Exclusive Interview with 'FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON'

Louis Imperiale is the creator of Fifth Lucky Dragon (multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, writer, producer, and self-proclaimed King of Rainbow Road). Fifth Lucky Dragon blends cutting edge alt-pop production with lyrical exploration of how fantasies interact with reality and how digital life affects psychology, drawing comparisons to Glass Animals, Twenty One Pilots, MGMT, and other electro-pop acts. – After writing my third-person biography, allow me to share a bit of my personal philosophy with regard to this undertaking: The stakes for each of us to create have never been higher in an environment of ruthless competition for our attention. Consuming something passively is far simpler than producing something yourself. The creative process is inextricably linked to observation, reflection, and the generation of novel ideas—all of which are under threat from eroding among both the present and the coming generations.
The eclectic indie pop anthem “Mango” has elements of COIN, Conan Gray, and Harry Styles. It makes references to trampolines as a stress-relieving alternative, summer romance, and tasting someone else’s chapstick. Check out “Mango” and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?

FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON: Growing up in Indianapolis, my parents had me take piano lessons. Right around the time I was tired of playing music that was written by people who had been dead for hundreds of years, I stumbled across a YouTube video of someone producing a song with only a keyboard and a laptop. But the song sounded like a full band. And I felt like with my piano background I could probably figure out the software enough to make something. I started off just making instrumental beats and then realized I had things I wanted to say, feelings I wanted to express and that songwriting might be the way I could get some of those out. A couple years of honing the production and writing alongside working on my voice and studying the production of my favorite songs, I finally finished a package of songs that became my first album, “Asymmetric.” I wrote Asymmetric about the disconnect between what happens in someone’s head and how they externalize those. I was disturbed and intrigued by how vastly different someone can behave from how they actually feel. All this stemming from my own self-examination. So a lot of the writing comes from that even to this day, much beyond the making of that album.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON: I’ve had formal piano lessons but am self-taught (and youtube taught) when it comes to songwriting, recording and production.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON’?

FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON: “Fifth Lucky Dragon” was the name of a Japanese fishing vessel in the 50s that was affected by US nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean. Long story short, the vessel didn’t get the warning about the tests and was adversely affected by the radiation from the test. They subsequently returned to shore and sold all the fish before the crew started to get sick as well as everyone in town who consumed the radioactive fish. I find this story interesting because I think we all have room to spend more energy thinking about potential collateral damage from our own words and behaviors especially in a world where a video online can spread so easily. So the name is a reminder of that for me. It’s difficult to name even close to all the artists that influence me and my music but I always like to mention soundtracks from video games and from TV/film because they often go unnamed. So many Nintendo soundtracks (Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, Legend of Zelda, etc.) caught my ear from a young age and have always excited and inspired me.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON: My sound is somewhere between pop, electronic and alternative. I hope that above all the songwriting resonates with listeners because that is the core of the music. The sounds and production are all just part of the enclosure that carries the message of the song. A lot of my writing has undertones of nostalgia as well as concern for how the world is evolving and changing (like how technology affects our psychology and what that means for me personally).

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?
FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON:
I started off copying a lot of chord progressions from the classical music I was learning in piano lessons. I didn’t even know what a chord progression was, I just knew I liked the sound of one group of notes followed by another. I found that those timeless progression paired with modern production of drums and synth sounds was climactic for me and that’s where a lot of my style comes from.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try to affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?

FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON:

Music definitely has the power to play important roles in political/cultural/spiritual endeavors and there are plenty of artists who pull that off and create impact in those ways. I find that I gravitate more towards individuals sharing a feeling or story that they stumble upon which is why I tend to do that more than trying to tell someone what to think or how to feel. My favorite writing is when the artist leads the listener to come to their own conclusion about something and I think stories are the best way to communicate something like that.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON:

The fulfillment comes in being able to create anything. Which is easy to lose sight of in an age of digital and algorithmic interaction mostly via social media. I would still make music if I ever decide not to release it or share it with anyone who will listen. Obviously I hope I can get it to as many people as possible and hope that there are at least a few people who like it enough to engage with it. And every now and then when someone messages me about the music or re-shares it online it’s a different type of fulfillment. It definitely makes me want to keep making and sharing music.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON: My process for making music changes at least a little bit for each song. Sometimes it starts with just a word or phrase I like or want to explore and sometimes it starts with some random synth patch that intrigues my ear. I usually work on the beat (instrumental) of the song while simultaneously writing the words and melodies. The best songs kind of all come together at once for me. But lots of times I work on the beat and then send it to my phone to listen while I walk and hum or lightly sing melodies until something sticks with me.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON: The COVID19 pandemic derailed my operation (as it did for everyone). I find the lingering effects of it particularly challenging. Now so much of music requires time spent on a phone (creating content, posting, engaging online, etc.) and while a lot of it is fun and rewarding, some of it is exhausting. It helps knowing everyone is going through it.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

FIFTH LUCKY DRAGON: One of my favorite moments of my career so far was doing a benefit concert for my middle school to raise money for private music lessons for kids whose families didn’t have means to provide them. I hope to do another concert like that soon.