LUCIA CIFARELLI
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Interview by Joey Diabolic • Photography credits…. Felix Salazar (B&W Promo) Odin Magana (Live Photo) Estevan Oriol (2025-2026 KMFDM Promo)
On Devils Night 2004, I had the honor of opening for KMFDM during their 20th Anniversary Tour, promoting their new album ‘WWIII’ with support act DJ?Accuracy at The Chance Theater. Fast-forward to June 13th, 2025. Had the chance to catch Lucia Cifarelli’s solo performance along with Lords of Acid and Little Miss Nasty at Ratchet NYC. The opportunity to talk with Lucia once the ‘Praise The Lords’ tour concluded presented itself.
You just finished the ‘Praise The Lords’ tour with Lords of Acid, Little Miss Nasty and Alley Kat. How was the tour? How did this creative ensemble come together behind-the-scenes? Had a great time at the Racket NYC show! The tour was fantastic! It was the first time I was on the road as a solo artist (not counting that time I opened for Robin Gibb of the Bee Gee’s! Yes that happened), It was exciting being able to showcase myself as an artist in that way. It was one of those unique out of the blue opportunities that don’t come along often enough. Marc Jordan, the manager of L.O.A. reached out to me initially on Instagram, and we spoke about the varying scenarios in which I could open. Since there wasn’t a budget for me to bring a band, I had to figure out how to musically and visually pull a show off on my own. L.O.A. made it possible by offering me a bunk on the bus /crew assistance and Marc helped me set things up on stage each night. Everyone on the tour was welcoming, and audiences were supportive and enthusiastic. I couldn’t have asked for more! I’m glad you enjoyed the show in NYC. Home shows are particularly stressful and this one especially so since I’d never performed solo on home turf before.
How different was it for you touring solo? It was different c ompared to touring with KMFDM where I’m accustomed to being in the headlining band. Being an opener is humbling AF because you don’t get the same perks or audience. Some days were truly challenging. I was certainly out of my comfort zone, but I’d do it all again in a second if I could perform solo again. It was liberating and exhilarating being able to showcase my solo side and connect with the audience so personally.
This is a fun question… What does touring smell like? It depends on the time of day, where you are, who’s showered and how ripe the bus and venue are. Sometimes its smells delicious and other times its downright disgusting. Weather also plays a factor because obviously when it’s hot outside the bad smells get amplified more than in colder temperatures. Either way there’s something comforting and nostalgic about returning to places you’ve traveled before and having memories re-ignited as your passing through.
With the solo work compositions, you’ve explored a variety of genres beyond what you’ve done in KMFDM. How similar (or different) is the writing and recording process compared to KMFDM? What was the inspiration for “Matches & Gasoline”? They’re very different approaches. For my solo stuff I’m much more hands on from start to finish with writing, production, artwork and videos then on KMFDM records where the positions are reversed, That being said we offer each other ideas freely for either project and have a fair amount of input into what the other is doing. “Matches & Gasoline” was inspired by a deeply personal debacle that shattered my spirit completely. I had to come to terms with some hard truths about my life and how little it’s worth to those I expected to care about me most (family). It was my way of releasing the pressure valve and letting off steam while giving voice to a message so many can relate to.
Growing up in Long Island, New York, who inspired you when you began singing? So many different artists. Certainly music coming out of the UK. Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin, New Order, Modern English, Echo & The Bunnymen, Eurythmics, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Police, Roxy Music, Joy Division, Def Leppard, Tears For Fears, The Pretenders. MTV got its claws in me and didn’t let go. I started writing young and used any money I made from after school jobs to make demos in NYC. When I got an internship working at a local recording studio, there was no looking back. I had tunnel vision and was inspired by something different every day. Harnessing all that inspiration and finding my own voice became the bigger challenge. It wasn’t until I stopped comparing myself to other people that I was able to be inspired by my own quirkiness and come into my own.
From all the music you’ve heard over the years, as a keyboardist, which melodies (or songs) come to mind that elicit an instant sense of nostalgia? I don’t consider myself a keyboardist at all. I couldn’t play you anything other than what I write for myself. Instant nostalgia? How much time you got? Off the top of my head these songs instantly transport me back to my teenage self at Jones Beach on Long Island with my besties. “She Sells Sanctuary” The Cult, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” Simple Minds, “The Killing Moon” Echo & The Bunnymen, “Blue Monday” New Order, “How Soon Is Now” The Smiths, “Pretty in Pink” The Psychedlic Furs.
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KMFDM started in 1984 and you later joined in 2002. What were your favorite tracks from their catalog prior to joining? “Megalomaniac”, “Drug Against War”, “Stray Bullet”, “Money”, “Virus”, “Don’t Blow Your Top”, “Terror”, “Beast”.
In 2024, the ‘Let Go’ studio album was released. How different (or similar) was the process of making that album compared to 2003’s ‘WWIII’? It was another time and place. We were living in Seattle at the time we recorded WWIII and were working with Jules, Steve, Andy, and Raymond. Because we lived nearby (except for Raymond) we spent a lot of time socializing in-between recording. Fast forward 21 years, Sascha and I are in Hamburg, Andy is in Florida and the rest of the guys are doing their own projects. One thing that remains the same is the songwriting process between Sascha and I, and of course how we record which is predominantly in our home recording studio.
As musicians, we listen to a wide range of genres for fun, exploration and inspiration. Any new artists or new music that has caught your ear? What are some classic artists or albums that you always go back to? TBH I’m pretty shit at discovering new artists, and don’t like to be influenced by what anyone else is doing while writing an album, and because I’ve been in a non-stop writing cycle between KMFDM and my solo stuff over the last several years I haven’t listened to much. That being said I do love Twin Tribes and their song “Monolith”, and of course the classics still get solid play from me - Sisters Of Mercy, New Order,The Cure, Pixies, Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, Peal Jam, Brian Eno, Prince, Donna Summer, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, Tina Turner, Beastie Boys, Tricky, The Prodigy, Leftfield, Daft Punk.
What’s next for your solo work and KMFDM? It’s hard to say where things go next with my solo stuff. Although I’d absolutely love to focus on it, I don’t have the support I need to make it happen at the moment. I’m also still catching my breath after a year of writing, recording and touring in support of “No God Here”, while touring and writing with KMFDM. Next up KMFDM will be headlining The Santuario Festival in Madrid on November 15th, and then preparing for a European tour in Feb. 2026.