“She’s amazing!” the girls in front of me whispered excitedly as they watched Lucy’s dimly lit face serenade the crowd on the intimate second stage at Rockwood Music Hall. This was clearly the general consensus by fans and passersby alike, and by the time I had finished my conversation with her backstage, I was sure Lucy had recruited another fan. This confident, genuine, and passionate young lady is so clever and yet so poised that you can’t help but admire her.
The LA native and daughter of a composer spent her childhood engrossed in artistic activities including dance class and theater, always knowing she’d do something in the arts. By 13, she decided that all of this music she was making would best be paired with lyrics as well, thus began the songwriting. Her first two songs were placed on the soundtrack for chick flick The Women at the age of 15. Since then, Schwartz’s songs have been included in an array of TV and movie soundtracks including the upcoming Shrek 4.
Lucy insists that songwriting comes quite easily to her, especially when she has to come up with songs on a strict timeline, as requested by movie producers. Often she will be told that they need x type of song in one week’s time and she has no choice but to deliver. She usually doesn’t take her lyrics from real life but rather creates the music and then “lets the chords tell the story.” Her inspiration comes from a variety of musical artists including The Beatles, Coldplay, Gina Spector, Katie Costello, and members of her own band.
If she could perform with any musician in the whole world, Lucy would choose Chris Martin to stand by her side. Her second wish has already been granted, as her collaboration with Aqualung is the bonus track on September’s album release Life In Letters. If she could have anyone portray her it would be Zooey Deschanel although Lucy insists she is more expressive than the rather stoic Deschanel when she performs live with She and Him. In 5 years, Lucy hopes to be known even more for her music but not to have to deal with the fame of Lady Gaga. Simply put, she wants a “Regina Spector type status,” having fame but still having a personal life as well.
Lucy has a busy remainder of the year ahead as she will start touring with The Weepies in October. Her new music video “Graveyard” whose interpretive dancing is choreographed by Sonya Tayeh of “So You Think You Can Dance” will be released soon. Life In Letters, whose album title is about a writer who has lost inspiration and then hears a song that inspires them to come alive again, is set to release in September 2010. This self-proclaimed “fortunate fool” is beyond ready for its release as she has been working on it for so long and is ready to hear the final product.
