# Lucy Dacus

Lucy Elizabeth Dacus (/ˈdeɪkəs/ DAY-kəss; born May 2, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus first gained fame following the release of her debut album, No Burden (2016), which led to a deal with Matador Records. Historian, her second album, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim. Home Video, her third studio album, was released in 2021.
In addition to her solo work, Dacus is also a member of the indie supergroup Boygenius, with Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. The band has released one studio album and two EPs to critical acclaim and widespread touring. The band won 3 Grammy Awards in 2024, including Best Alternative Music Album. They also became the first all-female band to win Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance.
In October 2023, Rolling Stone named Dacus the 213th-greatest guitarist of all time, noting: "[her] guitar is as essential an instrument as her voice".

## Early life

Dacus was adopted as an infant and grew up in Mechanicsville, Virginia, a suburb of Richmond. She is of Uzbek and Irish descent. Her adoptive mother is a professional pianist and music teacher, and her adoptive father is a graphic designer. Dacus had an early interest in music, and bought her first guitar, an Ibanez, from Craigslist when she was in middle school. After graduating from Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in 2013, she began studying film at Virginia Commonwealth University, but left to avoid student debt and the "feeling of being misunderstood" in her university program. Prior to becoming a full-time musician, she was employed by Richmond Camera as an editor for children's school photos. During this time, she wrote approximately 30 songs, nine of which would make up the tracklist of No Burden.

## Career
### 2015–2018: No Burden and Historian

Dacus first performed in New York City in March 2015. Her first single, "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore", premiered in November 2015. Her debut album No Burden was produced in Nashville by her hometown friends, Berklee College of Music graduate Collin Pastore and Oberlin Conservatory of Music graduate Jacob Blizard; it was recorded at the request of Blizard for a school project. The album was originally released digitally on CD, and on vinyl via Richmond's EggHunt Records on February 26, 2016. Dacus was then signed to Matador Records, who re-released the album on September 9, 2016. In the same year she performed at Lollapalooza, in Chicago's Grant Park and made her national television debut on CBS This Morning. She recorded a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR the same weekend. In October 2016 she played the London Calling festival in Amsterdam, as a replacement for The Duke Spirit, who had been forced to cancel.
Dacus's second album, titled Historian, was released on March 2, 2018. Like its predecessor, it was met with widespread critical acclaim. Writing for Pitchfork, Sasha Geffen praised its nuance and sensitivity: "It’s not an easy album to wear out. It lasts, and it should, given that so many of its lyrics pick at time, and the way time condenses around deep emotional attachments to other people." Rolling Stone rated the album 4/5 stars, as did NME. Historian, like No Burden, was recorded in Nashville, at Trace Horse Studio, in a similar collaborative effort by Lucy Dacus, Jacob Blizard, and Collin Pastore.

### 2018–2025: Boygenius, 2019 EP, and Home Video

In 2018, Dacus, along with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, formed the supergroup Boygenius. In August, they released three songs from their self-titled debut EP, which was fully released on October 26, 2018.
To coincide with Valentine's Day 2019, Dacus released a cover of "La Vie en rose", the first in a planned series of songs commemorating major holidays.
Dacus released her third studio album Home Video on June 25, 2021. She performed one of its singles, "Hot & Heavy", on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on April 13. On November 10, Dacus released her single "Thumbs Again", a re-release of her song "Thumbs" with additional instrumentation, alongside the announcement of 2022 US tour dates.
On February 2, 2022, Dacus released a single "Kissing Lessons", accompanied by a music video. On March 8, 2023, Dacus released a music video for the song "Night Shift", directed by Jane Schoenbrun, for the fifth anniversary of Historian. Boygenius' debut studio album The Record was released on March 31, 2023 and Dacus spent much of the year touring the album with the group, including an appearance at Coachella and on Saturday Night Live. On February 1, 2024, Boygenius announced a hiatus.
On October 8, 2024, Dacus was a surprise opener for a makeup Julien Baker show at New York City's Brooklyn Steel, where she performed an untitled new song, now known as "Best Guess" on International Lesbian Day.

### 2025–Present: Forever is a Feeling

On January 15, 2025, Dacus announced her fourth studio Album, Forever is a Feeling. The same day, she released the double a-side single, Ankles.

## Artistry

Dacus' vocals have been described as "rich [and] buttery," and her lyrics are characterized as "playful and also heartrendingly candid." Lyrical themes explored by Dacus in her songs include young love and lovesickness. According to Ivy Nelson of Pitchfork, "The people in her songs seem to naturally settle into realms of instability and ambiguity."

## Activism

After Texas's new abortion law went into effect on September 1, 2021, Dacus announced on Twitter that all the money she makes at her upcoming shows in Texas "will be going towards abortion funds." She also informed her fans to bring extra money to her Houston and San Antonio shows for the donation to the abortion funds. During her Home Video Tour in July 2022, Dacus announced that she and her supporting act Camp Cope would be donating tips from the merchandise stand to the organization Fund Abortion Not Police.
While performing with Boygenius at Coachella in April 2023, the band spoke in support of trans rights following bills proposed in states like Florida and Missouri. At a later tour date in June 2023 in Tennessee, Dacus and her fellow band members performed in drag in protest of anti-drag legislation that state governor Bill Lee signed into law that was blocked in federal court.
After former President Barack Obama included "Not Strong Enough" by boygenius on his annual summer playlist, Dacus quote tweeted him, saying "war criminal :(".

## Personal life

Dacus was raised Christian but is no longer religious. She identifies as queer. Dacus lived in Richmond, Virginia until late 2019, and Philadelphia until 2023. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her partner, fellow Boygenius bandmate Julien Baker.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | US | US Alt | US Folk | US Indie | US Rock | UK | UK Indie | UK Amer. |
| No Burden | Released: February 26, 2016 Label: EggHunt, Matador Format: LP, CD, digital download, streaming media | — | — | — | — | ― | ― | ― | ― |
| Historian | Released: March 2, 2018 Label: Matador Format: LP, CD, digital download, streaming | — | — | 12 | — | ― | ― | 10 | 9 |
| Home Video | Released: June 25, 2021 Label: Matador Format: LP, CD, digital download, streaming | 104 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 85 | 8 | 2 |
| Forever Is a Feeling | To be released: March 28, 2025 Label: Geffen Format: LP, CD, digital download, streaming | To be released | To be released | To be released | To be released | To be released | To be released | To be released | To be released | To be released |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |||||||||||

### Extended plays

| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | EP details | US Heat |
| Girls Back Home | Released: August 31, 2012 Label: Independent Format: Digital download | ― |
| Lucy Dacus on Audiotree Live | Released: April 20, 2016 Label: Audiotree Music Format: Digital download, streaming | ― |
| 2019 | Released: November 8, 2019 Label: Matador Format: Vinyl, digital download, streaming | 22 |
| Spotify Singles | Released: July 20, 2022 Label: Matador Format: streaming | — |

### Singles

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | US AAA | US Rock | US Rock Air. | MEX Air. | NZ Hot | Album |
| "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | No Burden |
| "Strange Torpedo" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | No Burden |
| "Night Shift" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | Historian |
| "Addictions" | 2018 | — | — | — | 48 | — | Historian |
| "Next of Kin" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | Historian |
| "La Vie en Rose" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | 2019 |
| "My Mother & I" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | 2019 |
| "Forever Half Mast" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | 2019 |
| "Dancing in the Dark" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | 2019 |
| "In the Air Tonight" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | 2019 |
| "Last Christmas" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | 2019 |
| "Fool's Gold" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | 2019 |
| "Isabella" (with Hamilton Leithauser) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Thumbs" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | Home Video |
| "Hot & Heavy" | 2021 | 24 | — | — | — | — | Home Video |
| "VBS" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | Home Video |
| "Brando" | 2021 | 13 | — | — | — | — | Home Video |
| "Going Going Gone" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | Home Video |
| "Thumbs Again" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Kissing Lessons" | 2022 | 20 | — | 50 | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Home Again" / "It's Too Late" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Ankles" / "Limerence" | 2025 | 9 | 47 | 40 | — | 34 | Forever Is a Feeling |
| "Ankles" / "Limerence" | 2025 | — | — | — | — | — | Forever Is a Feeling |

### Other appearances

| Year | Song | Album | Notes |
| 2020 | "Lips of an Angel" | Save Stereogum: An '00s Covers Comp | Hinder cover |

### Music videos

| Title | Year | Director |
| "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore" | 2016 | Joseph McCormick & Henry Sho Kellam |
| "Addictions" | 2018 | Lucy Dacus |
| "Hot & Heavy" | 2021 | Lucy Dacus & Marin Leong |
| "VBS" | 2021 | Marin Leong |
| "Going Going Gone" (Live at Spang) | 2021 | Jordan Rodericks |
| "Brando" | 2021 | Un­known |
| "Kissing Lessons" | 2022 | Mara Palena |
| "Night Shift" | 2023 | Jane Schoenbrun |
| "Ankles" | 2025 | M. Amberson |

### Guest appearances

| Title | Year | Other artists | Album |
| "Isabella" | 2020 | Hamilton Leithauser | The Loves of Your Life |
| "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris" | 2020 | Hayley Williams | Petals for Armor |
| "Graceland Too" | 2020 | Phoebe Bridgers | Punisher |
| "I Know the End" | 2020 | Phoebe Bridgers | Punisher |
| "Lose This Number" | 2020 | Christian Lee Hutson | Beginners |
| "Unforgivable" | 2020 | Christian Lee Hutson | Beginners |
| "Get the Old Band Back Together" | 2020 | Christian Lee Hutson | Beginners |
| "Single for the Summer" | 2020 | Christian Lee Hutson | Beginners |
| "Favor" | 2021 | Julien Baker | Little Oblivions |

### As part of Boygenius

* Boygenius (2018)
* Boygenius (Demos) (2020)
* The Record (2023)
* The Rest (2023)

## Tours

* 2016 Tour (2016)
* 2017 Tour (with Hamilton Leithauser) (2017)
* Historian Tour (2018)
* North American Summer 2018 Tour (2018)
* Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers with Lucy Dacus Tour (2018)
* 2019 Tour (2019)
* Fall Tour 2019 (2019)
* Spring UK/EU Tour (2020; suspended after 2 dates)
* 2021 North American Tour (2021)
* Winter Tour 2022 (2022)
* UK/EU 2022 (2022)
* Summer Tour 2022 (2022)
* Home Video Tour (2022)
* Re:SET Concert Series (2023)
* The Tour (2023)

## Accolades

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2019 | Libera Awards | Best Breakthrough Artist/Release | Historian | Nominated |
| 2022 | GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist | Home Video | Nominated |
| 2024 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year | the record | Nominated |
| 2024 | Grammy Awards | Best Alternative Music Album | the record | Won |
| 2024 | Grammy Awards | Record of the Year | "Not Strong Enough" | Nominated |
| 2024 | Grammy Awards | Best Rock Song | "Not Strong Enough" | Won |
| 2024 | Grammy Awards | Best Rock Performance | "Not Strong Enough" | Won |
| 2024 | Grammy Awards | Best Alternative Music Performance | "Cool About It" | Nominated |
| 2024 | Brit Awards | International Group | boygenius | Won |