San Francisco-raised solo songwriter, talented producer, and dancer Lovsky has shared her brand-new song “1987,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. Check out the single HERE.
Speaking on the record, Lovsky shared, “One of my favorite songs that I’ve written because of how effortless it was. I came up with the hook after producer Andrew Toto started laying down some LoFi drums and I imagined my vocals getting sampled. We pitched up a little run I had placed in there, which I actually wanted to turn into a saxophone run, and from there the groove was established.”
“1987” arrives months removed from the release of her visual effort for “Masks,” made for anyone that got tangled up in the idea of someone and then had to endure rejection as she shares throughout the chorus and verses. With her newest record, Lovsky paints a vivid picture perfect for long car rides with a good friend or romantic partner.
Tell us about the genesis of your career. How did you get to where you are now?
I was pursuing competitive Latin Ballroom dance from a young age, until I was 20. When I was in college, I decided to stop because of an injury. It made me question what my purpose was. After a year of searching and asking myself the question, what was the part that made me most happy with dance, the answer always came down to music. No matter where I was, if a song I loved came on, I would go crazy. Nothing has changed lol.
As a kid, I was always fascinated by performance and singing/songwriting. Since I decided to start pursuing a music career late in the game, I wasn’t sure where to start and didn’t really have any help. One of my family friend’s suggested I find someone to play live with. So one day, I went on Craiglist, searched Female Vocalist, and found a band. I don’t know why I felt pulled to this one ad in particular but that was the only one I responded to. The guys in this electro pop band turned out to be super cool and had a promising vision. They happened to be looking for a female singer to perform with them at a legendary venue, Slims in San Francisco, and I auditioned by sending a 20 second clip of me singing Killing Me Softly (the Fugees rendition) in my stairwell. They decided I was great for the part and they made me the female lead in their show.
Fast forward, I’m in the middle of finishing university, the band is killing it, I became a permanent lead, and I made the decision to switch my major to music. I ended up finishing with a major in Jazz Voice and moved to LA. The band parted ways and I began putting my time into practicing songwriting as well as doing lots of networking. A lot trial and error happened with song styles, and I told myself creating as much as possible was the key to discovering myself as an artist. One thing they don’t tell you though is the excruciating hustle behind being an independent artist. Including doing hilarious jobs like being a “demo specialist” and sampling food at grocery stores.
I’m still going through the hustle but I’ve finally aligned myself with side jobs that fit my path. And I’m honing in on a sound I love. I now work with a number of dope producers who have become my dear friends, and I am able to co-produce with the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years.
How would you describe the highs and lows of being an artist?
One day I wake up and I think, “I am MADE to do this.” Other days I just spend all day thinking about how I’m not good enough. To get through the lows, I look back to see where I began, and how far I’ve come. I try not to compare myself to other people’s journeys and instead try to focus on myself and my wellbeing. I then work on staying present and finding excitement in how much more I have to learn. The past few years, I’ve taught myself to fall in love with the process.
To stay balanced, I like to journal a lot and listen to podcasts as well as take baths and go to the farmers market.
What’s a musical guilty pleasure of yours?
Russian pop music and Italian pop from the 80’s. I’m the daughter of two Ukranian immigrants, so that’s what was always playing on our car rides. Also a lot of groovy Euro Disco music was blasting through the speakers at home. Oh, and I. Any forget Latin classics like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente – dancing ballroom since 6 years old will really engrain certain rhythms into your body. Any Latin music will get me on my feet in seconds.
What are some sources of inspiration for you?
Michael Jackson – I would steal a lot of things from my older sister’s desk, including her CD player, and all of her CD’s were Michael. My mom’s favorite singers were Sade and Lauryn Hill, and those are my two biggest female inspirations. Lastly, being in the Jazz program in college, I fell in love with Nina Simone and Ray Charles. These are my main musical influences, and the most one random one is probably Eminem. I used to dress up like him when I was a kid and rap all of The Eminem Show front to back.
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
This is a really tough question. First, I have to mention that I’m a huge fan of Jazmine Sullivan, Tame Impala, H.E.R., and John Mayer (to name a few), but Lana del Ray has consistently inspired me out of all the modern day artists. Mainly because she didn’t have a typical rise to stardom, and she has stayed true to herself and her artistry throughout it all. I’m in awe by her story telling abilities in her songwriting and how she plays into an ongoing narrative that’s very captivating and unusual. Also, the way her sound has progressed, and how her harmonies carry every track…her layers are insane.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
This one was very organic and unexpected. Andrew Toto and I were still new to working with each other and were just messing around one day with a cool lofi sound. He started with some bumpin drum that I couldn’t help but write to and spurred a saxophone run in my head that I sang out loud and ended up wanting him to sample. The vocals you hear in the beginning are mine, pitched up. Then I was using my voice memos to put down some melodies before we were going to record takes, and while I was listening to one of the memos, the mic was on. Toto turned to me and we both looked at each other and he immediately read my mind- the voice memo recording needed to be recorded through the mic. That’s the other “sample” type sound that you hear. As for the lyrics, this one was exceptionally fun because I pretty much let my stream of consciousness go and wrote the hook from a place of cool girl energy.
What is the most embarrassing memory and the proudest moment of your career so far?
When I started writing in this one studio and this old man from Capital came by and heard one of my songs. He took a liking to me and decided to check if I knew my stuff. So he asked me to sing a scale and I froze and asked what key and he smirked and said, “You already failed.”
My most proud moment – one of my singles making it onto Fresh Finds playlist on Spotify. And finishing any song I start. It takes a lot to follow through with any project so there’s always a moment of gratitude and excitement when something gets done.
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
I’m very grateful that I’ve been given a lot of good advice. The three most memorable have been:
Don’t forget the reason you chose to pursue this art in the first place. The reasons I’ll always lead you back to your purpose.
Don’t compare yourself to other people’s journey because everyone has their own way.
And lastly, discipline and consistency are key.
Where do you think the music and entertainment industry is headed after this past year?
I think now we have even more tools under our belts having experienced something drastic like Covid. With live shows being put to a halt, it has taught artists to utilize their platforms in a different way and get creative. I also think there is a new found appreciation for live events. No one will ever take them for granted again. Finally, I think everyone has learned to stop taking things so seriously and in terms of content, people have implemented more candidness and allowed themselves to just be. This also has brought us to the genre question- there are now so many sub-genres that it’s not about fitting into one box anymore. You make your own sound and pave your own way, breaking through with authenticity and innovativeness.
