Lucy Elizabeth Dacus (/ˈdeɪkəs/DAY-kəss;[2] born May 2, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus first gained fame following the release of her debut album, No Burden (2016), which led to a deal with Matador Records. Historian, her second album, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim. Home Video, her third studio album, was released in 2021.
In October 2023, Rolling Stone named Dacus the 213th-greatest guitarist of all time, noting: "[her] guitar is as essential an instrument as her voice".[3]
Early life
Dacus was adopted as an infant and grew up in Mechanicsville, Virginia, a suburb of Richmond.[4][5] She is of Uzbek and Irish descent.[6] Her adoptive mother is a professional pianist and music teacher, and her adoptive father is a graphic designer.[5][7] Dacus had an early interest in music, and bought her first guitar, an Ibanez, from Craigslist when she was in middle school.[4] After graduating from Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in 2013,[7] she began studying film at Virginia Commonwealth University, but left to avoid student debt and the "feeling of being misunderstood" in her university program.[8][9] Prior to becoming a full-time musician, she was employed by Richmond Camera as an editor for children's school photos.[10] During this time, she wrote approximately 30 songs, nine of which would comprise the tracklist of No Burden.[8]
Career
2015–2018: No Burden and Historian
Dacus first performed in New York City in March 2015.[11] Her first single, "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore", premiered in November 2015. Her debut album No Burden was produced in Nashville by her hometown friends, Berklee College of Music graduate Collin Pastore and Oberlin Conservatory of Music graduate Jacob Blizard;[12][13] it was recorded at the request of Blizard for a school project.[8] The album was originally released digitally on CD, and on vinyl via Richmond's EggHunt Records on February 26, 2016.[12][13] Dacus was then signed to Matador Records, who re-released the album on September 9, 2016.[14][15][16] In the same year she performed at Lollapalooza, in Chicago's Grant Park and made her national television debut on CBS This Morning.[17] She recorded a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR the same weekend.[18] In October 2016 she played the London Calling festival in Amsterdam, as a replacement for The Duke Spirit, who had been forced to cancel.[19]
Dacus's second album, titled Historian, was released on March 2, 2018.[20] Like its predecessor, it was met with widespread critical acclaim. Writing for Pitchfork, Sasha Geffen praised its nuance and sensitivity: "It’s not an easy album to wear out. It lasts, and it should, given that so many of its lyrics pick at time, and the way time condenses around deep emotional attachments to other people."[21]Rolling Stone rated the album 4/5 stars,[22] as did NME.[23]Historian, like No Burden, was recorded in Nashville, at Trace Horse Studio, in a similar collaborative effort by Lucy Dacus, Jacob Blizard, and Collin Pastore.[24]
To coincide with Valentine's Day 2019, Dacus released a cover of "La Vie en rose", the first in a planned series of songs commemorating major holidays.[26]
Dacus released her third studio album Home Video on June 25, 2021.[27] She performed one of its singles, "Hot & Heavy", on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on April 13.[28] On November 10, Dacus released her single "Thumbs Again", a re-release of her song "Thumbs" with additional instrumentation, alongside the announcement of 2022 US tour dates.[29]
On February 2, 2022, Dacus released a single "Kissing Lessons", accompanied by a music video.
[30] On March 8, 2023, Dacus released a music video for the song "Night Shift", directed by Jane Schoenbrun, for the fifth anniversary of Historian.[31] Boygenius' debut studio album The Record was released on March 31, 2023 and Dacus spent much of the year touring the album with the group, including an appearance at Coachella.[32][33][34] On February 1, 2024, Boygenius announced a hiatus.[35]
On January 15, 2025, Dacus announced her fourth studio Album, Forever is a Feeling. The same day, she released the double a-side single, Ankles.
Activism
After Texas's new abortion law went into effect on September 1, 2021, Dacus announced on Twitter that all the money she makes at her upcoming shows in Texas "will be going towards abortion funds." She also informed her fans to bring extra money to her Houston and San Antonio shows for the donation to the abortion funds.[37] During her Home Video Tour in July 2022, Dacus announced that she and her supporting act Camp Cope would be donating tips from the merchandise stand to the organization Fund Abortion Not Police.[38]
While performing with Boygenius at Coachella in April 2023, the band spoke in support of trans rights following bills proposed in states like Florida and Missouri.[39] At a later tour date in June 2023 in Tennessee, Dacus and her fellow band members performed in drag in protest of anti-drag legislation that state governor Bill Lee signed into law that was blocked in federal court.[40]
Dacus was raised Christian but is no longer religious.[44] She identifies as queer.[45] Dacus lived in Richmond, Virginia until late 2019. As of October 2023, she resides in Los Angeles, having previously resided in Philadelphia.[4]
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