‘Feels like Paradise…’ with Lucky Bamba
We live in the age now of planned songwriting sessions. You arrange to meet a fellow songwriter, then together in a session you’ll work on an idea to see where the collaboration goes. Often I’ve heard of collaborative pieces being written in a session that never materialise beyond that room or in demo form. It’s not often at all that songwriters will produce a future single in their first session together, let alone a songwriter’s first writing session in a city they’ve just moved to. This is both the case with Lucky Bamba’s new single ‘Paradise’.
Image Credit: Ellisha Iddon.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lucky Bamba has since settled in London where he has been releasing music since 2018 including singles ‘Valley’ in July of that year and ‘Angels’ in November 2019 (with a music video following in December). Kicking off 2020, Lucky Bamba put out ‘Let You Go’ in March just prior to the first U.K. lockdown and followed with two music videos for ‘She’s Amazing’ in September, and ‘New Life’ in November. Lucky Bamba is a talented vocalist and guitarist who also plays the piano, bass guitar and drums.
For the most part, Lucky Bamba’s previous singles were written solo, but ‘Paradise’ is a co-write with Chris Kimsey and Charles Monneraud. Chris Kimsey is most notable for having worked on albums with Peter Frampton, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Charles Monneraud is a guitarist, composer and musical director who has worked with singer, songwriter and performers Joy Crookes and Dermot Kennedy. As well as assisting in engineering Lucky Bamba’s ‘Angels’ single, Chris Kimsey also co-produces ‘Paradise’.
Beginning with a drum fill, Paradise maintains an even beat and single strums of guitar chords. The drum sound here is full of character, like you can really feel the bass frequencies of all the individual drums. There’s a sense of being in the room with the kit as well, neither chock full of reverb nor an anechoic chamber, more like it’s in your living room on a rug with a hardwood floor. The guitars are a mixture of acoustic and electrics, I can’t tell if that more melodic part is played on a bass or electric guitar, but it’s sweet. You’re already settled into that lovely melody before the lyrics kick in.
And Lucky Bamba’s voice. How best to pair up your instrumental sounds with the perfect vocal – just listen to this. The lyrics are simple, but they tell a story we’re all familiar with; “The sun is up, you are half asleep, you wear my shirt under the sheets, and I don’t want to rush, ‘cause I need you so much.” You don’t want to stop spending time with your loved one, but life unfortunately goes on and you need to go to work, or somewhere equally as mundane.
There are lots of textural sounds in this track that make this more than just a drums, bass, guitar and vocal affair. For a start the guitar layers are numerous, often doubling up the acoustic and electrics together, then in the second verse there are yet more guitars, gently chugging along. Percussion assists in the choruses, there are soft backing vocals, and an instrumental section to finish off Paradise with a guitar solo - you can tell this was co-produced by a veteran of the business.
The music video, shot by Ellisha Iddon, stars Rosie Day and Roman Harris. Rosie Day appears alongside Sarah Jessica Parker in ‘All Roads Lead To Rome’, released in 2015, and in historical television drama ‘Outlander’. Roman Harris co-wrote Lucky Bamba’s ‘Angels’ single and since 2019 has released four singles of his own with his latest, ‘Come Around’ released in March 2020. Ellisha Iddon has an incredible gig photography portfolio, just check out her Instagram @ellisha.jade. The video features Day and Harris as a couple while Lucky Bamba performs the song in beautiful outdoor shots. The recording scene was captured in the control room of Studio 1 at London’s Eastcote Studios and features none other than Chris Kimsey as himself! Really this is a great companion to the Paradise single, and I hope to see more from Lucky Bamba in 2021.
Image Credit: Lu Paul.
1. Your new single 'Paradise' is co-written with Chris Kimsey and Charles Monneraud, what was it like to work with them on the writing?
It was fantastic! Both Chris and Charles are very talented music professionals, and I believe each one of them was able to add their own flavour to the song. We started writing the first verses with Charles, and then we sat down with Chris in the studio to materialise our ideas and shape up the song. I am a big fan of collaborations. When the right people get together in the same room, I think you can really expand the horizons and make some magic happen.
2. How did you come into contact with Chris and Charles originally?
I moved to London around mid-2018. I didn't really know anyone in the city at the time. However, I had been following the great work Charles was doing as a MD and guitarist with Joy Crookes for a few months. So, I decided to reach out to him, and he welcomed me to his studio. I brought an idea of some chord progressions I wanted to explore, and then we wrote the first verses for ‘Paradise’ on top of them. Now that I look back, it is crazy that in my first ever writing session in London we were able to put down the roots for such a beautiful song.
A few months later, I assisted a winter school program at Visconti’s Studios in Kingston University, which was hosted by Chris. It was a week where he recorded a band using only analogue tape and gear - such a fascinating experience!
We had a great time during those sessions and then met at Eastcote Studios a couple weeks later. I showed him what we had written for ‘Paradise’ with Charles, and he really loved the vibe. From then on, we decided to keep on getting together to write and produce the music for it. We really bonded throughout the process. He is definitely one of my dearest friends here in London.
3. With your multi-talent in performing skills, did you lay all the instruments down in the studio yourself?
I worked on the majority of the recorded instruments myself inside my studio, although we also added some contributions from other great musicians. I did the recording for all the guitars (electric and acoustic), the bass and the main vocals of course. The backing vocals were recorded remotely in Buenos Aires by Lucia Sargiotto, with the recording assistance of Jony Galvan. You may recognize her amazing vocals also on my other songs “Angels”, “Let You Go” and “She’s Amazing”. Last but definitely not least, Jennifer Maidman (Boy George), helped us shape some ideas around the bass line. The rest of the instruments and hits were programmed by Chris and I.
4. The music video for 'Paradise' is great, where were those outdoor shots done? Were you able to shoot the whole video in one day?
We shot the majority of the video in Richmond Park. I absolutely love that spot! It is one of my favourites in London for sure. The scenes with the actress Rosie Day and the actor Roman Harris were shot all in one day by Ellisha Iddon, while my scenes were shot on another day. We had to really adapt the script and schedule to be compliant with the present situation around the pandemic.
5. There's a scene in the music video where you're playing the lead guitar part, what's the guitar you're playing on?
That is my Gibson ES 335. I love that guitar, it is my favourite instrument by far. It has such a pure and deep sound. I feel really connected to it, and that is why I decided to bring it onboard for the music video.
6. The artwork for the single goes well with the video, who put the artwork together?
The artwork was drawn by my dear friend Lu Paul. She is a great designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has been working on all the artwork for my songs so far. We always try to go for a minimalistic approach, with a white background and just a drawing connected somehow to the story. Sometimes we go for a more obvious idea, other times we go for something more symbolic. In this case, I told Lu Paul the idea behind the song, about “Paradise” not referring to that common concept of an unachievable place/state but rather to the everyday pleasures you share with someone you love (a cup of coffee, holding hands, walking in the park, etc.) We sketched some ideas until one day I found a picture I took of my partner a few months back, while we were enjoying a coffee on a lazy Sunday morning. I think that photo really reflects the idea I wanted to portray for “Paradise”, a really authentic moment of love and peace. The designer then translated that image into a drawing, and that ended up being the artwork for ‘Paradise’.
7. Growing up, what music influenced you into wanting to become a musician yourself?
My musical journey’s kick-off started when I was 6 years old and began to play the piano. So, I need to thank my parents who acted as a catalyst for my artistic identity. Later on, I began playing different instruments such as guitar, bass and drums. I really enjoyed ‘living’ the music from different perspectives, so I guess that’s where my passion for music production also initiated. My desire for becoming a musician myself was mainly fostered by learning and playing instruments, rather than by just listening to records. Playing music became something natural in my life, like speaking another language. Of course, listening to different artists throughout my life also helped shape my artistic identity too. I went through different stages as a music fan, going from listening to The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, to Guns n’ Roses and Aerosmith, to John Mayer and Tom Misch.
8. I know none of us can go out and play at the moment, but what does a regular Lucky Bamba gig look like? Are you the kind of performer who's surrounded by instruments or is it more of an acoustic guitar/vocal affair?
Well I think that would depend on the occasion as my music can be adapted to different setups. For the majority of the cases, I found myself playing solo, accompanied by my guitar. I really enjoy playing with my electric guitar and pedalboard. I have a loop pedal with which I can create several layers of guitars and play a solo on top, and that can be really cool for the audience. Nevertheless, I think it’s hard to win over the sound of a full band. The energy of musicians playing together on stage is something unique, so I am really looking forward to playing my songs with a band too.
9. With gigs on hold, do you have any solid plans you can tell us about for 2021?
In the meantime, my main focus is to keep releasing music. I have a few more singles aligned, and I am also looking forward to release my debut album, or ‘collection of singles’ by the end of the year. Nonetheless, I really cannot wait to start playing live again. I really miss connecting with an audience and playing with other musicians. Hopefully we can start getting back to normal in the next few months.
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Follow Lucky Bamba on Twitter, Facebook and TikTok @luckybambamusic, and on Instagram @luckybamba.
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