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Singer-songwriter WhyLucas reveals a more vulnerable side to him in his latest single Go Child, a personal reflection on his relationship with his late grandmother.
Released last Friday, the song follows the aftermath of losing a loved one, exploring the complex process of grief and maturity in the wake of loss.
A grandmother’s love
Before she became the inspiration for his most personal song to date, WhyLucas’s grandmother was part of the story behind his earliest taste of internet virality.
Together in his bedroom, the pair appeared often in a series of hilarious promotional efforts for early music releases.
This new single represents a full-circle moment for him, as he pays homage to his grandmother and the lasting impact she had on his life.
A tribute of song
The song came to him during a period of uncertainty. Having only started making music at university, WhyLucas spent much of the year wondering whether music should remain a hobby.
As people close to him began drifting away, he found himself turning inward. Just as things seemed to improve, his grandmother passed away.
Go Child captures what WhyLucas describes as a strange mundanity: The disorientating sense of forced normalcy to carry on with everyday life after a funeral, even as the absence of someone who was once there still remains.
He felt that his grandmother could always sense how much he was carrying, and the resulting song reflects the comfort of knowing she would always support him and the lingering regret of not having spent more time with her.
He said: “She was never one to give me advice. But she was always down to do whatever I wanted to do, as long as she was bodily able to. That made me feel like a kid, in the best way possible.”
Dual meaning
Sonically, Go Child marks a new direction for WhyLucas, incorporating syncopated beats and an addictive hook into his music.
The track includes a new rhythmic sensibility to his sound, balancing its tender subject matter with an energy that drives the song forward.
Lyrically, the chorus centres on the repeated phrase “go child”, a subtle wordplay that carries a dual meaning of his grandmother saying “go child”, encouraging him to pursue his dreams, while simultaneously sounding like “gold child”, expressing her affection for her grandchild.
The single’s artwork extends its themes of nostalgia and childhood through playful styling and the use of an antique camera to capture instant films.
Shot at an old flat, the cover art of Go Child incorporates elements reminiscent of childhood and sentimentality.
With Go Child, WhyLucas looks back at the person who supported him from the very beginning, while learning to carry her memory forward.
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