a large audience and (in my opinion) more grounds to just drop school and pursue music. So, I wondered how she balances her life as a modern-day Hannah Montana—student by day, musician by night.
“I wish I had a schedule because, honestly, the thing about it is it’s so hectic. I realize I’m in school, and I have this great opportunity to learn and devote my time to learning things in a more focused way. But, at the same time, I’m doing this music stuff…
“It’s been pretty manageable, but I’ll also find myself sitting in room thinking, ‘Oh my god, I need to get out and make friends because I’m in college.’
“I’ve been so lucky to have traction on my music and have these opportunities to play shows and to record with my friends and other professionals. It’s such an awesome thing.
“So, I’ve been taking it as it comes and not really thinking about it like, ‘Oh, I’m in college right now which is a track to a career—I’m getting an education for a track to a career. But, then also, I’m trying to do a music career from a completely different point…’
“I still think of music as such an art rather than a career for myself… It’s just me and my guitar at the end of the day. It’s me in my dorm room thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this math homework, let me just pick up my guitar.’”
Lucia mentioned how it’s important to view her music as something that fulfills her, something she does regardless of who is listening outside her college dorm room or how much attention it’s getting through our screens. As she shared with me her inspirations, it was clear that music was in the essential making of who she was.
Artists like the Beatles, Neil Young, and the Rolling Stones played softly in the background of her entire childhood and then turned into forefront influences in her life. Music was never just some career path she chose. So wherever music will take her, she will follow in its wind. Currently, it’s taking her on a tour along the East and West Coasts of the U.S. (So if you’re hanging around there this summer, buy a ticket to one of her shows ;))
Not that anyone needs further proof that Lucia lives and breathes for music, but it was through those elite-access (you were a genuinely respected figure or knew a friend of a friend) backstage venues, recording rooms, and the likes where her parents (both the former) met. And, it was through her parents’ diverse musical backgrounds that Lucia was raised. Growing up in a tinkering, misty blend of an Italian, American, and Russian household, Lucia’s songs draw inspiration from the revolutionary and impassioned messages of iconic American artists and the Soviet Union punk scene.
Not as widely recognized, the Soviet Union punk scene was a space for adolescents and musicians (like Lucia’s mom) to push back against a Communist government. In such repressive societies, freedom of expression, feared to be spreading “capitalist” messages, was nonexistent. As a response, in the early 70s, many people smuggled records into the USSR. Copies were then made to share by pressing original records onto cut-out X-ray scans discarded by hospitals—these were called bone records or music-on-the-ribs. As times slightly progressed, Soviet bands turned to exponentially riskier moves on stage. Unfortunately, this was not without consequence. Musicians were arrested mid-performance and even sent to labor camps for singing lyrics about the harsh cold realities of Soviet Union life. Check out this video to learn more.
Today, Lucia uses her lyrics to stand up for herself and other women in a society that has belittled the role and strength of a woman. As Lucia’s music paints the Impressionist-like, fairytale female experience, the musician sings lyrics that also hold a bit of irony in them. She takes to the stage and subtly casts attention to the ridiculousness of the roles women are pushed into.
What Lucia must also face—something that the Soviet music scene did not have to go up against—are the pressures brought on by social media. In the twenty-first century, every creative person with an online audience is simultaneously called an “influencer”. There becomes a pressure to exist both as an influencer,—to make content that is meant to be profitable—but also as an artist—making art because you are compelled to make art. And though the idea of commercial success has always been there for people, this new career attachment has increased and forced that pressure on a musician like Lucia ten-fold.
In fact, many musicians, actors, writers, and the like recently started creating distinct, eye-catching online personas to draw more attention to themselves and their art. But, is this persona just that—a completely other person? Or is this social media image really who that person wishes to be? Where is the line (if there is one) drawn?
"What role has social media played in the lives of young artists like you?"
“That’s a question that I’ve definitely been struggling with a lot, especially in light of recent events and especially being a young person. I just stopped being a teenager. I spend so much time consuming things from social media that I even forget that I am someone who could be consumed in that way…
“Not to put this on a feminist rant, but I also think that growing up with all these social media algorithms, we are fine-tuned to understand what gets the most likes. We are fine-tuned to understand what gets the most attraction. And in a lot of these situations, it’s to be in sexualizing positions. Not to confuse that with being confident in your body…
“I’ve definitely taken a big step back on social media…
“There’s also definitely a lot of curating that goes into social media and vibes, especially with the art scene and music scene specifically. Social media is so over-saturated with so much music… I get into that head space where I think, ‘Oh shoot, I’m doing the same thing as everyone else…’
“So instead, I’ve pushed myself a lot, from the influences of the people I’ve been collaborating with, to have the best production, to have the best music video, to have the best feed posts, and stuff like that.
“But then, going back to what I said before, I find myself in a state where I’m totally stripping myself from my art. I’m separating myself from the reason I do it. I focus so much on these tangible things that I’m forgetting, at the end of the day, that this is art.
“I’m not doing music thinking, ‘Look at this—I’m so technically talented at guitar and singing, so let me pursue that because they’re talents of mine.’ I think, ‘I love sitting down with my guitar and writing. It’s so cathartic. It’s my art. It’s my expression.’”
That’s what Lucia hopes to remind other musicians about. The final piece of advice that Lucia parts me with—a perfect culmination summarizing our entire conversation—is to make art that feels right TO YOU. Remember that at the end of the day, it is just your pen, guitar, paintbrush, or whatever it is and you.
Lucia Zambetti and her band are set to release new singles this coming year. One of them, called “Bare with Me,” is coming out tomorrow, July 16th! In the meantime, listen to Baby Blues (my current favorite) on all streaming platforms and visit www.luciazambetti.com/tickets to see her perform live in a city near you:-)
Lucia (left) and I (right) during our interview :) 15.5.24.