In this interview, we talk with Lucas Tecson, a San Jose-based singer, songwriter, and educator whose music blends jazz, musical theater, and childhood nostalgia into a warm and uplifting sound. Lucas shares how growing up in a musical family shaped his journey, how Disney and cartoon music unexpectedly became part of his online identity, and why community-driven events like Make Music Day are so important for local artists. He also talks about finding his voice during the pandemic and the excitement surrounding his upcoming debut EP.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your musical journey started?
Of course. So my name is Lucas Tecson. I started doing music through my parents, actually. My mom is a music teacher, so I was raised very much surrounded by music ever since I was born. By the time I was born, the music school that my parents had happily founded in 1997 had already started to gain traction and grow legs. So that’s kind of where I started, with my parents already introducing me into the music scene. I went through all stages of schooling doing music through choir, and didn’t really find a sense of my own personal voice with music until high school, through jazz choir and leaning into jazz music. I would do jazz through college, but I didn’t start songwriting and performing for events like Make Music Day until the pandemic. Like everybody else, I started songwriting when we were put into quarantine. I was very much inspired by my mom and my family and the people around me, as well as Asian American artists that were already up and coming, like Olivia Rodrigo and Bruno Mars, to name just a couple.
And when did you first realize that music was something you really wanted to pursue?
I think I knew whatever I was going to do, it was going to involve music. Being born into it was very much something that I’ve always held onto and been inspired by. I’ve always found it to be my personal home. Whenever life gets crazy, especially in times like now where everything around us feels a little unstable and unsure, it’s really easy to look inward and figure out what’s happening in your own immediate world. I think music is a great tool to do that. But I think education and music teaching really came from doing jazz choir in high school. My music teacher, Erin Simone, from Middie High School in Santa Clara, really gave me a little bit more agency with my own music and gave me a chance to come into my own as an educator. She would put me in charge of sectionals for choir, have me start rehearsals sometimes, and just give me a stronger sense of ownership over my music.
You have a good following on social media, TikTok and Instagram. What do you think draws people to your music and personality?
I couldn’t tell you, to be completely honest with you. I’m a teacher, so I grew up doing Disney, and I still teach Disney princess music, as well as other cartoon music I grew up with, and it has always been something I’ve loved to do. That’s been something people have really loved on TikTok. The nostalgia aspect right now, especially during and after COVID, and with social media moving so fast, we struggle to look back a lot of the time. I think revisiting childhood cartoons, especially as we get older, is a healthy way to still find fun and joy. So I think whenever I do those covers, that helps. But I also just love doing music, and I love people, and I love being around people. I’m really happy and grateful that people are connecting with what I’m doing, and I hope to use the platform to share, uplift, and pay it forward in any way I can.
How would you describe your sound or style to someone hearing you for the first time?
I’d say musical theater meets childhood nostalgia meets jazz and good vibes.
And who are some of your biggest musical inspirations? Are there any artists that you think inspired your sound?
Bruno Mars, definitely. I grew up absorbing any and all Bruno. One of my first concerts was Bruno, and I would go with my mom for our birthdays. So Bruno, and I’d say Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé for sure, Nat King Cole, a lot of the jazz vocalists I lean into as well. I don’t know if you’re familiar with this artist, but Rebecca Sugar, who’s also big for shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe, is a really prominent songwriter for me, as well as Aivi & Surasshu, the composers she works with. I lean heavily into their sound, as well as their theories regarding how sound and music work in the universes they create. I really appreciate their intentionality with instrumentation.
Now onto a few Make Music Day questions. How did you first hear about Make Music Day?
Through friends, actually. I started gigging in October 2024, but by that point Make Music Day had already passed, so it took until the following May for a lot of the musician community to join in. It’s a really great community of musicians in the Bay, by the way. Everyone was saying, “Do it, do it, Make Music Day!”
And what do you think makes events like Make Music Day important for artists and local music communities?
I think because of social media—and I really do appreciate all the opportunities I’ve gotten because of it—people kind of have their blinders on. Events like Make Music Day are so intentional and so rich in community outreach that they kind of force you to open your eyes to the beautiful music that’s right in front of you. Our media is so saturated by your Sabrina Carpenters, your Olivias, all of those artists who are obviously very talented, but I think they got there through community events like this too. So I think these kinds of events are what help push artists forward. Artists become community activists, community fixtures. There’s a climate in events like these where artists become important members of their communities, and it’s further strengthened by gatherings like this.
And what advice would you give to young musicians or creators trying to share their music online?
Just do it! Just do it already! I literally watched a video this morning about how it could happen on a random Monday, how you’re found and discovered. It doesn’t necessarily matter when, and it could take 10 years or it could take one. It probably won’t take one—wanting to be on the Coachella lineup in 2026 after starting in 2025 is definitely a dream—but it all starts with one step, one gig, one post, one interaction, one discussion. All it takes is one moment for you to realize that this is important to you. It could become your whole world, or it could just become a meaningful conversation, but you’ll never know if you don’t do it.
Finally, what are you currently working on or excited about for the future?
At the moment, I’m really excited to finally be working on an EP. I guess I can announce it now—it’s almost done. I recently released a demo in March on Spotify called “Back to You,” and I decided to compile a group of songs that really reflect the music I perform live and the sound I’ve found for myself. I don’t have a lot of this music on streaming yet, so I’d really love to get it out there. I’d say this EP feels like a chapter bookend, like, “This is what I have, this is my sound, and I think I found it.” The EP is called Back to You and it’ll drop in late July around my birthday. It’ll have five songs and feature a lot of live bands. I hope you like it!