Lucy Dacus answers your questions about life, love and the papal conclave

Australia Broadcast Center

3 days ago

You might know Lucy Dacus as one-third of Boygenius (alongside Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers) or the writer of one of the most devastating songs of 2018 (it's 'Night Shift', obviously). She's also a well-established artist in her own right, and dropped her fourth album in March.
To celebrate the release of Forever Is A Feeling and for a cheeky catch up, Lucy joined Abby and Tyrone on Drive and answered some of your burning questions.
Who was your niche childhood celebrity crush? - Annabelle
I've said this before – it's the poet dog from the Goofy Movie , but I feel like I should pick somebody else.
I said this recently but all the Bond girls. I would watch all the James Bond movies and, um, that was important.
I kinda had a crush on the goth chick from Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants . She was just so blasé. The way that kids pick their Disney princess, I feel like I had a friend group and we would pick who we were in that book or movie and I was definitely her.
What books or films inspired this album? - Ruby
There's a book called Written On The Body by Jeanette Winterson. It's narrated by someone whose gender is never disclosed, and they have this passionate, obsession type love for this person.
And the way that they write about how they think about the person and what it's like to be in the same room as them and to slip into love with them is... just electric. So I get some inspiration from that.
Garth Greenwell is a great writer, he actually wrote my bio for this [album]. He has a book called Cleanness and a book called What Belongs To You that are very sexy and kind of visceral and still really deep and emotional. Just about at what point do we reach into each others' hearts – if you're already physically engaged, at what do you become emotionally engaged?
What would your advice be for someone going through a lesbian break-up? - Z
I don't know if there's any blanket advice, every situation is so different. Because, I don't know, I could be like 'well, you're better off', or it could be like 'you know, things change'.
Here's maybe the piece of advice I give, and this is not just lesbian, this is just for people in general:
Ideally relationships are places where we can meet each other where we're at and show each other more of ourselves.
And at a certain point, maybe you outpace each other and you have to diverge. Ideally it can be done painlessly, but almost never is that the case.
So if you're feeling pain, you don't have to shy away from it. That's just a part of life.
I want to write music but it always feels like I'm performing or trying to put on someone I'm not. How do I be more authentic? - Amy
Well, the good thing is anything you make is authentic to you, whether it's a performance or not. No one is actually faking it.
Some people have an identity they assume. Some people really write from the heart. Some people you feel as disingenuous, other people you feel really genuine, whether or not it's a fictional character that they're within.
There's really no wrong entry point. So if you have an easier time writing from another perspective... secretly, you're still just in it.
I don't think you actually have to try that hard and I don't know if you're really off-base. I haven't heard your music, but that's what I would say.
Can you tour in like a year so I can get my finances together? - Adele
I literally wish I could speak to that. I'm very eager to get over there – and my whole band and crew – we have a real soft spot and excitement at the idea of going to Australia.
So know that my heart's in the right place.
Do you think you would have won if you were competing in the recent papal conclave? - @gorgeousfart
I'm not Catholic! Well, but I guess they're getting anybody in there now, it sounds like. So maybe I would have had more of a chance.