Up and coming artist Lucky Daye speaks on his journey in the music business, announces tour dates
“This my first Essence [Festival] and I’m at home, so it feel good, it feel real good because last Bayou Classic was my first show and I was outside. So to be inside, anyway inside of here [the Mercedes-Benz Superdome] is amazing. And next year, I’m tryna, like, make sure I’m on that big stage.”
A talented soul surfing on the new wave of R&B music, Lucky Daye brings us a breath of light, fresh, and crisp air with his new, 13-track debut album Painted, recently released in May and co-created by R&B producer Dernst “D’Mile” Emile. The album comes off of the heels of his latest two EPs, I, released in November 2018 and II, released in February 2019
A mix of the street soul like Usher and soulful funk like Bruno Mars and reminiscent of mainstream musicians like The Internet, this young man from the seventh ward of New Orleans immediately sets himself apart from the Jacques’es, Bryson Tillers’ and Sy Ari’s of R&B, creating his own creative lane and incorporating many different vibes to create his new project.
“I’m very hands on. I try to do it like how JD [Jermaine Dupri] did it, shoutout to JD–how JD and, like, people like him that took an album and had a vision and created it from beginning to end sonically, and I was able to find that producer by the name D. Mile who helped me create the whole thing. So even the two songs that he didn’t produce alone, he reproduced after the files were lost. And to do something like that. That’s like that’s humility. That’s humility at its finest for him not to say ‘I ain’t do this so I’m not going to reproduce that for you’. He really loved what was going on.”
Daye said that having the ability to create his own music makes it especially real and comes from a personal place.
“It’s coming from deep inside of me. So it’s layers that I give people to be able to digest, simple-minded people, old people, young people, complicated people–and then I have my whole levels to the album that none of ya’ll would be able to figure out. So it’s one of those albums and each song can live on its own.”
His first single, “Misunderstood” from his debut album is an example of that.
“Misunderstood–it’s not only about a relationship. It’s about how you feel in a world where people judge you all the time right. Maybe I’m better with you not understanding where I come from or you not understanding who I want to love, like I’m misunderstood. We all get at times get misunderstood. So for me it was it was personal. Well for everybody else is is about accepting who you are no matter what anybody think about you period. You know.”
Daye expressed that he tries his best to just invoke that deep creativity within his process.
“Not even to just be to be cocky or anything like that. I believe in myself because God gave me the power to do the things that I’m doing. So I’m not about to disrespect him by saying I can’t–I’m not good, like, I’m dope, by the grace of God.”
Although Daye’s ultimate experience with success in the music industry is still on the rise, Daye said his journey to this point hasn’t been an easy one. Daye confessed that he was almost left unsigned, until reps with Keep Cool and RCA heard his new album and thought it was dope.
“To this point, my journey has been pretty up and down. It’s been good though. I mean I have no regrets. Every every mistake I made has been a learning tool, learning so much in my life, abuse-like you know what I’m saying-industry abuse, not physical cause can’t nobody—nah I’m just playing…” Daye jokes.”…but industry abuse is just like learning the way to the game go.”
I feel like I picked up a lot of–a lot of tools when it comes to treating people right by how bad I got treated. So I keep that close to me, and I work from and I move by love.
“So I don’t really have no fear and I just kind of kind of live in the now I live by God’s code, and love is my key. So I mean it was bubbling thank God because it was my last train and I was just like almost as do this album and go home and just quit because maybe it’s not my thing. Maybe it’s not my purpose and now it’s just like, all of a sudden, like boom, and I’m just like I’m really in awe, like, I’m humbled by like, by people like you and by the faces out here. And by the interviews, like people that’s like, saying I’m dope and thinking I’m dope after I already thought– I was like I’m not dope, I guess it’s not my thing and I don’t know–I’m grateful, I’m grateful.”
As far as the legacy that Lucky Daye wants to leave, he stated that he’d love to leave an imprint where people can feel like, when all else fails, go back to what’s real.
“I like to listen to old music. The first songs I heard was from my pop’s, listening to the Gap Band and stuff like that or, like, you know how we do in New Orleans, we listen to, like, Frankie Beverly. So, like, that’s what I heard first. And the next day, I’d be listening to Genuine and Tyrese. So it’s this like I had that mix of all the stuff. So for me, I want that legacy to be a timeless legacy. I want it to be something where somebody could listen to it and they don’t know when it happened. They don’t know when this album came about they just know that this feels good. And it’s gonna always feel good. I wanted to be something I would never forget but they always feel.”
At the end of it all, it all goes back home for Daye, to a place that made him and deeply contributed to his personal and professional outlook.
“This city built me, when it comes to music, it built me, when it comes to my exterior who seems harder than what my music sounds, it built me.”
I was raised by a woman, a queen. A strong woman, who tried to fill the space of a man. So I automatically have an emotional side. I feel like that’s just nature.
“You know what I’m saying. So being that I know I’m a man and she tried to teach me to be a man. But she still a woman. It comes of emotional sometimes. And learning that I’m emotional and understanding that I should be more logical, gives me like a learning curve of like I know I’m screwed. So I write. And New Orleans like that.”
Daye announced that he will hit the road starting next month on his “Painted” tour. The tour, starting in Portland, Oregon, will make its rounds through the US and Canada before finishing up in San Francisco, California. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 2nd.
To keep up with Lucky Daye follow his social media: @iamluckydaye on Instagram and Lucky Daye on Facebook.
Painted Tour Dates:
September 20: Portland, Oregon
September 21: Vancouver, Canada
September 22: Seattle, Washington
September 25: Salt Lake City, Utah
September 27: Denver, Colorado
September 28: Kansas City, Missouri
September 29: Minneapolis, Minnesota
October 1: Chicago, Illinois
October 2: Cincinnati, Ohio
October 3: Cleveland Heights, Ohio
October 4: Toronto, Canada
October 5: Ferndale, Michigan
October 7: New York, New York
October 9: Cambridge, Massachusetts
October 11: Washington DC
October 12: Durham, North Carolina
October 13: AFROPUNK, Atlanta
October 15: New Orleans, Louisiana
October 17: Dallas, Texas
October 19: Houston, Texas
October 20: Austin, Texas
October 23: Phoenix, Arizona
October 24: Los Angeles, California
October 25: San Diego, California
October 27: San Francisco, California
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