Sam Luck, NRONE, Alessia Labate
Artists discuss their new single
“I Want My Heart Back”
“I Want My Heart Back” Album Artwork / Click to Listen!
What’s up team! First of all, congrats on the new track. How did this all first come together?
Sam Luck: I’ve known Lukas for quite a while now, we’ve worked together on a few projects and have always been great friends. Alessia was introduced to us by the team at Reliant Music, and we all clicked instantly and worked really well together. As for the song, I was in my bedroom studio, playing around with a new electric guitar I had just gotten, and stumbled across the chords for “I Want My Heart Back.” As I said, was an instant connection with them, so I sat and finished the first demo in just a couple of hours and sent it to the team at Reliant Music, who played a huge part in making this all happen!
Lukas Wehrle / NRONE: Yeah, I’ve known Sam since 2017 I believe….and as he said, we’ve been making music on and off and are great friends. Through him, I got introduced to the team at Reliant Music, to John Dexter, Troy Samson, and to Alessia and her team. I was working at my part-time job in an electronics store when I got the first demo version of Sam. I was immediately hooked! The whole team at Reliant was very kind and exciting to work with. We all clicked instantly and it felt very natural and inspiring!
How were you feeling at the time and how did this reflect in your songwriting process?
Sam Luck: I was experiencing a very hectic part of my life, lots of changes happening, good and bad. Something about the emotion in the track really resonated with me at this time, so I made sure I put everything I could into making this an amazing song. When I got the vocals back from Alessia and Troy, I was slightly worried that it wouldn’t be the vibe I was looking for, but they absolutely nailed it and made me love the track even more!
Lukas Wehrle / NRONE: I was also going through a very rough part of my life, many changes were happening: good, bad, and longing. Since I did not write the lyrics, I expressed my emotions through sound choices, the production, tiny details that I put in it, and especially the mixdown. The song sounds exactly how I imagined it to be. It is perfect now! I loved every single minute that I spent on this project.
Walk us through your experience in the studio.
Sam Luck: Once we had a pretty finished track, I knew it was missing something. I sent it across to Lukas and let him do his magic! Lukas and I have known each other for quite a few years now, so I knew he would be able to wrap this song up and make it sound amazing - and that’s exactly what he did!
Lukas Wehrle / NRONE: It is like Sam mentioned. As soon as he sent me his version I got to work. I added so many tiny details (Car blinker, lighter → abstract sounds) and made subtle but necessary changes to the production. I knew exactly how it was supposed to sound. I was missing a certain warmth & clarity, which could better clarify the emotion & the meaning of the song. A big task on my part was especially the mixdown. If you make an effort as a listener you will hear extraordinary details like the rattling of an old film camera or a car blinker at certain parts of the song! The mixdown turned out perfectly for me. At this point, I have made a demo mastering, which I have sent to the entire team. All were thrilled! After a few small changes, my good friend "Christian Ess" analog mastered the song and gave it the final touch! As soon as I heard the final song I knew that it was exactly how I imagined it to be! I got chills.
Alessia: So I co-wrote the lyrics with my partner in crime Troy Samson while in lockdown. It was 6 pm at my house in Milano, and around 9 am in Vancouver. I’m glad that Sam decided to involve Lukas, he definitely brought it to the next level: I’m really picky with vocal mix and he did it flawlessly. By the end of the session, the vocal was done.
What was different this time around?
Alessia: What if I told you 2020/2021 was my blooming season? This year gave me the opportunity to finally work on a project and to take control of every aspect, to grow as an artist and person in ways I couldn’t imagine – all while being locked down and unable to travel. I thought this would have been impossible, but hard work makes everything possible.
What do you want listeners to take from the track?
Alessia: “I Want My Heart Back” is one of the songs I’m the proudest of. When we wrote on Sam’s beat, it inspired us so so much: the melody came out pretty easily, and working on the lyrics was like a good therapy session: it takes courage to move on from toxic situations and relationships; that’s what the song is about.