Beguiling globe-trotting bohemian folk-pop singer-songwriter Lucy Gallant releases her new single ‘Forbidden Love’ on Friday 6th February 2026. Lucy is one of our friends here at the magazine and so we reached out for an interview to go alongside this one. The video to accompany this single comes out on February 14th for Valentines day and we will add it at the end of the feature then!
Before the main part of the feature I will share the press release with you:
“Australian singer-songwriter Lucy Gallant releases her most haunting single yet, Forbidden Love, a stripped-back gothic pop ballad steeped in longing, secrecy, and dark romance. Built around delicate piano, emotive strings, and raw, vulnerable vocals, “Forbidden Love” unfolds slowly and deliberately, allowing the story to breathe. The song captures the quiet pull between two souls drawn together despite the forces keeping them apart, a love that can only exist in the darkness of night and must disappear with the coming of day. At its heart, “Forbidden Love” tells the story of an angelic girl who falls for a man shaped by darkness, where innocence meets shadow, and light is drawn irresistibly to night.
A powerful example of Gallant’s songwriting at its finest, the song showcases her remarkable vocal range, moving effortlessly from deep, grounded tones in the verses to soaring falsetto in the choruses. The longing to be together makes the love even more irresistible, heightening the tension between desire and restraint as the story unfolds in the shadows. Cinematic and gothic in atmosphere, the track feels like it belongs on a movie screen, the kind of song you could imagine underscoring a dark romance film such as Twilight or Bram Stoker’s Dracula, where danger and devotion intertwine, and love survives only in secrecy.
Lyrically, “Forbidden Love” explores longing, restraint, and the intoxicating pull of the forbidden. Lines such as “Forbidden Love” lives only in the dark” and “Love tastes sweeter when it’s forbidden” reveal a connection hidden not out of shame, but out of necessity, protected by shadows and cherished in silence. The minimal arrangement allows the piano and strings to act as both heartbeat and breath, swelling gently beneath Gallant’s voice and amplifying the song’s soft gothic romance. “Forbidden Love” is a reminder that not all love is simple, some love must remain hidden, and in doing so becomes even more intense and overwhelmingly powerful.”
Having read through the press on this one I have the pleasure of including for you all my conversation with the songstress herself.
The Interview:
We last spoke in July 2024 when you were heading our way on tour and had just released “Devious” At the time you told us: “right now I am enjoying exploring that darker intensity. That is where I am right now, not being afraid to be more intense and dark. My next single will be even darker, this single just touches on what is to come.” The new single is much dreamier and more ethereal. “F You” I just liked as it was in your face and a sentiment I so want to say to certain people. Finally, the question!! Are you leaving the “darker side of you” that you spoke of before?
Lucy: Not at all, I don’t think the darker side ever really leaves. It just transforms.
With Devious and F YOU, the darkness was sharp, raw, and very exposed, almost confrontational. Forbidden Love is darker in a quieter way. It’s more internal, more dreamlike. It lives in longing, secrecy, and restraint rather than anger or rebellion. For me, it’s the kind of darkness that’s beautiful, the way forbidden love itself can only exist in the shadows. There’s something poetic about it, almost gothic, with a medieval, timeless feeling. To truly be whole, I believe we have to embrace both our light and our dark. One cannot exist without the other, they are forever entwined.
I know the video is not out until Valentines Day, but I’ve been lucky enough to see it, and I liked the sense of the religious, the passages of stone, the connection to the past…how do you see the video projecting the single?
Lucy: The video is very simple, and that was a conscious choice. You never actually see my forbidden lover, instead, you see me veiled in white, singing inside a dark cave and standing outside a church door. For me, this symbolises innocence and light moving through spaces of shadow and secrecy. The cave represents hidden desire and the places love retreats to when it isn’t allowed to exist openly, while the church door reflects morality, judgment, and the rules that keep us apart. We meet only in secret, where no one must know. That separation is what makes the love feel stronger and more intense. The symbolism throughout the video mirrors the song itself, a sacred, dangerous love living quietly in the shadows, deepening rather than fading because it cannot be seen.
I know you believe in love at first sight, and the Beatles in “A Little Help From My Friends” say it happens all the time – my editor Mark tells of a one off time when he believes he once fell in love at first sight! BUT I don’t believe in it – I think it must be lust at first sight, not love! -debate with me Lucy, do you really believe in it?
Lucy: I love this debate. I honestly do believe in love at first sight, I’ve experienced it myself. I think it’s a kind of soul recognition, where something ancient clicks before the mind has time to catch up. It doesn’t always mean it will last, but that doesn’t make it any less real or powerful. I believe it can happen many times in a lifetime, with different people you share a deep soul connection with. Lust can absolutely be part of it, but lust alone doesn’t stop you in your tracks. Love at first sight feels more like remembering someone rather than simply wanting them. You don’t always know why, you just know something important has entered the room
What a world we are in right now. We have one of our team who is Iranian and she is crying for her family over there who she is scared for. I pray they can find hope and a better future. We have raised how musicians are being arrested and killed and how women are banned from singing in public there! With all the depression in the world we believe music has such a unifying role and is essential for mental health. Do you agree with us? Can music still save the world, or at least play its part?
Lucy: I absolutely believe music can help and in many ways, it’s a weapon in itself. Music is a powerful tool for changing minds, building community, and reminding people of what really matters. For a long time now, music with a strong, conscious message has been pushed aside. Mainstream culture has been dominated by themes of ego, money, drugs, and objectification, while songs about love, unity, and real change are often treated as uncool or naïve. That kind of censorship doesn’t always look obvious, but it exists and it’s one of the reasons I write the songs I do. Many of my songs are about connection, compassion, and imagining a better world, because I believe deeply in music’s power to influence how we think and feel. Music with the right message can stop wars. It wakes people up. It can spark movements and begin revolutions. When voices are silenced, music becomes resistance. When hope feels impossible, it becomes a lifeline. It connects us across borders, language, and fear, reminding us of our shared humanity.
You told us last time: “I do agree that as you get older, you experience more and have deeper material to draw on. I also enjoy imagining how someone else might feel in a situation and tuning into the experiences of other people.” – are your recent releases drawing more on you or on the imagination of how someone else may feel in each situation?
Lucy: They’re becoming more intertwined. The older I get, the more my imagination is informed by lived experience. Even when I’m writing from someone else’s perspective, I’m drawing on real emotions I’ve felt or witnessed. “Forbidden Love” is very personal emotionally, even if parts of the story feel symbolic. I think that’s where my songwriting is heading, truth wrapped in metaphor
What plans for 2026 can you share with us?
Lucy: 2026 feels like a year of expansion and intention. I’m planning more international touring, with a strong focus on the UK and Europe from June through to September, alongside deeper visual storytelling and continuing to release music that feels honest and unfiltered. I also want to keep building real community around my shows, creating spaces where people feel safe, connected, and truly seen. Less rushing, more meaning
Shakespeare (in A Winter’s Tale) says “A Sad Song’s Best For Winter” – do you agree?
Lucy: I agree, but I’d add that sad songs also make winter feel less lonely. There’s comfort in hearing your own feelings echoed back to you. Winter invites introspection, and sad songs give us permission to feel without fixing anything. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need.
Lastly, a fun question. It is late at night, and the tour bus breaks down. The wind is howling outside, and the rain is rushing down. A lonely cottage (with electricity) awaits, no one is inside. What book and what film will get you through the night?
Lucy: Book: The Five Agreements – it always brings me back to truth, personal responsibility, and living with integrity, especially when the world feels chaotic.
Film: The Doors – raw, poetic, and unfiltered. There’s something about its darkness, mysticism, and rebellious spirit that feels perfect for a wild, stormy night.
And we hope you enjoyed that, Lucy as engaging as ever! Popping that in our metaphorical back-pocket, let us turn to the single itself.
My review:
I have just been reading a book my editor (Mark) recommended to me called “Young, Damned and Fair” by Gareth Russell. It’s about Catherine Howard (the unfortunate 5th Queen of Henry VIII). She was a girl of passions, led by the moment, instinctive and reckless, that touch of self-destruction ever there. “I can’t bear the ache that you’re not here…” – the sense of temptation – when love is a sin. All this reminded me of her somehow. The track itself is a little jigsaw puzzle of pieces, the fragmentation of forbidden love. You know those moments when we become creatures of the night and driven by instincts better ignored. Love is a poison as much as a tonic and this is a confident vocal performance by Lucy. I know her work well, and this piece builds up and excites, it would sound wonderful on mainstream radio and I really hope they take it up, a beautiful ethereal vocal from Lucy too.
In summary, “Forbidden Love” is the kind of song that doesn’t rush you. It waits. It breathes. It understands that some emotions are better explored quietly, after the world has gone to sleep. Lucy Gallant continues to carve out her own gothic corner of modern pop — elegant, emotionally intelligent, and unafraid of the shadows. This is music for night people.
‘Forbidden Love’ is released Friday 6th February. Stream it, sit with it, and follow Lucy Gallant as she keeps turning darkness into something beautifully human, stop a moment and listen to the creatures of the night.
Love what we do? Rock the Joint Magazine is completely free — no paywalls, no ads ruining the read — just passionate music journalism for 1,000+ readers a day. If you enjoy hanging out with us, please consider hitting the “Support Us” button and buying us a coffee on Ko-Fi. Even a small donation genuinely helps keep the magazine running, lets us publish more features, and reminds us that people value independent music writing.
You Can Stream music from Lucy Gallant here
Artist website here
Credits
Written and arranged by Lucy Gallant
Produced by Josh Beattie
Mastered by Paul Blakey
By Lorraine Foley
