Levine and Lucca collaborated on the Beatles' "Yesterday" which, Lucca tells Billboard, "was the impetus to do the whole thing. We had a good time working with each other. Ironically, it was an organic relationship (after the show). He didn't put too much stock in me not winning."
Lucca, who has released four full-length albums of his own material, joins 222 Records' roster, which includes Matthew Morrison, Diego Boneta and Rozzi Crane. His last release, "Under the Influence," was a collection of covers that came out in September 2011.
Lucca began a cross-country tour just after Labor Day that will take him to more than three dozen cities where his shows are now a 50/50 split between covers and originals. "After the show ended we did a celebratory victory lap to say thank you to the fans," Lucca said from Orlando, Fla. "I had mapped out the fall tour (during the show's run. It's now the 'Chapter Two tour'."
Between the victory lap and current tours, Lucca was able to work in songwriting trips to Los Angeles and Nashville to work with potential co-writers. "We have a solid arsenal -- a good dozen or so songs," he says.
