Lucy Elizabeth Dacus (/ˈdeɪkəs/DAY-kəss;[1] 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 withMatador Records.Historian, her second album, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim.Home Video, her third studio album, was released in 2021.Forever is a Feeling, her fourth album, was released in 2025.
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".[2]
Lucy Elizabeth Dacus[3] was born on May 2, 1995.[4][5] She was adopted as an infant and grew up inMechanicsville, Virginia, a suburb of Richmond.[6][7] She is of Uzbek and Irish descent.[8] Her adoptive mother is a professional pianist and music teacher, and her adoptive father is a graphic designer.[7][9] Dacus had an early interest in music, and bought her first guitar, anIbanez, from Craigslist when she was in middle school.[6] After graduating fromMaggie L. Walker Governor's School in 2013,[9] she began studying film atVirginia Commonwealth University, but left to avoid student debt and the "feeling of being misunderstood" in her university program.[10][11] Prior to becoming a full-time musician, she was employed by Richmond Camera as an editor for children's school photos.[12] During this time, she wrote approximately 30 songs, nine of which would make up the tracklist ofNo Burden.[10]
Dacus first performed in New York City in March 2015.[13] Her first single, "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore", premiered in November 2015. Her debut albumNo Burden was produced in Nashville by her hometown friends,Berklee College of Music graduate Collin Pastore andOberlin Conservatory of Music graduate Jacob Blizard;[14][15] it was recorded at the request of Blizard for a school project.[10] The album was originally released digitally on CD, and on vinyl via Richmond'sEggHunt Records on February 26, 2016.[14][15] Dacus was then signed toMatador Records, who re-released the album on September 9, 2016.[16][17][18] In the same year she performed atLollapalooza, in Chicago'sGrant Park and made her national television debut onCBS This Morning.[19] She recorded a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR the same weekend.[20] In October 2016 she played theLondon Calling festival in Amsterdam, as a replacement forThe Duke Spirit, who had been forced to cancel.[21]
Dacus's second album, titledHistorian, was released on March 2, 2018.[22] 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."[23]Rolling Stone rated the album 4/5 stars,[24] as didNME.[25]Historian, likeNo Burden, was recorded in Nashville, at Trace Horse Studio, in a similar collaborative effort by Lucy Dacus, Jacob Blizard, and Collin Pastore.[26]
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.[28]
Dacus released her third studio albumHome Video on June 25, 2021.[29] She performed one of its singles, "Hot & Heavy", onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert on April 13.[30] 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.[31]
On February 2, 2022, Dacus released a single "Kissing Lessons", accompanied by a music video.[32] On March 8, 2023, Dacus released a music video for the song "Night Shift", directed byJane Schoenbrun, for the fifth anniversary ofHistorian.[33] Boygenius' debut studio albumThe Record was released on March 31, 2023 and Dacus spent much of the year touring the album with the group, including an appearance atCoachella[34][35][36] and onSaturday Night Live.[37] On February 1, 2024, Boygenius announced a hiatus.[38]
On January 15, 2025, Dacus announced her fourth studio album,Forever Is a Feeling. The same day, she released the single "Ankles".
Forever Is a Feeling was released on March 28, 2025.The Guardian'sAlexis Petridis gave the album three stars, writing that Dacus "gets lost in understatement on a loved-up album about her relationship with bandmate Julien Baker, shrouding sharp lyrics in shy melodies".[40]Pitchfork's Laura Snapes gave the album a 6.1, writing "Forever Is a Feeling is Dacus' sweetest and most sentimental-sounding album, all but extinguishing the bonfire crackle of her previous records."[41]
On August 8, 2025, she released dual singles “Bus Back to Richmond” and “More Than Friends”.[42]
On October 8, 2025, Dacus announced aForever is a Feeling companion album featuring alternate versions, live recordings, and bonus tracks set to release on October 10. The companion album will have a digital release and a vinyl with two exclusive tracks.[43]
Dacus' vocals have been described as "rich [and] buttery," and her lyrics are characterized as "playful and also heartrendingly candid."[44] Lyrical themes explored by Dacus in her songs includeyoung love andlovesickness. According to Ivy Nelson ofPitchfork, "The people in her songs seem to naturally settle into realms of instability and ambiguity."[45]
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.[46] During her Home Video Tour in July 2022, Dacus announced that she and her supporting actCamp Cope would be donating tips from the merchandise stand to the organization Fund Abortion Not Police.[47]
While performing with Boygenius atCoachella in April 2023, the band spoke in support oftrans rights following bills proposed in states like Florida and Missouri.[48] At a later tour date in June 2023 in Tennessee, Dacus and her fellow band members performed in drag in protest ofanti-drag legislation that state governorBill Lee signed into law that was blocked in federal court.[49]
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