Tony Lucca has spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight. It’s been well-documented that as a youth he was on The All New Mickey Mouse Club alongside future pop greats Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. He later went on to be featured on Season 2 of The Voice, where he found himself caught in the crossfire in a heated battle between his coach, Adam Levine, and the aforementioned Aguilera.

The spotlight, however, it not what Lucca desires. All about his craft, he’s been recording in some of the most storied studios in America and connecting with audiences during extensive national tours.

Why did he go this route, rather than the pop route of the friends of his youth? The answer to that, and a whole lot more, can be found in these 10 things you should know about Tony Lucca.

He’s Released Multiple EPs Recorded in Legendary Studios

With Sessions, Vol. 1: Sun Studio, and Sessions, Vol. 2: Muscle Shoals, Lucca has shown a penchant for working in storied recording studios. “I wish it were as deliberate, and intentional, as it might appear,” he says with a laugh, noting, “the truth of it is the Sun Studio (Tennessee) session was recorded about a year and a half ago, and the Muscle Shoals (Alabama) one was actually recorded almost ten years ago.”

Although Originally Unintentional, He’s Open to Continuing the Legendary Studio Theme

“If I could parade around, and hit up some of the classic, great studios before they’re merely historical reference points, my gosh, I’d love to go to places like Ocean Way (Tennessee), and Stax (Tennessee), Abbey Road (London), obviously, and the Record Plant (California).”

Lucca has previously recorded at Sound City (California), but he notes, “It wasn’t the original room, let alone the original console.”

He Includes Beat Poets and Writers as Some of His Greatest Inspirations

When his fellow former Mousketeers were in the process of starting to change the landscape of pop music, Lucca found himself enamored with the work of beat poets and writers. “Around that time I was deeply immersed in my coming of age, California, countercultural ... my own private countercultural revolution,” he remembers. “I was getting into (Jack) Kerouac, and (Allen) Ginsburg, and Ken Kesey, and all of that, and spending weekends going up to San Francisco to watch Grateful Dead shows.”

He Has a Strong Appreciation of Classic Singer-Songwriters

During his countercultural revolution, Lucca became drawn to great singer-songwriters of generations past. “Artists like Joni Mitchell and Crosby, Stills & Nash, artists I grew up on, ironically, were becoming so glaringly important, and inspiring, in my early 20s. I was like, holy cow, I see what this is all about. I see why this is so important, why these artists stand the test of time, so I really gravitated to coming from a place of lyrical purity, and telling my own narrative, and writing my own songs, and singing my own songs.”

He Was Nearly in a Country Version of NSYNC

“I was asked to be part of a group that was being funded by Lou Pearlman. They were trying to do an Eagles meets NSYNC. I took the bait because I saw the glory of these big things.” He also took the bait hoping it would be more Eagles, and country music, focused, rather than pop music focused. He says, in retrospect, “Obviously that was me being somewhat naive.”

In the end, Lucca left the group after having an epiphany while listening to the demo they cut. He’d thrown it into his CD changer alongside albums by Stone Temple Pilots and Sarah McLachlan the night before the final financier meeting about the project. Lucca remembers hearing the demo, and thinking, It was not unique. I was like, no. He called up his friends from the group to say he was out.

The rest of the group was understandably upset, although they were likely more upset when they were eventually all replaced by younger singers.

Christina Aguilera’s Fans Were Brutal to Him During His Time on 'The Voice'

Everyone saw the tension, much of it made for TV, between Lucca and Aguilera when Lucca was on Season 2 of The Voice. Aguilera’s fans, however, went more than a little overboard, blowing up his social media accounts with negative comments, and even threats. “I had friends come to my defense during this whole thing,” he recalls, “and (her fans) lashed out at them, and got all ugly on my friends, and family, and made death threats on my family. I’m like, are you shitting me? Like, guys, hang on a second, yes, she has a voice, a really nice voice, she’s a great artist and all that, but come on.”

He Almost Had an Incident With a Police Officer in Philadelphia

After a performance at Tin Angel in Philadelphia, Lucca says, “I got a little silly, a little extra sauced ... eyewitness accounts tell me I had come out of the alleyway (which is where the load out is for the venue), and I kind of mouthed off to someone. Apparently it was a cop. Fortunately, the cop was a good dude. He saw the kind of shape I was in, and how irrelevant getting worked up about me was ... I didn’t say anything offensive to the cop, like name calling, but it was definitely like one more sentence away from serious trouble.”

He’s a Breakfast Cook Extraordinaire 

“I love to cook breakfast. I’m like a diner chef. I think if the music thing were to go away I would probably go study shorthand over at the waffle house, and learn that language, and that vernacular, so I could become a short order cook at a waffle house. I think it’s a wonderful art form.”

His First Two Albums are Only Available to His Patreon Supporters

While many artists are quick to put their entire catalogs online, the only way to hear Lucca’s first two albums is by being one of his Patreon supporters. This is due in part to Lucca feeling his more recent work better defines him. “I feel like I caught my stride three, or four albums in,” he explains, “learning what to do with my voice, (and) how to keep a song under five minutes.”

Describing his first two albums as “a little too dear diary-ish” for his liking, he says, “I’ve decided to let those sit, and let the core fans sniff ‘em out, and find them.”

You Can Catch Him Live This Fall

Lucca is currently wrapping up his Heads or Tails Tour with Alex Dezen (of The Damnwells), the name of which comes from the two artists hitting the stage together each night, and flipping a coin to decide who plays first. They then alternate from song to song. After this tour, Lucca will be on the road with Tyrone Wells throughout November.