Arabella Lucia has a short answer for anyone who would like her quieter, smaller or less sure of herself: no. The London-based alt-rock singer, guitarist and songwriter releases ‘Steal My Shimmer’ on 23 October, a loud, guitar-led single about refusing to play down your ability to protect somebody else’s ego. It is the last single before her debut EP arrives on 13 November.
The track comes from a real encounter. A male musician, unsettled by how well Lucia could play, asked whether her Gibson SG really belonged to her father, then followed up with passive-aggressive digs at her playing. Instead of carrying that around, she wrote a song about it and gave it a sense of humour as well as teeth.
Lucia says the song grew out of learning that not everyone will cheer your wins or give your skills their due. She calls it “an anthem of defiance dedicated to anyone who’s ever been told to shrink their spirit to accommodate the insecurities and limiting projections of others.”
That makes it a bigger story than one awkward exchange. Anyone who has turned down their ambition, confidence or success to keep someone else comfortable will know the feeling she is writing about.
‘Steal My Shimmer’ belongs to what Lucia calls her ‘Rockstar Princess’ world, a style that sets a feminine look against a punk attitude. In a scene still dominated by men, the idea is a statement in its own right, and this single puts it to work.
The point is made through the playing as much as the lyrics. Heavy guitars, a full-force vocal and a sharp, shout-along chorus carry the message, so a song about being underestimated as a musician ends up proving its own case.
The five-track EP, out 13 November, deals with agency, resilience, rebellion and vulnerability, moving from internalised judgement to controlling relationships. ‘Steal My Shimmer’ is where that story turns outward: she knows what she can do and what she is worth. Four of the five tracks are now known:
- ‘Hostage You Call Baby’: her debut single, an alt-pop-meets-rock song that confronts domestic abuse through a dark, cinematic first-person story.
- ‘Unpretty’: a rock reworking of TLC’s 1999 hit, returning to its themes of beauty standards, identity and self-worth.
- ‘Steal My Shimmer’: the final single and the EP’s most defiant moment.
- ‘Hostage You Call Baby’ (acoustic): a stripped-back version that leaves only her voice and guitar, bringing the fear and weight of the lyrics much closer.
One more song is being held back until release day.
Arabella Lucia is a multilingual Armenian-Canadian artist based in London. Her songs mix punk attitude and alternative rock with pop hooks, led by a gritty voice that can move from fragile to full throttle within a line.
She has been building a live reputation alongside the releases, with sets at The Alternative Escape, Bludfest at Milton Keynes Bowl and Gibson Garage London’s Acoustic Sessions. Atwood Magazine has already described her as “a prodigy with heaps of talent to share”.
With a guitar in her hands and a clear idea of who she is, Lucia looks set to make November her introduction proper.
‘Steal My Shimmer’ is out on 23 October, with the five-track debut EP following on 13 November.
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