Independent recording artist Lucy Burke is a singer-songwriter whose debut album ‘Botany Street’ was released in stores on October 10th 2009. The album is a collection of acoustic, melodic and orchestral songs written about and dedicated to her life at ‘Botany Street’.

Lucy Burke’s music career began early in life. Being a young entertainer, Lucy performed in various musical ensembles and drama productions. It was during her final years of high school however, that she began to firmly consolidate her musical aspirations and began seeking members to form a band with.

In 2000 Lucy became the lead singer in a band called Lillja. For five years, they performed around Sydney and produced a series of demo recordings. It was in 2006 that Lucy decided to pursue a solo career, wanting to record and perform her own songs. “I really enjoyed being in Lillja and loved writing songs in a band, but always felt that at some point I wanted to record my own songs and have more creative control. It’s great collaborating, but I always felt that deep down I wanted to be a solo artist.” Lucy says.

The recording of ‘Botany Street’ began in late 2007 when Lucy met producer and engineer Ben Pounder. Eager to find other musicians to perform her songs with, Lucy placed an ad in the local paper ‘Drum Media.’ By a stroke of luck, Ben responded, having a desire to record and perform with a unique artist.

‘Botany Street’ took over a year to complete and was recorded at various studios around Sydney as well as Abbey Road in London. Lucy decided to record the album in an untraditional way, using orchestral instruments and traveling to various studios to achieve specific sounds. These studios included New World (former Billy Thorpes), Level 7, Trackdown and Mangrove.    

Lucy Burke decided to mix the album at Abbey Road London, sparing no costs, believing it to be the ultimate place for music production. “Having recorded the album at various studios in Sydney, and having all expectations surpassed, one day Ben asked me which studio would be my ideal to record in? And I said, Abbey Road of course – the Beatles! So I thought, why not go to Abbey Road?” Lucy says.

Lucy prides herself on writing songs to suit the subject, mood and style. “I find it restrictive writing songs in one style and prefer to allow the song to become what it needs to be. Whenever I place restrictions on a song it never turns out right and sounds formulated.” She says. As a result ‘Botany Street’ could be described as a combination of acoustic, pop, orchestral, country and jazz.  

Lucy Burke is currently recording her second album to be released later this year. Somewhat different to ‘Botany Street,’ this album combines acoustic and electronic. Lucy Burke’s live performance has been described as an intimate and engaging experience, with a variety of sounds and styles. On stage, Lucy incorporates electronic instruments such as the Moog and Triton, as well as acoustic guitar, bass, percussion, strings and piano. Check out upcoming shows for details on Lucy’s next live performance.

Lucy Burke’s latest single ‘Fantasize’ from the upcoming album has been played on the hit tv show ‘Satisfaction’ and is available on itunes. Her debut album ‘Botany Street’ is also available on itunes and in stores. Her new album is due to be released later this year - stay tuned!