Seven years ago, Luca Diadul still considered himself a musician who enjoyed singing and playing the piano. Today, he speaks with greater confidence about his purpose and the importance of creating vulnerable music that others can relate to. This evolution has also changed his approach to songwriting. He now pays attention to every element of a song, from the lyrics and vocal performance to the arrangements.
His new single, “Tumbling,” reflects this intention through a story about the excitement of falling in love and the feeling of losing control at the beginning of a relationship. The song was born from a very specific memory, an afternoon in a parking garage, as sunlight streamed through the windshield and a small gesture from his partner made him realize what he was feeling. Tucker Hill, who co-wrote and produced the track, helped him find the chorus the song needed, while the acoustic guitars, recorded simultaneously by Hill and Zack Smith, bring movement and spontaneity to the arrangement. The subtle electric guitar slides reinforce the sensation of falling described in the lyrics.
“Tumbling” also offers a glimpse of where Luca Diadul is heading. The single represents one of the early chapters of “Art To Say Goodbye,” his upcoming album, scheduled for release in spring 2027. Now, with more experience, Luca wants his lyrics, melodies, arrangements, and even the visual identity of his work to reflect a unified vision. That pursuit has a much simpler origin than we might imagine.
Luca, after singing “I’m Yours” during your walk through Japan, you began to imagine a life dedicated to music. How have you changed the way you present yourself and write since then?
That trip 7 years ago was foundational. Not only in terms of finding the confidence to go after what I wanted, but also in terms of growing up and learning lessons and figuring out how to make something of myself. Sometimes you just need to get out in the world and see how it works.
It was still only the beginning of the process, though. Back in Japan, I wasn’t an artist. I was a musician; I could play piano, I loved to sing, but I didn’t know what it meant to embody a song, a style, a purpose, in the way that I do now. And so every day since that trip has been building off of that foundation. Becoming a better singer, songwriter, performer, honing the message behind the music, learning how to promote myself, always looking to take the next step and improve and continue working.
Today I am quite confident in saying that I am an Artist, creating introspective, vulnerable music that is a safe place for you to feel.
You've mentioned that “Tumbling” is about the moments that “tip us over the edge.” What is it about that feeling of suddenly losing your balance and control that you wanted to explore in this track?
Imagine you’re rolling down a hill. At some point, you start to lose control, and you’ve got to just trust that you made the right decision and go with it. You get to the bottom and you’re gasping for breath, face hot, laughing uncontrollably with a huge giddy smile. That pure joy is really what I wanted to explore in Tumbling.
Because it’s such a rush to fall for someone. Even if you’re a bit unbalanced or you’re losing control, it feels so good, so happy. And when you’re in those moments sharing that tumble with someone else, nothing else matters. Problems flutter away like butterflies. The world is perfect, life is beautiful, and everything will work out okay.
It’s a dream, it’s la la land, and that honeymoon phase might not last, but it’s still real to you. And so I really wanted to capture that high, that untouchable immortality of a huge rush of endorphins all slamming home every day, all the time, and the joy and happiness that comes with it.
You've mentioned that “Tumbling” isn't about the grand gestures but rather the tiny human moments. The lyrics reflect this with highly specific details, like trying something new or walking home holding someone else’s heels. Why do you feel these quiet, everyday vignettes capture the reality of falling in love better than big, sweeping declarations?
Because it’s those little moments that make you, you. Anyone can make a big grand gesture, but who’s the actual person behind it? That’s the person that you’re falling in love with. And it’s all those little specific quirks that make them who they really are, that separate them from the other 8 billion people on Earth.
And they just stack. Love doesn’t happen in a moment; it happens over time. Each little moment quietly brings you closer and closer, and builds you both higher and higher.
What was it like writing the song with Tucker Hill, and what did his perspective bring to the story?
I had most of Tumbling written when I brought the song to Tucker, but what I didn’t have, and what I couldn’t see I was missing, was a chorus. Just harmonically, the song felt a little flat and like it was missing a worthy climax. In hindsight, it’s so clear, but I just wasn’t able to pick up on it until he pointed it out.
That’s one of my favorite things about working with Tucker, that he’s totally unafraid to speak up and say ‘I think we should change this lyric’ or ‘I think this song needs a bridge’ or whatever else he might be thinking. It’s why I decided to work with him on my album instead of anyone else. Having someone you trust to give you open and honest feedback is invaluable.
We sat down together on a sunny afternoon in the studio to write the chorus, and in doing so crystallized all the little ideas that were already floating around into one easily understandable metaphor. We also found a chorus hook that was worthy of being the first single off an album. And most importantly in my mind, one that feels like the theme of the song, a melody that tumbles and evokes that same joy and happiness.
The song is built around interwoven acoustic guitars, with a few touches of electric guitar. How did you decide to build the arrangement around those elements?
Guitar is very central to my music; it speaks to me in a way that a lot of other instruments don’t. So I knew that guitar was going to be the base to start with.
And then it became about how we best capture that same joy and physicality that the lyrics and melody hold in the instrumentation. Because it’s one thing to hear ‘tumbling, tumbling down’, and it’s another thing to feel like you’re actually tumbling, tumbling down.
And that’s where Tucker and Zack Smith, my guitarist, came into play. Zack and I have been playing together for a couple of years now, and Tucker obviously helped write the song, so I think they both had a really good understanding of my vision and how to translate the emotions of the lyrics and melody to guitar. I wanted to record both acoustic guitars simultaneously, live, to capture the energy and magic that comes from two really talented musicians playing in the same room together, and it all just flowed from there.
The electric guitar was the final touch, a little slide to further push that feeling of falling.
How would you define your musical style and the themes that inspire your songs?
What really has been driving me with this project is storytelling. All the songs on the upcoming album work together to tell a story, a long-distance love story. Tumbling is an early chapter, about the joy of the initial fall, before everything gets a little more complicated as it goes along.
I wanted to tell that story not only through lyrics, but through melody and harmonics and instrumentation and arrangement and rhythm and tempo, all adjustable variables working together to carry you on an emotional and physical arc, throughout both Tumbling and the album. The result is a style that’s very vocally forward and very dynamic.
What has changed from your first EP, “A Through Z,” to “Art To Say Goodbye,” your upcoming album?
Well, I think of what we discussed at the top, about my trip to Japan, about building on a foundation and always growing. Even when I got back to the US after my travels, I wasn’t ready to become an artist. I had never even played guitar! But I took the next steps. I started playing guitar, writing songs, learning production, and eventually that turned into ‘A Through Z’.
Releasing it was really meaningful to me. It’s when I made the mental shift from ‘I do this for fun, I do this as a hobby’ to ‘I do this because I want to spend the rest of my life doing it. Because I want this to be my career, my dreams, my goals, and I’m willing to risk my ego and look bad and whatever else is going to hit me along the way.’ It was a conscious shift.
Now I retain that conscious shift, but I have three extra years of experience and growth. For the first couple of years of my career, I really felt like I was figuring out everything on the fly. And I still feel like that a lot of the time, but there’s also a ton now that’s already in my back pocket. And that meant I could be very, very intentional with ‘Art To Say Goodbye’, in terms of sonic identity, lyrics and storytelling, visuals, and vocal performance. I understand how all of this works now, and how it all works together, to the point where I can release an album that really feels uniquely me and represent that to you.
What can you tell us about “Art To Say Goodbye”?
“Art To Say Goodbye” is a gift. It’s 12 seeds that were planted two years ago and have now bloomed into white lilies. It’s two tickets for a scrapbook, with all the memories that they contain. It’s a pink scarf that was lost and then found again, frayed, but still soft and warm to the touch.
That’s what I poured into it, at least. Hopefully you’ll listen, and see some of yourself in there as well. It comes out in spring of next year!
What is something you’ve never been asked that you’d like to express?
I would love if there were more healing, more harmony, in the world. There is so much division, hardship, and pain that is all too often caused by one person to another. And I’m not advocating for perfect unity, because I think that’s pretty unrealistic. But I hope that when you listen to my music, you remember that the world is here for us to share, with each other, and with nature. And I hope that you hold onto that feeling, and you convey it with others, and eventually, we’ll build a little more light in the darkness, a little more peace, and a little more balance.
Listen to “Tumbling” and connect with Luca Diadul on Instagram and YouTube.
