You may remember Tony Lucca when he got his start on The Mickey Mouse Club, with fellow mouseketeers and equally successful in their own right, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell, among others. Shortly after his appearances on the show, he began to further his acting career, being cast in Aaron Spelling’s short-lived teen drama, Malibu Shores, along with several television movies and appearances. He left acting to pursue music full-time, and for the last sixteen years, has worked hard to carve success and establish a stronghold with his name. He has toured with varied acts as *NSYNC, Marc Anthony, Sara Bareilles, and more. Most recently, he was the second runner-up contestant on the highly popular reality music program, The Voice. All three judges, Cee-Lo Green, Adam Levine and his fellow co-star, Christina Aguilera, all wanted to be his mentor, although Lucca decided on Maroon 5’s frontman, Adam Levine. Since Adam’s mentoring, Lucca has signed with Adam’s record label, 222 Records, releasing his current EP, The Whole World Watching. We caught up with Tony and had an exclusive conversation about his new EP, how Adam Levine helped him with his songwriting and what he ultimately learned from him, how his songwriting has grown, his guilty pleasure and more musical fun stuff.
The Canyon Songs album was very raw and deep and personally, my favorite. Now that you’re on Adam Levine’s label and have toured with Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson, do you feel like you’re influenced and writing with more of a pop sensibility?
Tony: I certainly knew that after doing something like The Voice, if I were to have any honest success with it, I was going to have to make a “bigger” record. I suppose by bigger I mean more accessible. In truth, this is the kind of record I’ve been looking forward to making for a while now. The means of making more records like Canyon Songs will always be there, whereas taking a shot at an opportunity like this (i.e. working with hit producers, hit songwriters, an actual budget, major promotion, etc.) doesn’t happen all that often.
You have been a road warrior for 10+ years and have really lived the life of a musician working HARD to make it in the business. What has “The Voice” given you that you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise? In other words, many people might think that going on a national show like Idol or The Voice might homogenize or commercialize you – but what’s the reality of benefits for musicians considering trying out?
Tony: For me personally, it’s helped me push on to the next level of touring and self-promotion. In essence, the numbers go up; attendance, ticket sales, guarantees, merch sales, etc. Having made it as a finalist also lends credibility on the industry side of things. For instance, there have been a lot of doors that have opened that would otherwise have stayed closed, and of course, getting someone like Adam Levine to recognize how long and hard I’ve been working at this, getting him to help enable someone like me, you can’t ask for much more. For newcomers, it’s merely a boost of confidence to let you know that you’re not crazy and that this may be something worth pursuing further.
Have you seen a change in your fan base? Not just the size but the breadth?
Tony: Yes. The fan base has swelled. surprisingly though, it’s managed to bring out a lot of older fans that may have dropped off over the years, lost track or simply didn’t realize I was still “at it.” There are of course new fans, but so far they all seem to be getting along just fine.
Has your songwriting evolved? What were the biggest lessons you’ve learned from Adam Levine as a mentor?
Tony: Adam showed me the importance of taking risks and clearly that has made its way into the creative process. Now it’s all about finding ways to stand out, at every turn. Specifically, the songs on the new EP have a more mainstream feel to them but a lot of that is in the production. I’m still entirely comfortable with an acoustic guitar and a microphone.
What was the writing and recording process for your recent EP release, With The Whole World Watching?
Tony: I basically tried to continue on with the trajectory Adam and I had tapped into on The Voice. I was able to show other writers clips from the show as a jumping off point, a possible direction to head in. It seemed to work really well. I feel that if the show had gone on another week or so, I could’ve performed any one of the songs on the record as my next song.
I understand you’re moving to Nashville (or have just moved). What brought you there?
Tony: Nashville has been on the horizon for me for some time now. It really is THE place to be for songwriters and people looking to maintain a career in music outside of recording and touring. So far it’s been amazing! I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with some of the best writers in town. They’ve been very welcoming and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
What has been your best gig, so far?
Tony: Man that’s a hard one. We’ve had some pretty amazing shows. There are a few towns that stand out as far as having consistently some of the best audiences out there. Chicago, Boston, New York, Orlando, Atlanta and Dallas have always been real kind. I will say though that the folks in Montreal are some of the most avid music lovers in the world. I’ve had some extremely unforgettable receptions there and certainly look forward to getting back.
Have you had any strange fan encounters happen to you or at a show?
Tony: I’ve helped out with a lot of wedding proposals over the years. Kinda weird to be at the center of one of the most exciting moments in a person’s life. Since The Voice I’ve had some lingerie thrown at the stage and more recently at a NASCAR event there were some bare chests pointed my way. I’m not complaining though it’s all completely amusing. Music does funny things to some folks.
If you do, how do you warm-up for a show?
Tony: I have a series of vocal warm-ups that I do depending on what my voice is capable of on any given day. Scales that I’ve been singing since I was a kid. Fortunately, I’ve gotten better at remembering to do them over the years.
Do you have a guilty musical or entertainment pleasure?
Tony: Every now and then a song, usually by a young female pop artist will come along that I just can’t get enough of. My most recent guilty pleasure was “I Want You Back” by Cher Lloyd. Man I love that song. It so perfectly speaks to young teenage angst. And it’s catchy as hell. Ah, Cher Lloyd!
Tony performs at Eddie’s Attic with special guests, Honor by August, this Friday, August 9.
