Meet Christie Lucas-Lambridis | Singer and Creative Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christie Lucas-Lambridis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christie, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in Brisbane/Meanjin, a small-ish city on the east coast of Australia. My upbringing was stereotypical in some ways; those Australian viral videos are relatively accurate because I encountered many snakes and spiders inside and outside the house. In other ways, my childhood was non-linear and colourful. I grew up in a rainbow family with two mums, an older sister, my dad, and a random assortment of pets (an axolotel and a Persian). Music has been calling me since I was four years old. Taking voice and instrument lessons of all kinds, I jump at any opportunity to train and perform. However, singing was always my dharma so by age 10, I focused solely on my dream of being a diva-status vocalist (shout out to Mariah Carey for helping raise me). My dad was a massive fan of musical theatre, so the classics of Barbara Streisand and Julie Andrews filled our childhood home. By adolescence, I moved into the rock music world via my mum. She ran a music rehearsal studio called Out Loud Music Studios from a warehouse in West End, and we lived in the loft apartment upstairs. The space was mostly filled with punk rockers and heavy metal heads, so I was inundated with these genres on the daily. Alongside running the studio, she managed an all-female rock band, regularly organising gigs for them at festivals like Sydney Pride and Mardi Gras which I would tag along to. Ironically, I joined the Australian Youth Choir during these years; a powerhouse of rigorous classical vocal training. Classical music was added to my musical influences, a style that would play an important part in my musical direction later in life.

To add to the plot, my mum’s family are from Greece and immigrated to Australia in the 1950s. So I grew up with great pride in my Greek identity, attending Greek school after ‘regular’ school where I learned yet another music genre of traditional and nationalistic folk songs.

By age 18, I had tried and tested many musical genres, leaving me confused about what path to take in this industry. So, I started with musical theatre and began learning to dance formally. I knew I wanted to be the full package entertainer ready for major stages. I graduated with a diploma in Music Theatre in Brisbane and then left for Melbourne where I trained at Monash and with VCA coaches for three years in MT and music production. After a trip to the USA in 2017, I came back clear on my vision: contemporary pop music. This led to another interstate move to Sydney, and four years later, an honours degree in Contemporary Composition from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music of Sydney (and a diploma of languages in Greek from the University of Sydney).

I kept dance training across these cities, moving away from theatre jazz and into commercial and hip-hop all-styles. Whenever I could, I travelled the world to attend music festivals, learn about music history, and train in dance and singing (primarily in the USA). These institutions are incredible for building community. Now, when I train at these studios, I have friends for life – which I’m super grateful for.

Most importantly; in answer to the question, how did my background and upbringing impact who I am today?

My upbringing in music and the arts nurtured my innate performer and musician. Growing up surrounded by various musical genres, ways of life, and languages, encouraged me to move cities and continue learning more about culture and personal expression. My early experiences also inspired me to travel, from South Africa to Puerto Vallarta, which expanded my creative mind even further. All these things combined made me the creative, multifaceted, ever-curious person I am today. A singer with a creative flair.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My creativity flows across a few artistic mediums. Lambi is my main focus. She is my solo artist project; one I envision as an iconic all-rounded superstar-level performer and vocalist. Anything I create for this project I do with love and calculation – leaning into my singing training, songwriting and production skills, and dance performance ability to create the best songs and visuals I possibly can. I am working on a debut EP, and releasing singles for the remainder of the year which I’m super excited about. As for my other side project, Midheaven Creative, I allow myself to flow freely and create whatever comes to me. This involves choreographing dance, directing music concept videos, making beats, writing lyrics, styling friends, and designing graphics.

What sets me apart is my creativity abilities across multiple artistic mediums. I have trained for many years under leading coaches and institutions compounded with travelling to many major sources of my creative inspiration. Such as New Orleans and the Deep South for singing training, NYC and LA for dance and music production, and Mexico City and Puerto Rico for my love of Latin music. I feel at this point I bring a whirlwind combination of training and creativity to any project I’m undertaking – and I really want to share this with others! I hope they see what I make and want to work together. Collaboration is a major source of life for me.

Anything I have achieved professionally is from diving headfirst. Most of the time I’ve been terrified; I have major imposter syndrome and horrendous stage fright for as long as I can remember. Compounded with growing up under the poverty line, and severely unstable housing from childhood to adulthood, I’ve found it difficult to carve time and self-confidence to pursue my dreams. So I’m super proud of graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Honors while I lost my house to a flood in 2022. I took this as a sign to follow my lifelong goal of moving to LA and starting my life from scratch. From there, I made my music videos come to life with the bare minimum, performed live on Hollywood Boulevard and honestly gave everything a go.

Even if I don’t achieve the success I dream of, I know I tried and I would do it all over again. As for what I want the world to know about me and my brand – gosh.

I’m a one-woman show with some awesome friends who support my ideas. And I hope whoever you are, wherever you are, that my expressions bring something to your life. Because it brings me the greatest joy knowing I impact people’s lives through the greatest gift ever – music!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Damn, I love this question! I’m turning this in a 48 hour weekend scenario.

Firstly, we are starting the day with a walk around Lake Hollywood. That place is gorgeous and just busy enough. Then we’re headed to Frog Town for a pastry from Just What I Kneaded. It such a unique spot in LA, it feels like a hidden industrious Eastern European-influenced gem. After I would insist on a drive up to Glassell Park for a coffee from Little Ripper because it’s owned by an Aussie and the coffee slaps. Then down to Little Toyko and the Arts District in DTLA – sometimes I drive through just to soak up the atmosphere and grab a pork bun. Also, the architecture is super cool. For the rest of the day, we’re chilling in KTown getting Boba and matcha from DAMO and staying out of the way from chaotic LA traffic. Dinner in Silverlake because you have to tick the hipster experience off your list, and waiting till the Blind Barber opens because we’re going to party with the DJs from Baile World till 2 am, dancing to Reggaeton, Dembow, Baile, and Amapiano. In the morning, we’re heading down to 2nd Street Long Beach for a croissant from Collosus, followed by a cruise along Shoreline Drive. Long Beach feels like an integral part of LA culture so it can’t be missed. Maybe get brunch at Zulu’s Petals but it’s usually packed. Then we’re driving over to Rancho Palso Verdes to see the beautiful coastline, and up to Hermosa Beach for Acai bowls. By this time, we’d make it to the classic Venice beach skatepark to watch the sunset with some empanadas from my favourite street vendor nearby in hand.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow – my best friend Kelsey. My biggest cheerleader, I honestly don’t know if I would’ve kept believing in myself without her. My vocal coach in my early 20s, Gary Nardella, not only completely changed my life but revived my voice and parted me with the training of a lifetime. I wouldn’t be half the vocalist without him. My dad because he told me to pursue music because it’s the only thing that matters in this life. And all my incredible friends along the way: Anti, Brooke, Rachel, Kaylah, Kat, Rob, Lynae, Elena. People are incredibly influential and pass on priceless lessons throughout life which ultimately impacted my musical expressions. So thank you all!

Instagram: @itmightbechristie / @midheavencreative.xyz

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christielucas/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itmightbechristie/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4RmWL_mSgSt6PVbgTH4Pzw

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0tlG7i7DuO6eGsCfScYBdc?si=va-vtsv3QvKyHKovnmX_kw

Image Credits
Dizzy Drew Graham