I’ve been listening to electronic dance music for a long time, and I really like tracks with vocals. There are some big names appearing on some of these tracks, but unless you do some digging, you never really know who is singing on what. I got a press release the other day promoting the new Cosmic Gate single titled “Bigger Than We Are.” The song is amazing, and features vocals from Eric Lumiere. Intrigued to learn more, I reached out to him and he agreed to an interview. Then I looked him up on Spotify to see what else he has appeared on, and was blown away with what I found.
Eric did the vocals on “You’ve Got Me Now,” a huge hit from Heatbeat. He was also on the W&W banger “Falling Back” and has appeared on A State Of Trance several times. Needless to say, I was excited to meet him and learn more about his career. I encourage you to listen to his work as you read this and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Eric Lumiere.
I first heard your vocals on the Cosmic Gate single titled “Bigger Than We Are.” Tell me more about working with Cosmic Gate and what this project means to you. It’s a great song, by the way!
Cosmic Gate and I have had a great relationship since I first wrote “Falling Back” to their piano demo they sent me. Nic Chagall had previously remixed “Anthem” back in the day and I loved his work, so I had reached out to them through Arny at Black Hole Recordings. “Bigger than We Are” started as a topline I had written about love being bigger than any of our own issues/limitations/doubts/etc. I sent it to Cosmic and they loved it so they did their magic creating the amazing track and vibe around the vocal.
In addition to Cosmic Gate, you’ve worked with a lot of big names including Nicky Romero and Andrew Rayel. Do these artists come to you, or are you out there looking to work with them?
It works in different ways, often there are toplines sent out, or a DJ has a track that needs a great vocal and I may be one of many songwriters who are writing to the track so it’s almost like a competition. Sometimes it’s easier where you have a relationship or inside connection that helps secure the cut or just a relationship based on mutual respect for each other’s work, which is always great.
Who are some of your biggest influences?
Michael Jackson, Seal, U2, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Phil Collins… Honestly my favorite influences and artists who are able to share themselves through their music and connect and touch the world.
Any names you are looking to add to your list? I could see you working with someone like Above & Beyond or Armin van Buuren.
Yes, actually Above & Beyond would be great, but I hear they have quite a tight nit thing with their vocalists. Armin would be great, too! Besides his awesome music, he just seems like a great guy. Also, Calvin Harris, Kygo, Jonas Blue and I love a lot of UK/Europe DJs like Sigma and Rudimental and Disclosure. I’m more into writing great songs and teaming with uber talented DJs who understand songs and what works than sticking to a certain genre of music. But I’ve been crazy fortunate to have as much success as I’ve had in the Trance and EDM world.
You were recently nominated for a Swiss Music Award. Tell me more about that and what it was like working with DJ Antoine on that release.
The cool thing was that it was the 2nd song we wrote the same day at the Black Rock Songwriter camp in Santorini, Greece. We were all just vibing (4 of us) and everything came easily and naturally. I was lucky to be put in that room on that day and grateful to write a song that I still consider one of my favorites. I think the song actually had the potential to do well all over Europe and maybe the US if it had the marketing push, but it still did great in Switzerland. It was icing on the cake that it was nominated for the Swiss Music Award.
I’ve interviewed a lot of songwriters over the years, and I am always curious what the process looks like. What is your songwriting process? Do you sit down and write a song, or do they just come to you?
Both. Sometimes it’s just another day at the office trying to write a great topline to guitar or piano or to a track I’ve been sent. The easiest is when it just comes either as a melody or lyric – and it can come at anytime, while doing anything. I love co-writing and have been traveling the last few years to do it because it is an amazing experience to write with another person in the room, share ideas, work off each other, be flexible, get out of your own head and allow magic to happen. It’s often such an advantage to have another heart and mind and personality to work with. I’ve also made some amazing friends through songwriting. I call them my music family all over the world.
Tell me about your relationship with Indah Artist Management.
Stuart and I have been working together probably over 3 years now and I’m just grateful to be working with someone with such integrity and honesty that I can always talk with and say anything too re the business and what’s going on. It’s important to have those kind of people in your life especially when doing business. I also know how much he believes in me and what I do.
You produced a collaboration with Ferry Corsten titled “Blueprint.” That song is incredible. When doing a collaboration like that, how involved are you? Do you guys meet, write, and produce together, or do you do things digitally?
That was a really fun project and it was amazing to be a part of. I became the main male character of the project and even got to do voiceover work as part of the narrated story version along with Kelly (Haliene) who I met through the project and Matt Steeper, who is her husband and handled a lot of the engineering work on the project including being a co-writer. It was great that we got to all be together a few times in Matt’s studio, working on lyrics, improving songs, recording vocals, etc. Ferry also came to my place and we also tracked a lot of vocals there. It was amazing to be part of something so original and different instead of a song that just comes out, maybe charts on Beatport, and then disappears. This was more than a song – it was a story, and I hope to do more projects like it in the future. We became a crew and I’ve continued to work with Matt and Kelly since – they are awesome, both crazy talented and great people.
Tell me more about your acoustic albums.
I’ve always been a songwriter at heart. I love real instruments and the feeling of someone playing and that’s how I started writing songs years ago – with my friend who played guitar in high school. When I left for college, I had to teach myself guitar and piano so I could continue writing. I went to the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU and learning producing and engineering there, which let to me learning and growing through the process of creating my own, original album, “Under Love,” which I’m really grateful for. Although I didn’t really promote it or market it (have the money or know how at the time), I know that the music touched a lot of people that did buy it and that’s what matters most.
Paul van Dyk is a legend. He put your single with Gaelan and Ronald Van Gelderen on his From Then On album. Tell me more about that. Do they ask to use your work or do they use it and let you find out organically?
For this one I wrote to the track for Gaelan and I to sing on and it just went from there.
Do you ever get nervous while on stage?
Only when I feel unprepared. Also, when I was first learning to sing with DJs on stage, I had some trouble getting the right in ear monitors and was hearing way too much delay from the massive speakers in the venue, so it was a bit challenging. Hearing yourself clearly while singing live is everything. That’s why you can find videos of the same great singer sounding on key and off key at another gig. It’s not always their fault. What I love about singing live is being able to share with people and with so many at once. Life is spiritual and for me, when I sing, I get to share of that spirit with people. We all do it in many different ways. It’s a gift.
Do you get to travel with these guys, or do they just play the tracks live? It would be cool to sing the vocals live at a Cosmic Gate show. I know Armin does that a lot. Just curious if that is a regular occurrence.
I did some really fun gigs with Cosmic Gate in the past and have had some opportunities with other DJs since. It just hasn’t been a focus lately as there’s much less of a demand for vocalists live (so the pay isn’t great) and it takes time away from songwriting and doing sessions, especially depending on the traveling involved.
What’s next for Eric Lumiere?
Honestly, I really want to be my own artist and am just looking to find the right people that line up with what I’m doing. I want to do something that’s more timeless and classy and I think it’s just a matter of time until that starts to happen. I know patience is key and I’m still very much balancing my time with writing to DJ tracks and toplines/pop songs to pitch and my own music discovery.
Thank you for doing this. In all of the interview I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t what my heart was calling me to do. That is the most fulfilling thing. So I hope we all follow our hearts in that way and spend some time in life really doing those things we are called to do, whether they earn money or not. What’s the point of all this if it isn’t truly, inwardly fulfilling? The great thing about music is it’s vibration, it’s who we are in essence, and I get to share that with others all over the world. It’s such a wild thing that I don’t even really know how it affects others unless they tell me directly. All I know is that I’ve been touched by music and it’s one of the most powerful things. Michael Jackson is one of my favorites because he had not just talent out of this world, but sensitivity and massive heart. He shared who he was through his music. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do that every day and am looking forward to what’s next. Music can really help change the world, because it can touch people and awaken their heart, and we need that now more than ever.
Connect with Eric Lumiere:
Website: http://www.ericlumiere.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericlumieremusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericlumiere
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ericlumiere
