Biography
Luke Potter is a singer/songwriter whose range is as wide as his own personal journey. Based in Weston-Super-Mare with footprints in vastly diverse locales including London, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Orlando and LA, Luke first broke onto the scene with 2017’s single “Something More,” on Sony Records, a track that’s had 18 million Spotify streams. The single “It’s Easy” (2018) followed, placing Luke alongside producer (and mentor) Jorgen Elofsson, who has written for legends including Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Leona Lewis and Robyn.
The wheels of momentum churning, record label executives across the world caught wind of Luke’s instinctive ear for melody. In the spring of 2019, Luke entered into a deal with famed New York City-based record label Ultra Music. His debut release for Ultra Music, “Healing,” written and produced by Luke is an emotionally evoking track, as the soft instrumentals glaze through the single, giving the track a sentimental touch. The lyrics of “Healing” are intimate and honest, coming from Luke’s desire to write raw and real music that people can relate to.
Raised in a musical family – Luke’s dad was a member of a band called “The Affair” that was signed by Simon Cowell back in the 80s – Luke first picked up a guitar at 17 and couldn’t put it down. Luke writes lyrics that reflect his personal experiences and the emotions he’s dealing with, often as a way to heal. I have a lot of things I want to say and get out, “I like to keep it raw so people can relate and take what they want from it, “Luke says.
Luke pinpoints his musical awakening to a moment many years ago when he and a friend swapped iPods and Luke found his eyes naturally drawn to a band he’d never heard of before — Goo Goo Dolls — and their song “Iris.” “That’s the first time I ever connected with music on an emotional level, “he recalls. “I remember being on the back seat of the car, crying my eyes out to this song I’d never heard before. When you’re a teenager you think nobody understands the way you feel but I remember being overwhelmed with a sense of ‘I need to make other people feel the way I feel right now’.”
Luke’s certainly packed a lot into a short amount of time, including a period in Orlando where he was managed by management legend Johnny Wright, who’d previously worked magic on the likes of NSYNC, the Jonas Brothers and Justin Timberlake. Then there was time in LA recording an album’s worth of songs with collaborator Bleu (Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Hanson), and several songs produced by Ken Caillat (Fleetwood Mac) at Village Recorders along with writing sessions in London, Canada, USA, Spain, The Netherland, Denmark and Sweden (his second home).
In 2020 COVID hit but not before Luke had recorded 4 new singles for Gothenburg based label, LMG Outfly. These included one of Luke’s favourite songs written with Marcus Lindberg and Hjalmar Wilen, ‘What If I’ that was composed during one of their many trips over to the UK to work with him. One day it will be in a film!
The quarantine world of COVID meant that Luke retreated into his newly built Sweet Factory studio where he honed his production skills. This development has seen him co-write and produce other artists including Jacob Browne, who’s music has over 1 million streams in the last 12 months, pretty amazing for an indie artist. Luke’s also worked with Emmy award winning artist, Shaun Johnson; and German based singer-songwriter, Ryan Inglis; Aussie band 3ree (look out for them); Lyra Cole who’s song produced by Luke, ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ reached number 1 on Amazon’s charts. Luke is also working on other projects and there will be some exciting new releases announced soon.
In 2021 Luke kicked off a new artist project, Heckyl. In Luke’s words:
“Over the years I have worked with some incredibly talented writers and producers, but behind the scenes I have slowly been putting myself in a position to release music that I myself have written and produced!
The idea behind ‘Heckyl’ is that some people (I know for sure – “me”) struggle with that voice inside their head… especially when that particular voice has the ability to either make you feel extremely low, or bring balance to your life through love and creativity. In my new songs I hope people will hear all of that madness combined…
They are personal pop songs that are inspired and informed by… “a monster underneath my bed, but at night he crawls into my head”…
In summary, I try to capture a world where anxiety, love and creativity come together in the form of ‘Heckyl’”
You can find more about this new project and the singles released at: https://heckylmusic.com
As well as finding personal catharsis in song writing, Luke’s big hope is that his songs connect with an audience who need their own reassurance in life.
“a lot of my songs are for people who maybe don’t have everything figured out quite yet, but who can hopefully find something in my words. Ultimately, I want people to feel okay about themselves and comfortable in their own skins.”
July 2021
