Before It Becomes Undeniable: Inside 'Daylight' with Lucia

Words by Matt Keenan

Photos by Olivia Stabile

Some songs don’t announce themselves so much as they arrive gradually, they’re the kind that sound like it was written in space right before a feeling becomes undeniable. That's the register Lucia is working in on "Daylight," her newest single. It's a song about the slow, quiet stretch of falling for someone: the noticing before the naming, the moment light starts to fill a room before you've decided what to do about it. We recently had the chance to chat with Lucia about how her newest song came together, the writing process, choices that shaped its sound, and what it means to put something this personal into the world confidently. 

Hi Lucia, first of all thank you so much for chatting with us! We love ‘Daylight’ and we’re so excited to get to talk with you some more about it. How does it feel to have this one out in the world? 

Lucia: I’m so excited and proud. This is the first song I wrote that truly felt like me and the kind of music I want to make. And it’s been a long time coming - Daylight has been in the works for eight or so months. Summer felt like the perfect release time for the track, so the wait feels worth it. 

Best Left Magazine: Which influences did you draw from the most here, and what drew you to listen to them for inspiration?

Lucia: I listen to pretty much exclusively pop, specifically pop by female artists. I love Kacey Musgraves and drew influence from how she combines the storytelling aspect of country with catchy pop choruses. I also listen to a lot of Sabrina Carpenter and have been so amused by her latest albums. Her lyrics are so tongue-in-cheek witty and I appreciate how she doesn’t take herself too seriously. I think you can hear a bit of that Sabrina-inspired sarcasm on the second verse.

Best Left Magazine: What was the process of writing ‘Daylight’ like, tell us a little bit about how this came together, was there anything new you did this time that you don’t normally do during your writing? 

Lucia: This was actually my first co-write. I brought pieces of this song to Molly Frances, who also produced the track, and we wrote the song together! I’d always written songs alone, but I’ve fallen in love with co-writing. It can be terrifying to express yourself through songwriting, just because of how personal it is. But the more I create with other artists, the more I can separate myself from the art. The music should be bigger than your ego or your fear. Well, that’s the hope: to be in service of something bigger. I actually am able to get more honest when I think of myself and my experiences as just the vessel for the song.

Best Left Magazine: I love the way ‘Daylight’ examines a relationship in vivid, illustrative detail to draw you into the world you’re creating in this song. Was there a specific moment or feeling the song was built around, even if it’s not told literally? 

Lucia: I wrote this about a years-long situationship. There was always this carrot dangled over my head about how we would turn into something real eventually, just not right now. I kept giving up pieces of myself in hopes that he would one day take me seriously. But the relationship was never going to survive in the daylight.

Best Left Magazine: Tell us a little bit about why you chose the title, why call this one ‘Daylight’? 

Lucia: “Could you love me in the daylight?” That’s the pulsing question of the song. I wanted more than this transactional, physical relationship. But I also wasn’t willing to fully ask for something more. There’s also this element of the sun rising on the truth and the ability to see things so clearly in the daylight.

Best Left Magazine: Did the song change a lot between your first version and the final version, or did you basically know how it was going to come out the whole time? 

Lucia: I came to Molly with this idea of a sad indie acoustic song, but once we started working on it, it became clear that we were writing a pop song. And I’ve discovered how cool and fun it is to write something from a place of pain and turn it into something people can bop around to.

Best Left Magazine: What’s your favorite lyric or line from this one, is there one that took the longest to really get right when you were writing? 

Lucia: “I changed all my parts to match your version of me. Do you see me in your dreams?” I love ending with a question. It feels authentic to how I think and process the world - always curious and sometimes a little nosy. And I think this version of myself wanting to still be wanted… that feels true to the person I was in that relationship. And how you can continue to change for a person but they could still never choose you. 

Best Left Magazine: If you could describe your music as an artist to someone who has never heard you before, how would you describe it? Are there three artists you’d compare yourself to if you were recommending your music for the first time? 

Lucia: The music I’m working on right now feels very pop, with dreamy, cinematic elements. And I’ve been told I have some country undertones! Artist wise, I’d say Kacey Musgraves, Gracie Abrams, and Olivia Rodrigo. My music fits into that universe. 

Best Left Magazine: What was your favorite memory of making this song? 

Lucia: The day I left our first session, I was just so excited. Finding a collaborative, fun, intuitive artistic partnership is so special and magical. Molly Frances is a genius! I’m excited to keep making music together. 

Best Left Magazine: Were there any production choices, maybe an instrument or a vocal take, a decision to strip something back — that changed how the song felt once they were in?

Lucia: All the electric guitars, drums, and synths really make the song what it is. We also just had so much fun cutting final vocals. Vocal production is my favorite part of the process and expanding the song with adlibs and harmonies was the best. 

Best Left Magazine: When you think about what you want a listener to feel walking away from ‘Daylight,’ what is it?

Lucia: I think there’s a real bittersweet quality to the song. It’s tough to look back at a relationship that of course had so many wonderful moments, and realize how naive and silly you were. It hurts to remember being taken advantage of. It all seems so obvious as someone looking back or as an outsider looking in, but I wanted the song to live in those complicated feelings of staying in a dynamic that you know doesn’t serve you. So I hope you can listen to this song and reminisce and thank yourself for your growth. 

Thank you so much to Lucia for talking through her process with us, we are so privileged to get to continue to talk to some of the most incredible independent artists with a beautiful commitment and love of what they do. ‘Daylight’ is out now. Give it a listen, and maybe find your own version of that hour right before everything becomes clear.