As a self-described “every day girl”, 18-year-old Lily Halpern is a fresh new face on the music scene. But don’t let that label fool you, because Lily not only an impressive, powerful songstress, but she has the drive and ambition to make the move to New York in order to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. With her debut EP Not Gonna Cry, available on iTunes NOW, Lily Halpern takes her dream and makes it into a reality.
I recently had the chance to chat with Lily about her “everyday girl” persona and her new EP. Take a read after the jump!
STELLA: You describe yourself as an “everyday girl,” tell us a little about that.
LILY: I grew up in a normal non-musical household, none of my family does music
more than listen to it, and I went to normal elementary school and high school in Boston. No celebrity lifestyle or music business savvy at all. The only thing I had to make it were my dreams just like every other girl.STELLA: You became interested in music at five, when did you realize it was
something you wanted to do full-time?LILY: I always knew I wanted to do music as my career, but I never thought it would be a possibility until I met my manager and she believed in me like nobody ever has. That was when I realized, if this one amazing person believes in me as much as I believe in myself, then we can do this.
STELLA: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
LILY: I was always into Motown music because my mom used to play it for me growing up and that kind of transferred into my love of pop music, I’ve always been drawn to pop music that has some soul and funkiness to it like the Motown era like Joss Stone. I’m also a huge Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera fan because their voices alone inspire me, Alicia Keys inspires me with her writing, and I love Katy Perry because she’s so fun and girly. All these women were great influences on me and my style and my love of music.
STELLA: What was the inspiration behind your EP’s title track, “Not Gonna
Cry”?LILY: That song was about and for all the people who had ever told me I wasn’t good enough, that they didn’t want to be friends with me or be with me because I wasn’t a certain way, that I needed to change and conform, that I needed to give up on my dreams because I didn’t have any support. I realized that the last thing I needed to do was cry and feel bad about these broken relationships and instead of changing to fix them, I needed to believe in myself and work harder.
STELLA: You’ve toured with Cody Simpson, what was that like?
LILY: Absolutely incredible. Just a great experience. Cody and Greyson were lovely and so fun to have backstage to hang out with, the fans were so great and welcoming and lovely, and being able to perform on a stage in front of people who genuinely love music and were happy to be there every night was the best.
STELLA: What’s been your favorite part of the album-making and promotion process so far?
LILY: My favorite part of the album making process is getting the final mix of one of my songs back and seeing that one of my random typical teenage girl experiences has turned into something beautiful, that I can use as a help to other girls who are going through what I went through in high school.
STELLA: Whom would you most like to work with?
LILY: Well I am so excited to be on tour with Big Time Rush and would love to
collaborate with them in the future, whether it be on a song for their show or a song for my album. I’m a huge fan of Justin Bieber and Jason DeRulo, and would love to collaborate with them as well.STELLA: What’s next? Anything in the works to share with fans?
LILY: I have two music videos I recently filmed for my two newest singles, and both the songs are videos will be released soon as well as some behind-the-scenes videos and pictures. They’re both really awesome, powerful songs and I can’t wait for everyone to hear and see them!
Take a look and listen to “Wishlist” below, and be sure to check out Lily Halpern on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE!
