Luca as a baby with his Dad, Brian
I’ve always known I was adopted and I’m thankful for that. I’ve heard stories of people who found out much later in life and were very upset by it. I don’t remember my parents sitting me down and explaining it to me but they must have told me when I was very young.
My birth Mum’s name was Lisa and my father was Paul. When Lisa had me she was going through a very difficult period in her life. She was struggling with drug addiction, homelessness and mental health issues and wasn’t in a stable relationship. I understand that she knew she couldn’t look after me properly even before I was born. I was adopted when I was two weeks old.
I’ve never made contact with my biological family but I know that Lisa had two children who were much older than me, a half-brother and a half-sister. I think they’re in their thirties now and they have children of their own. So, technically I’m an uncle.
I know that my birth father was English and very tall, but that’s about all the information I have about him. I also gather that Lisa had been doing well at one point and had a degree in biochemistry, or something similar.
The information I have about my biological family came through a lovely social worker called Addie, who put together a file for me. Addie and I are still in contact, which is lovely. She was working for Westminster City Council in London at the time, although she’s originally from Minnesota and now lives in New York. When I went over there with my band, I met up with her and she brought her daughter to one of our shows. She’s wonderful and one of the reasons we’re so grateful for the way things worked out.
People sometimes ask whether I’d ever want to find out more about my biological family. I feel a little guilty that I don’t have that desire and have never really thought about it. The truth is that I don’t feel a strong connection to my biological family. I wish my birth parents and my siblings all the best, and I have no resentment towards them for the decisions they made. In fact, those decisions may have saved both their lives and mine. It was definitely the right thing to do because Lisa couldn’t look after me.
I don’t feel that I need to make contact or need more information. I’m happy with what I know and I don’t feel that anything is missing. I think being adopted has made me more grateful, actually. None of us chooses our parents but in my case, so many people’s decisions were involved: the social workers, my parents and, ultimately, a judge deciding where I would grow up. I feel so lucky to have ended up with the right people.
My Mum and Dad are fantastic and I love them to bits. Because I was adopted at such a young age I don’t remember anything other than growing up with them. I briefly lived in Mortlake, near Barnes, before we moved to Surbiton. I went to a school called Tolworth Infant School, which I really enjoyed. My Dad walked me to school every day, a good 45-minute walk, although I’d go on my scooter and he’d have to carry it all the way back. I had a fantastic childhood in a really nice area.
Music has always been a huge part of my life. My Dad was a jazz pianist, music manager and composer for thirty years. My Mum often says there was something more to my interest in music because it wasn’t forced on me. I naturally enjoyed it and seemed to have an aptitude for it. Of course, growing up in that environment helped enormously. My Dad started teaching me little things on the piano when I was four or five. A neighbour in Mortlake bought me a toy drum kit when I was four, and I loved playing it, especially the beat from “We Will Rock You”.
I started drum and piano lessons when I was around seven or eight and worked through the classical grades. The lessons continued throughout school – so I’ve spent a long time playing both instruments. All of that must have shaped me, but I’m sure there’s a genetic aspect, too. I think both nature and nurture must have contributed to me becoming a professional musician.
The last couple of years have been really busy. In 2024 and 2025, I toured with a band I met through secondary school. We toured the States and Europe multiple times and supported Tom Odell. It was crazy and really fun.
I’ve also formed my own jazz quartet. Jazz is my favourite genre, and when I get a break from playing for other artists or doing function work in restaurants, I bring together some of my favourite players. I compose a little for the quartet, and we put on our own nights. It’s great to have something that’s so much about the music I love.
My experience of adoption has shaped the way I see life, mainly through gratitude and an overwhelming sense of how lucky I am. I’m incredibly grateful for my parents and for the life I’ve had. They’ve shaped who I’ve become, and I’m really happy with the person I am. I know they’re really happy to have had me, too.
Coram is an important part of my story because it’s the organisation that helped bring my family together. I used to go back every summer for the garden parties, and those memories are really special to me.
I do sometimes think about the other versions of my life and all the possibilities that might have unfolded if things had happened differently. It’s extraordinary to think about all those different possibilities and how one decision leads to another. But ultimately, I feel that I ended up where I was meant to be.