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In the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry, where artists rise and fall in the blink of an eye, there emerges a talented voice that transcends just mere entertainment by becoming a true beacon of hope and inspiration. 

Meet Virginia native, Lyriq Luchiano, a rapper whose powerful lyrics have captivated the hearts of millions and transformed his pain into a compelling narrative that resonates with listeners worldwide.

Life has not been kind to Lyriq Luchiano, as he endured numerous traumas and hardships that shaped his journey. Yet, it is through his music that he finds solace, pouring his heart and soul into each verse, creating a profound connection with those who have experienced similar struggles.

Tiktok has become a platform where artists rise to stardom overnight, and Lyriq Luchiano’s talent has not gone unnoticed. With over 3 million followers on this digital stage, his music has found its way into the hearts of countless individuals seeking solace and understanding in a world often indifferent to their pain.

One of his recent tracks, “Face Card,” has become nothing short of a viral sensation, resonating deeply with listeners who are encouraged to love themselves no matter what. Listeners find comfort in his authentic expression and value his ability to tackle any subject whether it’s about recovering from addiction, losing a loved one, or an upbeat fun song encouraging women to practice self-love. This emotive anthem serves as a testament to Lyriq’s ability to convey complex emotions with a rawness that defies traditional boundaries.

Beyond his musical prowess, Lyriq Luchiano’s story holds the power to uplift and inspire others who have faced their own tribulations. By delving into his personal experiences, he offers a relatable perspective that acts as a guiding light, reminding us of our collective resilience in the face of adversity.

With his infectious passion and unwavering dedication, Lyriq Luchiano has become an emblematic figure within the rap scene. But beyond the glitz and glamour lies an artist who remains grounded and committed to sharing his story with authenticity and vulnerability.

In an exclusive interview with Desirae L. Benson from Sheen Magazine, we delve into the mind of this remarkable artist, exploring the depths of his creative process, the meaning behind his poignant lyrics, and the hope he aims to inspire within his growing fan base. Join us as we unravel the enigma that is Lyriq Luchiano, allowing his powerful words to ignite a fire within our souls and empowering us to overcome life’s most daunting challenges. Lyriq Luchiano invites us into his world of introspection, resilience, and ultimately, triumph.

Your name is unique, how did that come about for you? 

First Lyriq just because I felt like without lyrics to an instrumental, it wouldn’t mean as much, but when you add lyrics to the instrumental it sounds so much better. So, I just say, “You know what, I’ll just name myself Lyriq.” And then Luchiano came from Lucky Luchiano, which was the mobster, gangster who ended up getting an L carved in his face, trying to bring the mobs and the gangsters together. So, I just kept that in my head to remind myself and others to never negotiate who you are and what your worth is.

Can you tell us about your music journey from being an aspiring artist to becoming a rising star in the music industry? Like, how did it all begin for you? 

It began in high school. I wasn’t a rapper. I was, somebody who was just writing poetry. It seemed weird, but I would write poetry when I would be home. A couple of my friends, two white guys, ended up introducing me to music. They had a studio, and they were working on music. They told me to come through. Long story short, I fell in love with it, and I loved the creation process, so I started doing that. After high school, I pursued music even more and I would go to different venues and different cities around the area to perform at open mics. I was bashing out my CDs.

I would just try to do anything I could to possibly be seen. And at that time, social media wasn’t too big, so I had to really be in person and direct with it. But I’m from Virginia, so that by itself is overlooked. You talk about being overlooked and usually people from other cities and towns, they tell you, “Hey man, yeah, these labels come looking for you. Boom, boom, boom. You’ve got talent, boom, boom, boom.” That’s not the case in this situation. For some reason, a lot of people in Virginia who do music, they never get a chance to be heard, so I just kept going. And a lot of bumps and bruises, a lot of mistakes, a lot of trials and tribulations. And then within the past year, I ended up catching some kind of buzz, and that’s what it’s been.

You have over 3 million followers on Tiktok and your song, “Face Card” is pure fire. How has social media played a role in your rise to fame, and how do you engage with your fans online?

My music other than Face Card, if you go listen to any of my songs, most of them are deep, and have deep meanings behind them. I’m talking about relationship issues. I’m talking about depression issues, awareness, suicidal thoughts type of things, and how to overcome it, how to deal with drug addiction, anything dealing with important topics. I try to face it and deal with it. So, my fans, we connect on a deeper level. So, when they hear me speak about these things, I want them to know that they’re not the only ones going through it. And it provides some type of therapy to the heart and soul of my supporters and my fans. So, I try to make a connection with them, every chance I get. I’m like, I’m still taking it all in. I didn’t expect Face Card to do what it did, because I just released the album maybe two and a half weeks ago. So, Face Card was on the album and then this is happening, and I’m blown away. I’m grateful. It’s a lot to take in because I didn’t expect this, but I’m grateful, I’m blessed.

I’ve had the chance to listen to several of your songs and I was blown away each time. So much depth, relatability and heart go into every lyric you write. What inspires you to create such emotionally charged and introspective music?

Yes, I’ve had my share of hard times. Also, a lot of deep dark trauma, to where I can pull from and get these songs from. I couldn’t write it if I didn’t go through it, or I couldn’t write it if I didn’t see it happen with my own eyes to others. So, I pull from experience and pull from things that I saw in my life, whether it happened to somebody else or whether it happened to me. I could either be the participating member in a song or the watcher in the song. I swear that’s how I come up with it.

So, with the three million followers that you have on Tiktok, I know you have a lot of fake accounts that are popping up. So, how do you deal with that? How do you deal with being authentically you, and people trying to pull your energy?

Within the past year, I’ve dealt with over a hundred fake pages trying to pretend to be me. They write my supporters, and they’ll try to scam them, and try to get them to download WhatsApp, try to get them to download, Google Talk and other apps. And my supporters really think they’re talking to me before they ask for the Cash App. And I’m just like, “Man, I’m trying to control it.” I got a blue check mark on Facebook. But other than that, I tried with Tiktok, I tried with Instagram, and I made requests over and over. 

I am following one person and his name is Carty-Yeah. Carty-Yeah is not a blood brother, but he’s like a spirit brother to me, real close to me. He was there for a lot of things. I don’t even know if I’m supposed to say this, but I’m going to give you an exclusive. He’s going to have to just cuss me out later. He’s playing the star role of Lyfe Jennings in Lyfe Jennings’ upcoming movie. And then, he’s also a musician. He raps and he sings. He was well known for his battle rap days around the DMV area. He was the battle rap champion. They had him all over the radio. Me and him met on the movie set, movies and we’ve been close ever since. He ended up becoming my brother to the point where, I tell him I love him, every time I leave him. That type of close. I’m his little brother. It’s like, it’s one of them special type of relationships between me and him. He’s a great guy. More like when you talk to him, whoever meets him, they’ll be drawn into his energy immediately. So, I have respect for Carty-Yeah.

Can you describe your creative process when writing and producing new music?

When I get in the studio, I close my eyes. I know it sounds crazy, but I close my eyes and I go back to a certain day, a certain event, and I channel in the energy and the emotion from that event, and I capture it on wax. And I try to get into detail with my music, because that’s a lost art form for some reason. I don’t know what happened but being creative and being authentic and touching the people has lost its weight along the way. I try to pull that out from myself when I’m creating music.

What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are looking to make a name for themselves in the music industry?

To be a one-stop shop. I wish I would’ve known what I knew back then because I would’ve never waited. I would’ve never followed behind people to do things. Nobody wants it as important as you do. Be a one-stop shop. Don’t depend on, try not to depend on people because when you depend on people, a lot of people will let you down. You get so excited, you get so anxious to do and to make it come true with the person you’re speaking with, that they end up not coming through, and now you let down and you’re discouraged. Be a one-stop shop. That way, you determine your own fate. A lot of these rappers that’s in the streets, a lot of older rappers that stopped rapping and started working a nine to five or doing something else with their life, a lot of them stopped because they depended on other people that ended up crashing them out.

And we got to keep it real. You got to depend on yourself and control your own destiny. That way, by the end of the road, you can look at it and be like, “Yo, if I didn’t make it, that’s on me.  If I made it, that’s on me also.” And, that’s what I would like to encourage anybody that’s coming up. Learn the game, pay attention, and sell like that. It’s always good to have a team. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always great to have a team. It’s always great for people to push you, but I don’t like when people get let down. It hurts 30,000 times more. And now, you over here scrambling, you are panicking and things falling apart. I want you to come in the game thinking, doing for yourself, and not depending on other people. You won’t let you down. You might, but in the case it’s something that you want, I don’t think you will let yourself down. You could be the best singer in the world, but in the wrong hands, you’ll never be heard.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years, and what goals do you hope to achieve in your career? 

God willing, I want to be on top of the game, not to the point where I’m on top of everybody, but I mean, amongst the stars, the Drakes, the whoever, rappers. The Lil’ Baby’s, the Kevin Gates, the Meek Mills, all the big names. I want to be among them, and I want to share a spotlight with them and work with these guys, while bringing what I have to bring to the industry. I’m not the type that’s looking for trouble. I’m not the type that’s toting guns and talking about murder. I want the opposite. So that’s what I’m aiming for, to be a worldwide superstar, and for people to know me for keeping it real.

Do you have any rituals or habits that help you stay focused and motivated in your music career?

I keep my mother in mind. My mother died in 2017, December 22nd. I keep her in mind, no matter what I do. I got a goal and a mission. I made a promise to her while she was on her deathbed that I’m trying to fulfill. So, I have an obligation to her. I just keep that in my head. And no matter what I do, and no matter what kind of music I drop, I try to keep my promise, and that’s what I plan on doing.

The music industry is usually hit or miss with a few things in between. How do you handle criticism or negative feedback, and how do you use it to improve and grow as an artist?

Surprisingly, I never got any comments that said, “This was trash. This song is trash.” So, I’m so grateful to God. I know it’s coming, because one of them trolls going to get me one day. It’s possible. But as far as dealing with like, Face Card, this is perfect. This is actually a great question. Face Card just dropped. And my fans are used to me being deep and pulling on the heartstrings type of lyrics. Face Card is more like a fun song, energetic song. It’s a real self-love, love yourself baby girl. Boom, boom, boom. And the videos I’m posting on my stories are women who are showing off themselves, like I asked them to do when the challenge started.

And some of my fans are like, “Hey man, we want the Lyriq, boom, boom.” And I’m just trying to tell them, “Hey man, I have a single, I still got a job to do. I got to have singles, I got to produce numbers, I got to do this, I got to do that. I still have to have a hit song. I can’t just make all these records.” Yes, some of these records when you do deep music can be hits, but sometimes I’m not in a sad mood all the time. Sometimes, I want to lift people up. Sometimes, I want to tell people that love yourself and have self-love. So that’s one of the challenges for myself.

How do you mentally and physically take care of yourself with everything going on around you, and with the things that you’ve been through. How do you take care of yourself? What do you do to give back to yourself?

By me motivating others that’s how I motivate me and give back to myself. By having goals to help keep me focused. When you have goals to reach, that’ll help for you to keep going and to keep your fire burning. When you have a family, when you have folks that you love, that’ll keep your fire burning. People really don’t see how the little things keep your fire burning. So, I take heed of that. I take that as my motivation.

Follow Lyriq Luchiano on his socials:

Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify

 

Photo Credits :Wade Puffenbarger