Lucy Ritter, a 24-year-old native of Westfield, NJ, has been drumming since she was nine years old. She attended the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University for three years before dropping out and starting her career as a touring drummer. She started her professional career on tour with the musical An Officer and a Gentleman, then joined the first national touring production of Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill.
In July 2023, Ritter moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a pop drummer. The day after she moved there, she auditioned for a part in Chappell Roan’s band. She's been drumming with Roan ever since.
“I moved to Los Angeles in July of 2023, so only a year and a couple months ago. The second I was moving I told [music director Heather Baker], and I was like, ‘I'm moving to Los Angeles.’ The day after I got to LA, which was like a Saturday or Sunday, she gave me the audition for Chappell Roan, and she was like, ‘Here's your first audition, here's two songs, give it to me in like five days.’ And I didn't have my drums, I didn't have any gear, any recording gear. So thankfully, I had a housing situation where the roommates in the back house let me use their studio, and I was able to record it and make a video,” Ritter explained.
“I look back in that video and I'm such a different player. You know, I was so shy from playing the Broadway stuff, which was in an enclosed environment. I wasn't performing in front of thousands of people, so I just did the best that I could given the situation. And then after I submitted the video, I had an interview with Chappell and we just talked about how I'd fit into the work environment, which is really important to her. She cares a lot about cultivating a really good environment. And then, like, two days later, I got the gig. So it was pretty fast. It was like, within two weeks of me moving to Los Angeles that I got this gig, so I'm really grateful.”
Roan released her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess in September 2023. Since then, she's had a meteoric rise to fame, from attracting the largest Lollapalooza crowd in history to winning Best New Artist at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. Ritter has been there alongside Roan every step of the way, from opening arena shows for Olivia Rodrigo to playing an NPR Tiny Desk concert.
“Okay, I'm not biased because this is an NPR-affiliated group, but NPR Tiny Desk was really sick,” Ritter said. “I've been watching those since I was a kid and idolizing the performances, idolizing the musicality, you know, thinking about how unrealistic that performance space is and how people make do. Walking into that office and seeing the set — and it's verbatim what I remember in my brain — was really special, and also one of those childhood bucket list check marks. And the staff was really nice. It's cool to also perform without a click track, which is something we never get to do. Playing these huge arenas, huge outdoor venues, even, you know, 2,000 club venues, we're always using a click track. So playing just to each other acoustically, listening to each other's volume, it was really special.”
Roan, a lesbian with multiple hits about queer relationships, has quickly become an icon in the LGBTQ community. Ritter also identifies as a queer woman, and relishes being part of the recent renaissance in queer women’s music.
“I don't know if anyone that does this and is involved in queer music intends to be part of a revolution. I think you are who you are, and suddenly people have interest in that, and that's when change happens. It's not by performative actions. It's not by trying to be something you're not so you get fame. I think Chappell, she works really hard. She's been herself and people are interested in that. And she's also a unique performer. And with me, I'm also queer,” Ritter said. “I just allowed my personality to take reign on the drums and being, you know, a queer person and a queer drummer and a queer woman, it's all very natural. And seeing the uprising of all of it and largely because of the project that I'm a part of, is really sick.”
At only 24, Ritter has accomplished more than many musicians do in a lifetime. She said that she looks back on the journey so far with gratitude and will continue to chase new goals and experiences.
“I look back at this year and I've done dozens of things on my bucket list. That's one of the things that no one ever tells you, once you hit all those things, you still have to live your life, and then make more things! And it's like, you know, I'm 24. I just turned 24, and I wasn't expecting my 23rd year to have all these experiences that I've dreamt of my whole life,” Ritter said. “It was really fast and it's hard to take in every single moment when you have moments every week to take in. So I'm just trying to enjoy it and be grateful.”
Here in Iowa, we’ve seen Roan and Ritter play locally three times in 2024: a sold-out show at Val Air Ballroom, a nun-themed set at the Hinterland Music Festival and most recently, an outdoor concert in Council Bluffs that had the biggest crowd Roan had ever seen at the time for a headlining show. Now with six nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards, it’s certain that Roan and Ritter are destined for even bigger stages.
