Lilyisthatyou wishes for 3 things: a billboard #1, a sold out world tour, and happiness

Canadian pop starlet Lilyisthatyou makes music that sounds like a punch in the gut, a kiss on the cheek, and your loudest bedroom sing-along session  — yes, all three at once. Leaning into her bluntness, solar energy, and full embrace of life’s emotional chaos, Lily thrives on contradiction — making her the perfect culprit for some addictive anthems. Dropping her EP, DIRT ON MY HANDS, Lily delves into unnerving feelings, and brings in her very own uplifting tang with her catchy lyrics, and pop-punk-indie adjacent productions. 

Following the highly regarded releases of the 3 first singles, the tempo of the EP announces itself in a constant oscillation of self-awareness and emotional gluttony – the good, the ugly, and the real, simply just coexisting. Opening track EVERYTHING CHANGES, in turn, looks inward and offers a calmer rhythmic track that makes us look inwards. Then comes the contagious SICK PUPPY, the avoidant attachment manifesto that makes us bang our heads while loudly singing out the lyrics on our beds, mic-hairbrush in hand.Following the canine theme, DOG IN ME is an ecstatic hyper track offering us the electro-pop hit we’ve been craving. Overall, DIRT ON MY HANDS aims to make you feel uplifted, with all of the complexity making up our lives. And as Lily says, ‘We are who we are and we are imperfect, but that’s what makes life interesting.’

Glamcult catches up with Lily to talk all things music — from high school favourites (think Bangerz-era Miley) to her Virgo tendencies, and iPad relaxation methods. The Canadian star also digs a little deeper on self-perception and self-awareness, offering advice to her teenage self.

Hey Lily! <3 What’s your day looking like?
Hi, I’m good, thriving through the day with a coffee in hand (americano with just a splash of half and half), sitting in the garden.

Sounds fabulous. You started experimenting with music in high school. Who are your all-time formative music influences?
My music influences are The Weeknd, Tove Lo, Daft Punk, Dua Lipa, Bangerz Miley, and Gaga of course.

Any advice you’d give your 15-year-old self?
Stop doing drugs and go to dance class.

You just released your EP ‘DIRT ON MY HANDS’, congrats! Can you run us through the inspirations for the project?
For this project, I was really inspired by Lola Young and The Neighbourhood. I made it in Stockholm with my close friends. In Sweden, on winter days in November, the sun disappears by 3pm, so I think all the songs have that kind of feeling. I had just gone through a pretty unique, difficult breakup into a new relationship, and was motivated by those themes. I was trying to tell the story to the fans as poetically as I could without disgracing the truth of what really happened.

And what would be your favourite track on the EP?
Probably BACK PAIN because it’s so weird… I find it really interesting to listen from front to back and it just makes me feel happy and calm when I hear the tones I used to sing it. I think it’s gonna go OFF live…

Your vocal diversity was so impressive to listen to – you seamlessly move between airy highs, soul turns to rap verses. What has been the hardest to get comfortable with?
The hardest thing is letting my voice speak for itself. I’m always worried about the melody or the perfect lyric, and it’s like… Girl, just sing. 

You also have such honesty in your lyrics that I’m sure sometimes it’s hard to lay them all bare. How do you deal with this vulnerability of showing these very raw parts of yourself?

I’ve never thought of expressing myself in any other way so I don’t find it uncomfortable. The music, the vulnerability, the expression of it all is the easy part. I don’t need to feel understood to feel worthy of love or recognition.

How do you check-in with yourself when you feel like you’re losing your grasp a little?
I sit down outside in the sun and start organising my life into categories of things I need to get done…. #virgo. But, I mostly talk to friends or my mom to recenter myself. 

Following up on that, your moniker Lilyisthatyou begs a certain question of perception – how do you navigate the gap between self-perception and how others see you?
This has only recently become one of the more difficult aspects of my artist project. I’m really wondering at the end of the day… ‘Is this me? Is this you?’ ‘Hate’ has never gotten to me the same way ‘love’ also doesn’t. The way others perceive me does not change the way I see myself. I have that tattooed on my hand so I don’t forget. It’s how I see myself that gets disturbing and confusing. 

Yeah, at the end of the day, what you think of yourself matters way more than the perception of others. You’ve been pursuing music more professionally for the past few years now; what are some elements you’ve outgrown creatively?
I think I’ve outgrown a lot of the belief systems about what artists should be or do. I’ve outgrown the obsession with lyrics, now I’m obsessed with lyrics AND the melody! 

Do you have any unusual habits/rituals when working on something new?
Always work on paper. No resistance—try everything once. Asking myself, ‘What does the song look like?’ I make something new every day, so my process is not contained to any one situation, if anything the ritual is to just keep the channel of inspiration open and always create when I feel called to. Trust your intuition.

Actually, back to your favourite track, BACK PAIN. It truly captures that desperate need to decompress; what’s your favourite way to wind down after a long day?
Sorting games on the iPad. Bathtime. Marijuana. A long conversation with a friend. A good meal. 

Who’s your favourite Canadian idol?
Drake. 

What’s something outside of your field that inspires you?
COOKING. I read cookbooks for fun, and chefs’ autobiographies, I have a great community of friends in Hollywood I’m always cooking dinner for. But honestly, I have so many passions outside of music that all feel like they come back to my happiness and artistry, the way I live my life as an artist through and through. 

What do you hope the future holds for you?
A billboard #1, a sold out world tour and happiness.