Joseph Lu | LIT Music Awards

Joseph Lu

After a 16-year hiatus from music, Joseph Lu rediscovered his passion when he found a piano keyboard hidden in a drawer at the age of 46, reigniting his dreams and creativity. Born in 1975 in a small Sicilian town, Lu attributes his inspiration to his family and the scenic surroundings of his seaside home.

1Please provide us with a brief bio of yourself and your background.

After finishing my piano studies in 2006, I disappeared from the world of music for 16 years. For some reason, something changed in my life which made me sell everything related to the piano and the music but I am convinced that she has never left me.

At the age of 46, I discover that I still have a piano keyboard hidden in a drawer. The gentle touch of the piano keys was overlapped on a sweet music that I had not listened to for a long time. My dreams, thus, took shape again.

In a short time I could create what I had not composed in 16 years. The music entered me and I am ready to let the world listen to it. I was born in 1975 in a small town of Sicily, where I still live now and I have lived my life surrounded by the sea, music and my family. Special people to whom I owe everything because from their support I take inspiration to create my pieces.

2Congratulations! As the winner of the LIT Music Awards, what does receiving recognition at this level mean to you and your career trajectory?

Receiving a win in the LIT Music Awards represents for me an important goal and an incentive to continue this wonderful dream of mine. I'm truly honored to have participated in such a prestigious award that enhances music and more!

3What do you believe distinguishes your music or your work as a musician?

My music is born from dreams, dreams that come from our soul connected to the universe, transforming everything it wants to communicate to us into melody which makes it all the more special.

4Were there any challenges that you faced when submitting your current winning entry?

During the presentation of the songs, I paused and asked myself several times why I was sending Night In the Sky and Ocean, 2 songs that talk about an inner journey between man and the universe.

The ocean represents the soul, and the sky, the universe. After reflecting, all doubts vanished and the certainties remained.

5Who are some of your biggest influences, and how have they shaped your talents?

I try to maintain musical isolation, by choice. However, during my musical studies I loved playing only one composer, F.CHOPIN. In some of my compositions this influence is more evident and it is expressed in a natural way.

6What message or emotion do you hope listeners interpret from your music?

Anytime I managed to bring the listener into a new dimension, a dimension where the human being is at the center of everything.

7How do you feel your work contributes to the current music landscape?

I think that today more than ever music must have a key role in society, and not as something short-term but a purely commercial role. I compose with the belief that music is of vital importance for the care of our soul and therefore of our society. I hope it can help reverse a sterile and harmful trend.

8What do you consider to be the most significant accomplishment in your music industry career so far?

It's been 2 years since I started music again and after 16 years of absence, I'm in a phase where I am growing which in turn gives me great results every day!

9In what ways do you think the music industry has changed in recent years, and how have you adapted to those changes?

As I said before, the music industry pushes towards the marketing of a short-term product, I love to trace a path, and that's what I try to do. I focus on the objective, that is, to listen through the soul to what the universe transmits, creating isolation is to avoid contamination, the rest comes by itself.

10How do you strive to push boundaries with your music?

Not creating cages, not creating barriers, leaving our self free to express itself without the rational mind blocking it!

11How do you handle criticism or negative feedback, and how does it influence your artistic growth?

When a composition is created, I create dynamics of constructive criticism and I implement critical listening.

12Can you tell us about any collaborations or notable partnerships that have influenced your winning work?

I had no collaborations, I maintained an interiority in the creation, only a collaboration for the studio recording.

13How do you stay connected with your audience and fans?

Through various social channels.

14What do you hope to achieve next in your career, and what goals do you have for the future?

I hope to continuously compose and let my music traverse over the world.

15Can you discuss about any upcoming projects?

I'm currently composing autumn concerts with an orchestra set to premiere in Italian theaters for the release of the album "Dreaming".

16In what ways do you think the music industry can better support emerging artists and foster diversity and inclusivity?

Letting the artists express themselves, and giving them the right value!

17What advice would you give to those who are in the same industry and/or are interested in your work?

I would tell them to give voice to their own self, to their own musical instinct, to those who are interested in my work I would tell them to be an attentive observer, understand what is happening around them, and to ask themselves why that thing happens.

Every creation, every thing, has an order, a place in the universe, it is up to us to understand and ensure that everything is rearranged and fulfilled.

18Will you invite and advise more musicians to participate in the LIT Music Awards? If yes, how do you think this will impact their career in the long run?

Yes, I certainly think that all this will be a stimulus to improve and continue in creation, an international competition like the LIT Music Awards will help him make the leap in quality.