Single Release: "Strangers" by LuckyStickz
Hamiltonian Afro-pop musician and community creator LuckyStickz encourages listeners to dance in the face of heartbreak.
Afro-pop/R&B musician LuckyStickz, or Dejehan Hamilton, is a multi-talented Hamiltonian creative. The musician is a public speaker, podcaster, music educator, and health and wellness connector working at Refuge Hamilton- a community-driven organization providing comprehensive healthcare services to Hamilton's new refugee and immigrant population.
On July 2, 2021, the artist dropped his first single since 2018, "Strangers", an upbeat, dance-y and sensual single about a complicated relationship between two ex-lovers.
"Growing up with Trinidadian and Jamaican heritage, I was surrounded by an eclectic mix of Soca, Calypso, reggae and dancehall," said Hamilton. "Furthermore, growing up in the church I was also surrounded by gospel music, and through my older siblings I would hear 90s and early 2000s R&B and hip hop played at the house. Therefore, my music is influenced by all of these genres and their respected artistry."
LuckyStickz started working on "Strangers" back in November of 2020.
"It was period of time during the pandemic when I “locked myself in” creatively, and went into focus mode," said Hamilton. "The songwriting process was fairly quick and only took about two hours from concept to a complete song."
The Afro-pop songwriter called upon fellow Hamiltonian musician Julianna Jones to perform on the track alongside him.
"I wrote “Strangers” on my own in my basement studio," said Hamilton. "I have a couple taste-maker friends I sent the demo to once I was finished writing, in order to get their opinion. Once I got their green light, I knew it was time to take the project to my favourite studio and second home- Arc Recording Studio. I knew I wanted female background harmonies on the track, so I called up my good friend Julianna Jones to layer background vocals harmonies on top of mine. It was a great blend of our voices on the track."
The music educator had to learn how to become his own producer.
"Upon starting this project, I was looking for producers to collaborate with," said Hamilton. "However, that proved to be difficult, and my only option was to invest into some production equipment and get to work. Thanks to the Hamilton City Enrichment Fund, I was able to acquire the tools I needed and produced "Stranger", which is the lead single off of my upcoming EP coming this August. After producing all the songs and recording the demos in my home studio, I took the songs to Arc Recording Studios where we recorded the vocals, got the songs mixed by their engineer Julius, and then sent them over to Jon at Transparent Audio for mastering."
"Strangers" describes the experience of moving on after a broken relationship, and no longer feeling close to the person who you were once intimate with.
"The song was written from the perspective of a relationship freshly ended, where you begin to miss the company and lifestyle that you built with that person," said Hamilton. "I tapped into those moments in my life and reflected on the paradox that we sometimes face of meeting someone, becoming their everything, to becoming their nothing once a breakup ensues. This is not only true in a romantic relationship, it also appears in friendships as well."
LuckyStickz wants "Strangers" to work as a pick-me-up. The artist doesn't want you to wallow for too long- he hopes his listeners find the message, learn the lesson, and then get up and dance.
"I hope listeners will be able to relate to the message of the song, dance to the rhythm of the song," said Hamilton. "Realize that it’s okay to go through the process of missing someone, all while knowing that they’ll be fine with or without that person."
You can help support LuckyStickz by visiting the links below.
"Listeners can help support me by streaming my music on all streaming platforms, as well as purchasing merchandise," said Hamilton. "Also buying tickets to upcoming virtual and live shows. Hit my links up to connect with me!"
Upcoming gigs:
(Postponed due to COVID-19.)
Link: https://luckystickz.koji.fans/