Interview: Hard rock electric violinist, vocalist Ginny Luke on new album, challenges, ambitions and more

Written By Neil Shumate, OOTB Publications

With her solo full length album Devil At My Heels just released, singer-songwriter, hard rock electric violin virtuoso and USC Thornton School of Music adjunct instructor Ginny Luke—who debuted at Carnegie Hall at the age of 16, recorded for Snoop Dogg at 17, and established her touring career alongside Meat Loaf at 20 as a vocalist and featured solo electric violinist—gets personal in this extensive interview with OOTB.

Ginny has performed and recorded with artists such as: Britney Spears, Black Eyed Peas, Will.I.Am, the Foo Fighters, Snoop Dogg, Ashe, Finneas, J.Cole, Miguel, Daniel Caesar, Hozier, Dave Matthews Band, Kenny Loggins, Englebert Humperdinck, Avril Lavigne, Miguel, 6lack, Iggy Azalea, Nicki Minaj, Skylar Grey, Shawn Mendes, Ruben Studdard and Stevie Wonder and others. Ginny has performed on the Tonight Show, the American Music Awards, the TODAY Show, the Seth Meyers Show, and the Latin Grammys.

In this OOTB interview, the longtime musician discusses her new album produced by Dave Darling (Def Leppard/Brian Setzer) and Zackary Darling (John5/Eric Gales), challenges as a woman in the music industry, performing and writing music, collaboration aspirations, what rock music means to her, empowering others, future hopes and plans.

On your solo debut Devil At My Heels (KZZ Music/Blue Élan Records) available now, what one song stands out to you the most or means the most to you and why that song?

The song that means the most to me is “Woman I Wanted to Be.”

It’s about the journey of finding myself from the darkest time in my life to now. And the violin solo is just passionate, fiery, angry, virtuosic and placed amidst this tango—Red Hot Chili Peppers-Nirvana—soundscape and then goes into a violin/cello classical outro. It’s a composition and all these elements support the emotional sentiment of the song.

I don’t think this specific sentiment of “I am currently not the woman I want to be and I’m still trying to grasp any semblance of becoming that woman” has been so directly articulated in rock music before.

Why did you decide to release your Deep Purple cover of “Burn” as the next single?

I love rock royalty and I love badass virtuosity. Deep Purple’s “Burn” is an iconic rock piece and combines baroque style classical lines that work well on the violin, with scorching solo sections, and requires a strong vocal. It was a perfect fit for me.

What was it that made you say, “NOW is the time to record and release my full solo debut?”

It was preparation meets opportunity. I have been in the music industry since I was 14. I recorded a full-length album with a girl group when I was 15 and 16, then worked with artists from Snoop Dogg to Meat Loaf to Dave Matthews to Britney Spears to Foo Fighters. I’ve learned and recorded for some of the best. I had songs ready and when I was signed to KZZ Music/Blue Elan Records I was ready to record very quickly.

As a singer and violinist, what’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in the music industry and how did you face that and overcome that?

The biggest challenge I’ve faced in the industry is not being listened to as a woman specifically. I’m a highly competent musician; I come from a classical background, but I have proven myself as a high level musician in so many genres and I think people in this industry take “fake it till you make it” too far.

I don’t think people in leadership positions always deserve to be there, although I’m willing to give everyone a chance and I deeply respect good music industry leaders; but, I have had to shrink myself for years to stay in the room and get any work done in this industry.

This album is a proclamation of my autonomy and my voice being heard. I will add, I’ve heard female colleagues say they haven’t faced so many of those challenges in their own personal journeys in the last couple years, so I do believe the landscape is starting to change.

My personal goal in all of this is to get everyone on an equal playing field no matter how hard it is to make art about it, raise my voice, and share my experiences.

When you perform and write, do you primarily play impromptu by ear or do you read and write composition pieces? Or a little of both?

I do both. I play by ear, I read, I write parts, I transcribe, I engage with music in every way. Whatever is the fastest and whatever gets the job done.

I used to memorize and perform concertos as a child, study scores, play in orchestras, sing in musicals and operas, and comprehend and memorize music very quickly, but I was also in my first jazz ensemble when I was 9 and I started studying good solo structure at a young age.

I always studied great pop songs on the radio and my brother Jesse would make “Jesse’s Party Mix” burned CDs with everything from Ozzy Osbourne to Ludacris, so I was exposed to a wide variety of styles early, and I especially learned at age 19 and 20, working with Meat Loaf, that many great musicians don’t read music. There are so many ways to engage with music.

You debuted at Carnegie Hall as a concerto violinist at the age of 16 and you’ve dappled in so many genres throughout your extensive career. What is it about hard rock that speaks to you the most?

Rock is for fierceness, Rock is for misfits, Rock is for freedom. Rock doesn’t have so many constraints. Rock is loud. Rock is vulnerable. Rock is misunderstood and understanding. I am all these things and my violin playing and my voice are all these things.

You have many accolades and have done sessions with or toured with and shared the stage with Meat Loaf, AJR, Foo Fighters, Snoop, Nicki Minaj, Hozier and many others… as well as collaborated on your album with Nili Brosh and Orianthi, are there any artists you’d like to collaborate with or share the stage with that you haven’t yet?

I would love to collaborate with Jack White, Linda Perry, Banks, Beth Hart, Lzzy Hale, Lindsey Stirling, K. Flay, Gary Clark Jr., Herbie Hancock.

What are your immediate plans and overall what are your future longtime goals and aspirations as a solo artist?

My immediate plans and future longtime goals… that’s heavy.

Immediate plans: promote the record, perform the record, write new music, enjoy my life. Make a “Devil at My Heels” lipstick in deep purple [laughs]. Start a “Rock Fitness” brand.

Longtime goals: make change in equality in the music industry for women and men and songwriters and session musicians; advocate for women to have autonomy over their bodies; inspire young musicians to go after their dreams; start a foundation to help victims of assault and violence heal, find themselves, and start a new life.

I hope to inspire the next generation in the music industry to stand up for what’s right, to set a good example, to exemplify ethics in their deals and in the new music industry, and to raise their voices. We have the power and the opportunity to make this industry thrive.

Devil At My Heels Tracklist