As Lucy Dickins' move to CAA is announced, here's a chance to revist our 2023 interview with the super agent following her MITS Award triumph...
For years now, Lucy Dickins has been renowned as a trailblazer in live music and, after taking on a new global role at WME, she won the 2023 MITS Award. Here, the agent talks meeting Adele, dining with Tracy Chapman and the Dickins industry dynasty...
INTERVIEW: ANNA FIELDING
Because I had family members in the business, my industry story began at a young age…
“My very first gig was ABBA, the one after that was Bucks Fizz. When I was growing up, I didn’t really want to be a girl, I had an older brother I played football with and I’d cut off all my hair. This was the early 1980s and I remember going backstage to meet Bucks Fizz with my short hair and velvet pedal pushers. The band said, ‘What a cute little boy,’ and I was really cross and said, ‘I’m not a boy, I’m a girl!’ I also remember being on the side of the stage with [Asylum Records co-founder] Elliot Roberts watching Neil Young. Then there were [gigs by] Diana Ross, Annie Lennox, Michael McDonald, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and George Michael. I grew up with the industry and learned things very naturally.”
When I met Adele, we didn’t stop laughing…
“I was working with Jack Peñate at the time and he was just coming up with everyone wanting to book him. He asked if he could come and see Hot Chip and if he could bring his friend who was an incredible singer, so they came down. I first saw Adele sitting on the stairs at King’s College surrounded by carrier bags, so the very first thing she actually said to me was, ‘I’m holding all these bags.’ We stood on the balcony to watch the band and got talking and she was absolutely hilarious. We talked about going to Romford ice rink together. At the end of the evening she gave me a CD.”
“Some people think being an agent is easy, but there’s huge value in what we do”
Lucy Dickins
The first time I heard Adele sing...
“I was blown away. That was the next day after getting the CD. I love to clean, and I was doing some housework and I put it on. Daydreamer came on, followed by Hometown Glory, and I had to sit down. It was fucking amazing. If I had to choose, I would say that Hometown Glory is my favourite song of hers. I have so many, but that one stands out because of the memories associated with it. It’s from the early days and has a very emotional connection for me.”
You never forget meeting a superstar…
“I was having dinner at the Montreux Jazz Festival with Tracy Chapman, when George Michael came over and told her what a phenomenal talent she was. I was sitting right there with two of my absolute icons. I was obsessed with both of them growing up, so inside I was a teenager going, ‘Oh my God!’”
I once did a deal for an artist and somehow inflated the numbers…
“I don’t know how, but I told the manager they were a lot higher than they actually were. I ended up saying I would pay them my commission for the entire tour. I’ve no idea why I thought it was the right number I gave them. So that was a pretty good lesson to learn. That’s the biggest mistake I’ve made.”
When your acts are doing well, it’s non-stop...
“Mumford & Sons and Adele both blew up globally at around the same time. I remember watching Mumford & Sons play Queen Elizabeth Park with my seven month-old son strapped to me in a baby carrier. I didn’t take any maternity leave, I was doing those shows at the same time. But being there and thinking, ‘Fuck, this is massive,’ and then knowing they were doing the same everywhere else in the world... That was an incredible feeling. At one point, I had them doing arenas at the same time. So I’d do day one for Adele and then stay and see Mumford & Sons the next night.”
Being an agent is harder than people think…
“Some people think that being an agent is easy and that there isn’t much that we add of value. But there’s a huge value in what we do. It’s very detailed and covers a lot of different areas. I don’t think people realise how much work you do, people can assume that you just turn up to watch the show and take your commission. But that overlooks the strategy and the thought that goes into building careers.”
The MITS Award is a family affair…
“My uncle [ex-Warner Music UK chairman] Rob Dickins won it 20 years ago, and don’t I hear about it?! But it’s great. I mean, how many other families have had two members win? They’re really proud. Also, very few women have won it and I feel more proud of that than anything. As a little girl, I was always being told off and I wasn’t that good at anything. I hope there are girls who look at me and think, ‘That could be me one day.’”
