Identity with Lukey
Upcoming Philadelphia artist Lukey gives us some words of wisdom in these trying times during an Interview on March 4th, 2020.
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Humans are piecing together their identity day by day. One can argue that creative beings delve deeper into this construction even more so. Upcoming Philadelphia artist Lucas Geniza who goes by the artist name, Lukey, gave us a look into this process.
Geniza, born in the Philippines, grew up in a suburban town outside of Philadelphia, PA. There, he was surrounded by musical influences including his father and his local church choir. He also found inspiration in listening to Asian American pop artists like AJ Rafael alongside his Ed Sheeran-fan friends. This dichotomy was the beginning of Geniza questioning his identity. He then knew that music was a calling to make sure his heritage was reflected in the industry.
This search for cultural identity continued as Lukey attended Temple University where he was thrown into a colorful group of creatives. He quickly learned to make genuine human connections and curate relationships rather than collab with everyone on the block in recognizing that his community was full of “four-dimensional individuals with stories and even trauma,” waiting to be captured he said. While learning that authenticity is key, Lukey also learned a few other lessons that can be found as cliches within his lyrics- and Lukey pays no mind to the criticisms of the cheesiness. These days, audiences need to be uplifted and words of encouragement still need to be said. He emphasized to keep in mind that in being a creative, you must take care of yourself first because not everyone will hold your hand. Creative energy can come from more than just streams but rather in trusting yourself and “doing what you’re afraid of,” he says.
This creative energy influences the whole package for Lukey. From beats to album visuals- every part of the project is a valued piece. Within this cinematic universe of his creations and discography, there is an emphasis on BIPOC representation that begins with Perwinkle. In this EP, a story about the only Asian American couple in a white community unfolds. The project houses classic love songs under a socially conscious lens.
These days Lukey is using this time of hardships for self-reflection to generate more art. After losing a whole EP’s worth of recordings on a hard drive and then a quick breath, he is ready to get back out there and create some content to complete his vision that will be fully revealed in his upcoming music video for “Blush” coming out mid- May.
