When I discovered Lucky's debut EP Biting Heels, specifically the song Lady Beetle, I immediately knew she would become one of my top artists of the year. She’s exactly the kind of music young people nowadays are looking for—it’s grungy, it’s got those shoegazy guitars, and god forbid a shag hair-do gets involved. I thought she was already a critically acclaimed 90s alt rock artist. I was shocked to discover how fresh of an artist she is, and how she’s one of Melbourne's own. 

Lucky’s had a lot of pinch me moments over the past few months, with the release of Biting Heels, national radio support, an appearance at SXSW in Austin and a spot on NME’s Global 100 list. Lucky has also supported artists including Garbage and won triple j Unearthed’s slot at Beyond The Valley.

There's been many firsts, and for her, it's been a lot to take in.“It feels like another day,” she says, though her mum reminds her to stop and appreciate what’s happening. 

Lucky is such a new artist, she's only been “Lucky” officially for 18 months. I find this very hard to believe, as in my circle she is already one of the Melbourne greats. But starting out has taught her about the industry, working with a team and handling the pressure of putting herself out there. 

It’s a testament to the hard work she has put in as a musician. Lucky has wanted to make music for as long as she can remember. “It was always what I wanted to do,” she says. While becoming Lucky has happened quickly, she says the journey began much earlier, including the years since moving to Melbourne and trying to make a career in music work.

Her recent European shows brought some of those firsts into focus. The run was brief, but exciting: she was playing places she had never visited or performed in before. Now she’s looking ahead to touring the US for the first time. “I can’t wait to go and do the US for the first time, the proper tour, I mean,” she says. “There are still so many firsts I have to do. I’m still in that excited future mode.”

For Lucky, her latest release Take It marks a fresh start. The new single arrives after her debut EP, Biting Heels, introduced listeners to her intimate songwriting and hazy, guitar-driven sound. But while the track carries traces of the music that shaped the EP, Lucky says it also points to a new chapter.

“I jumped back into the studio quite quickly to start working on the next kind of thing,” she says. “It’s just part of the new project.”

The song's meaning is interesting; as she is not inclined to be a “dairy-type songwriter”, a lot of her songs are quite ambiguous, left to interpretation. But when asked whether the song is about trying to help or fix someone, Lucky offers a more inward interpretation: it’s about finding the resolve to get through something difficult.

“It’s a lot about self-reassurance and trying to force yourself to overcome this thing,” she says. “It’s definitely a self kind of wrestle.”

The song’s sound draws on the mix of influences that have become central to Lucky’s music. She grew up listening to pop, then found herself drawn further into the guitar sounds of ’90s rock after moving to Melbourne. The result brings together pop melodies and heavier, hazier textures.

With Take It, Lucky has opened the door to that next chapter. I am literally itching to see what Lucky comes out with next. Go check out Take It, and see her talent for yourself at her free gig at the Corner Hotel this Saturday.