Learn to playLush Lifeas made famous by Zara Larssonon drums
A buoyant four-on-the-floor kick, crisp claps and skittering percussion drive a syncopated groove that gives Lush Life its irresistible, sun-soaked bounce.
With our step-by-step drum lesson you can recreate the beat behind Lush Life. We’ve broken down the main sections of the song and will take you through each part beat by beat, with video demonstrations.
Lush Life
Drums Tutorial - Step by Step
Intro
In bar 2, play a fill ending on a crash. Play another fill from snare to hi tom to lead into the groove. Play 1/4 notes on the kick with offbeats on the hi-hat.
Chorus
Hit the crash and continue the semi-linear groove through the chorus.
Verse 2
Continue the groove. In bar 8, drop down to the kick, and play a fill back into the groove. Stop on hi-hat and kick before chorus 2.
Chorus 2
Hit the crash, and groove. Stop on beat 2-& in bar 8. Play the low tom to lead back into the groove for the rest of the chorus.
Outro
Break, and then come back in for 8 more bars of groove to ride the song out.
Combine and play
Combine the sections to play the full arrangement. Watch for the extended intro and outro sections.
Learn to play
Lush Life
with Melodics
Behind the track
Lush Life
by Zara Larsson
When Zara Larsson released 'Lush Life' in 2015, she delivered a dose of pure Swedish pop built around an infectious melody, bright synths and an unmistakable dancefloor groove. Produced by Freedo and Shuko, the track blends tropical-inspired rhythms with crisp electronic percussion and a bouncing bassline that never lets up. Its playful vocal delivery and instantly memorable chorus capture the feeling of living in the moment, turning a carefree summer anthem into one of the defining pop hits of the decade. Beneath all that sunshine is a tightly constructed production, with every beat and hook designed to keep the energy moving.
Tips for learning Lush Life on drums
Tip 1: Slow it down
Break it down: Tackle each section of Lush Life individually for precision mastery. With Melodics, you can slow the pace of the song and work up to full speed.
Tip 2: Review your performance
Identify growth areas: Listen to playback of your performance to learn where you need to develop your timing, technique & rhythm. Melodics provides instant feedback on your performance.
Tip 3: Practice makes perfect
Stay consistent: With regular, focused practice you'll see rapid progress when learning the song. Even a short session each day will make a huge difference.
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FAQs
- Lush Life is an intermediate level song. Fortunately, there are beginner versions of the song available on Melodics to check out!
- You will need the ability to hold down a basic groove while playing fills around the kit
- 98 bpm
- 4/4
- G minor
- New songs are released every week on Melodics! And we love to take requests - the best place for this is within our Discord community where you can also connect with other music learners around the world. Check out https://melodics.com/info/community.