Lily Garland Interview
Charlotte Elizabeth and I caught up with Lily when she came to Nottingham to record her Angels Live Session for their YouTube Channel last year.
Keren - Hi Lily, you have just recorded your Angels Live Session. How do you think that went today?
Lily - It was really good, I really enjoyed it. Its always a bit difficult when you realise the cameras are on you and the lights are in your face but it was really really enjoyable and a great opportunity so thank you Charlotte for inviting me up (giggle)
Keren - I hear there may be a collaboration between you guys soon.
Charlotte - Yes I have asked Lily to write with me on my next EP and she said yes which I'm really excited about as she has a really really unique songwriting style which I love and songs I've heard today have a rocky element to them which I love, so I think that will bring a different dimension to the new EP.
Keren - I think that will be lovely. Tell us what you have been up too.
Lily - I have played a lot locally and have been involved with an event supporting The Hoosiers and also supported Nashville artist Dawson Reigns when he toured last year. I have started spreading my wings a bit further north too and performed in Staffordshire. I have also spent a lot of time writing and recording my 2nd EP so now I want to get out on the road and perform and meet people and take my music all around the country.
Keren - Exciting times ahead for you then. I look forward to seeing you around the country because I really like your music.
Lily - Thank you. I do try to be me. I am quite heavily influenced by Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert and they are quite rocky in a lot of the songs they do and I also love the music from the tv show Nashville so I tend to - when I think of myself performing - see myself as a Juliette Barnes, shall we say, and I just love performing, on a stage with a band behind me, and those rockier bigger numbers is where I like to be.
Charlotte - Lily, when did you first get into country music? Because we were having a little conversation before about you being a little older than the girls on the scene at the moment, which is a unique selling point so how did you get into country?
Lily - Well it all started, I didn't even realise it had started. Well it was 18 years ago when my cousins, they live in Austin in Texas, and just as a treat when we were over there once, they bought us Dixie Chicks tickets. and it was the first time I had really heard of the Dixie Chicks, I hadn't listened to any of their music, I went to this and it was an arena tour they were doing, and I just remember being absolutely blown away by them and the stories that they told in their songs were just so relatable so I thought I must really like country music. It was only in the last few years I realised how much country music suited my voice. I did a lot of musical theatre at university, I studied music, I was classically trained as a singer, I used to be able to sing in different languages but not anymore, that's all gone, but I found country music really suited where I wanted to be and for a lot of years I was always told by people we like you but you're just a bit different and I found it very difficult to find my place and I just seem to have slipped into the country side of things and it just feels so comfortable and I couldn't imagine singing anything else now.
Charlotte - Well it definitely suits your voice.
Keren - Absolutely.
Lily - Thank you.
Charlotte - Well everybody has been very impressed today. I can't wait to see it on the YouTube channel.
Lily - I can't wait to see the finished product, that's for sure - as long as I don't pull too many funny faces (giggles)
Keren - Oh we are all good at that aren't we. (Laughs) Thank you very much Lily, it has been a real pleasure to meet and talk to you today, Thanks Charlotte for helping me out.