Lucca Mae on The Teskey Brothers, Paul Weller & Her Rise Through the UK Soul Scene

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There's a particular moment in every artist's journey where they stop chasing permission and start chasing truth. For Lucca Mae, that moment arrived somewhere between the streets of Australia, the recording studios of Canada, and a chance encounter with one of British rock's most uncompromising figures. It's the kind of story that doesn't fit neatly into a press kit, which is precisely why it matters.

Rising soul artist Lucca Mae recently sat down with The Rugged Revival to discuss her unlikely path through the UK music scene—a journey that reads less like a linear climb and more like a series of serendipitous collisions with the people and places that would ultimately shape her sound. What emerges is a portrait of an artist who learned early that the best education often comes from playing street corners, sharing stages with your heroes, and having the courage to trust your instincts when everything else says you should play it safe.

Lucca Mae grew up surrounded by music in ways that felt entirely natural until she realized most people don't. Those early years, steeped in melody and rhythm at home, gave her something that no amount of formal training could replicate: an intuitive understanding of how music moves people. When she eventually took to busking in Australia, that foundation proved invaluable. Street corners are unforgiving teachers. There's no production magic, no studio tricks—just you, your voice, and whether passersby think what you're doing is worth stopping for. Mae used that education ruthlessly, refining her approach, testing ideas, discovering what actually resonates when stripped down to its essentials.

The move to Canada marked a turning point. Independent recordings followed, and with them came a growing clarity about who she was as an artist. Rather than chase the traditional record label route—a path that's become increasingly uncertain anyway—Mae chose autonomy. It's a decision that might sound romantic but requires genuine conviction to maintain, especially in the early years when every rejection stings and every small win feels disproportionately important.

What makes Mae's story particularly compelling, though, is how she's managed to move through these independent years without becoming insulated from the music world that inspired her in the first place. An encounter with Paul Weller speaks volumes. Weller, a figure who's spent decades making exactly the decisions he wanted to make regardless of commercial winds, represents something specific to musicians like Mae: the possibility that artistic integrity and meaningful work aren't mutually exclusive. That meeting evidently left an impression, becoming one of those touchstone moments artists reference when describing their evolution.

Then there's The Teskey Brothers. Working with artists whose own music draws from deep wells of soul, blues, and Americana clearly influenced Mae's developing sound. These aren't the kinds of collaborations that happen by accident—they're opportunities earned by putting in the work, by being the kind of artist worth knowing, by showing up prepared and taking the music seriously. Performing at Murrayfield with them represents the kind of moment that validates years of gigs in smaller venues, of busking in the rain, of believing when belief was the only currency you possessed.

Mae's influences span from Amy Winehouse—a touchstone for any contemporary soul artist grappling with authenticity and vulnerability—to the broader landscape of guitar-driven music that's become part of her own voice. What's clear from her conversation is that these influences aren't decorative. They've been metabolized, understood from the inside, incorporated into something distinctly hers.

The full podcast episode rewards close attention. Mae discusses her new album with the kind of specificity and thoughtfulness that reminds you how rare it is to hear artists talk genuinely about their creative process. She explores what it means to be a working musician in an unstable industry, the choices that matter, and the daily discipline required to turn passion into something sustainable.

Listen to the full episode. Follow what Lucca Mae does next. This is the kind of artist worth paying attention to.