An Interview With The Rising LA-Based Musician, LUKE ZEPHYR!

Meet Luke Zephyr! He is a talented LA-based musician who has been busy making a name for himself. His songs have been used in TV, radio and film placements, including the the TV shows The Mud Day (Europe), The Voice Israel, BT Sport Football (UK) and many others.

Zephyr recently co-wrote a song with the famed producer Yutaka Yamada for one of the biggest TV shows in Japan called Great Pretender.

“Take Me Instead” is his newest song. It was inspired by the anthemic tracks created by Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Joe Cocker and The Rolling Stones.

Connect With Like Zephyr Online Here- Website

Learn more about Luke Zephyr in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time today! Where does this interview find you? 

At the moment I’m living in LA.

Now that we are more than half-way through the year, how has 2019 been treating you? What are some goals that you have for yourself this year? How close are you to reaching them?

So far, 2019 is going good.  I am able to support myself through music working with people all over the world.  I have had some amazing opportunities this past year. I co-wrote a song with Yutaka Yamada for a major t.v. show in Japan (Great Pretender). I also had a song placed in a movie (Mob Town starring David Arquette) and had the opportunity to do a show with actor Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls) for amfAR LifeRide. 

Growing up, how important was music in your life? Can you recall the moment when you decided that you wanted to be a musician? Was it an easy or difficult choice to make?

Growing up life was not good from day one. So music was my way of coping, to escape the trauma and troubles happening around me. It was really the only thing that made me feel better. It was the only choice. 

There wasn’t any specific age when I decided to be a musician. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do for as long as I can remember. And that has never changed; it’s all I ever want to do.

Was there ever a time when you thought about doing something else? If you weren’t a musician today, what else could you see yourself doing? Would you be as fulfilled in life?

No. I never thought about doing anything else. I don’t see myself doing anything else. It’s  like saying, “If you couldn’t breathe oxygen, what else would you breathe?” 

What has been the biggest surprise so far about making music your career? What has been an unexpected or welcome challenge to it all?

The biggest surprise in the music industry is the amount of people who take advantage of you. It’s like swimming in a pool of sharks. For example, I am hired to sing as well as produce hundreds of songs a year. Some people ask for samples and then without my knowledge, they have used these samples for commercials and not pay me. Many times I have not been given proper credit or payment for my work. 

When you say ‘challenge’ to a person who grew up poor with little food or anything that’s a bad word. Hard work and doing the work never bothered me with music. Yes, I’m exhausted sometimes at the end of the day but at least I’m doing what I love. So I would ask, what is the biggest anticipation or excitement? I would answer, the very first note of a song recorded or written. It’s like going up the hill on a roller coaster and you can feel the rush coming.

What was the inspiration for your newest track, “Take Me Instead”? How would you say that it compares to your previous songs?

I write, produce and sing much of my work. This particular song, “Take Me Instead,” I did not write. 

When do you plan on releasing more new music and a full collection of new songs? 

With the help of A&R Worldwide, we plan on releasing ongoing new music.

Where can people see you perform next? Do you plan to tour at all this summer or later in the year? What has been a favorite performance of yours so far?

More shows are in the works with actor Scott Patterson & his band Smith Radio. I was also approached to do shows in Japan following the release of the t.v. show, Great Pretender (for the song I recently wrote with Yutaka). 

Sharing the stage with The All American Rejects has been my favorite show to date. There were thousands of people! It was big and powerful!

How do you think you have grown as a musician since you first started making music? 

Since I first started making music, I have become a better songwriter and I can sing my ass off now! When you do it 24-7 you just get better; you grow.

What has it been like keeping up with your social media accounts and all of the different platforms? Is it hard to stay up to date on it all? What would you say is your favorite way to connect with your fans now? What has social media done for your career so far?

The most important thing is the music and making sure that it’s good. Right now, I spend most of my time in the studio writing, producing and singing. I’d rather be the best musician I can be, than to spread myself thin doing multiple jobs. But I still make the effort to stay in contact with my fans on all platforms as much as possible. To tweet out a sentence or post a picture isn’t going to build a fan base; the music will. So to do it all by myself is an impossible challenge. 

Who are some of your favorite artists or rather, what musicians have continued to inspire you and your music? Who would you absolutely love to work with in the future?

I am most inspired by Queen, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springstein and Joe Cocker. As far a current artists, I like Adele, Lady GaGa, Harry Styles, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus, etc. I’d love to do a duet with Adele & or Lady GaGa. They both have incredible voices & great songs! I would also like to work with producer/writer Mark Ronson. 

If you had an unlimited budget and your schedule was free, what would your dream music video look like?

 If I had an unlimited budget, I would do a live concert video in Wembley Stadium!

What has been the coolest place/TV show/commercial that you have heard a song of yours? Where would you still love to hear a future song of yours played?

The coolest places my songs have been played have been on major t.v. shows, movies & international commercials. A tv show Mudd day in Europe was cool. It was on that as the opening teaser. I’d love to hear a song of mine played on rotation, while driving down the 405 in LA. If that happened, I’d crank it and smile. 

At the end of the day, what do you hope people take away from your music? 

 I hope that my music makes people feel something. Music does different things for people. It makes them laugh, cry or remember the past and give them hope. It’s so important in life. Music is life.

Would you like to share anything else with our readers about your music?

Of course shameless plug. Check out lukezephyr.com everyday!