Name: Luke Spiller
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Nationality: British
Current release: Luke Spiller's debut solo album Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes And Wine, is out April 25th 2025 via Big Machine.
Topic that I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: Most importantly I’d love for the music on Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes And Wine to connect with people on a level I have not been able to do up until this point. Everything else is a bonus

If you enjoyed this Luke Spiller interview and would like to know more about his music, visit him on Instagram or check out the Struts's official homepage.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in writing lyrics or poetry? How and when did you start writing?

Absolutely! Growing up in church definitely taught me a lot about how to write and perform me with real sincerity.

Entering new worlds and escapism through music and literature have always exerted a very strong pull on me. What do you think you are drawn to most when it comes to writing?

It used to be purely studying other songs with their lyrics.

But now I’m reading and listening to a lot of poetry from all different poets. It’s opened up my world lyrically

What were some of the artists and albums which inspired you early on purely on the strength of their lyrics? What moves you in the lyrics of other artists?

Bob Dylan, Scott Walker, Lana del Ray and Leonard Cohen to name a few

Have there been song lyrics which actually made you change (aspects of) your life? If so, what do you think, leant them that power?

Yes! Hearing the right lyric can often make me love harder than before.

When I can see myself in the narrative I take it with me everyday

It is sometimes said that “music begins where words end.” What do you make of that?

These days I’d rather purely write verse so I’m happy for the music to stop for long periods of time.

I’ve found that music can be like anything. When I have too much of it I feel bloated.

I have always considered many forms of music to be a form of poetry as well. Where do you personally see similarities? What can music express which may be out of reach for poetry?

I’d say melody is the biggest factor here. The marriage of melody and the right lyric can immediately pull on the heart strings.

Poetry has to be studied and most of the time you have to work and understanding the message. Songs have more instant gratification.

The relationship between words and music has always intrigued me. How do you see it? In how far can music take you to places with your writing you would possibly not have visited without it?  

It’s a personal preference.

I meet a lot of people that don’t really care for a great lyric. But for me I focus on the lyric straight away.

What are areas/themes/topics that you keep returning to in your lyrics?

It’s always love for me. All aspects of it move me and still inspire me the most

On the basis of a piece off your upcoming solo album Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes And Wine, tell me about how the lyrics grew into their final form and what points of consideration were.

They all started from poems I would write for my own pleasure.

I’d live with them for a while. Chip away until they read well. Then I sat and put them to music.

Do you tend to start writing with what will be the first line of the finished lyrics? The chorus? At a random point? What are the words that set the process in motion?

The verses tend to lead the way for me the most. But there are no rules.

I’d love to know how you think the meaning or effect of an individual song is enhanced, clarified or possibly contradicted by the EPs, or albums it is part of. Does a song on Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes And Wine, for example, need to be consistent with the larger whole?

I think so. Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes And Wine has a very strong context and story with it.

I love it when albums have a strong theme.

When you're writing song lyrics, do you sense or see a connection between your voice and the text? Does it need to feel and sound “good” or “right” to sing certain words? What's your perspective in this regard of singing someone else's songs versus your own?

Yeh, sounding good in music is very important.

But a phrase that doesn’t sound well can also be used as a tool when done in the right way

I would love to know a little about the feedback you’ve received from listeners or critics about what they thought some of your songs are about – have there been “misunderstandings” or did you perhaps even gain new “insights?”

Well I haven’t had any reviews for Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes And Wine yet! But my mum loves the songs so I’m already winning there.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing song lyrics or poetry is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I try and find a little magic in everything I do. Whether it’s getting ready or driving my car. I’ll often do a dance after flushing the toilet.

The world’s a playground and something to remember.