“… ‘Ariel’ is for the downtrodden and the broken-hearted. This is a musical product made for anyone who has ever felt the full force of the sudden emotional violence that change can bring”
With Lily’s Eurasian heritage and her deep love of backwater Nashville country sounds, it somehow makes complete logical sense that Lily has found a home on the Australian west coast city of Fremantle; a place, as it turns out, which suitably typifies her far-ranging and eclectic scope as a newly emergent vocal and songwriting talent. Expanding on the soft country palettes and broken-hearted melancholy of her ‘Dreamer’ EP, ‘Ariel’ advances her sound towards a more fully-fledged singer-songwriter fare, marking her glittering entrance into the multifaceted world of sophisto-pop.
Not just a pretty face and a stunning vocalist, ‘Ariel’ was composed by Lily herself, revealing her innate talent as a songwriter in an industry where songwriting talent is too often treated as extra-curricular to those more superficial aspects of the pop world, such as image and presentation. Lily, it turns out, is the full package.
‘Ariel’ is for the downtrodden and the broken-hearted. This is a musical product made for anyone who has ever felt the full force of the sudden emotional violence that change can bring. Lily laments for a lost lover and the things “that I can’t have”, in the style of a more introspective Mariah Carey. It’s is a musical document which captures the smoke rising from the dissolution of a once passionate relationship. With restrained anger, Lily plaintively details a domestic world of bliss turned upside on its head, uprooted by cruel fate, as she sings sad couplets such as “tomorrow I will open my eyes to empty sheets beside me.” The music provides a perfect set of end credits to a relationship gone awry.
The production and musical accompaniments are subtle and controlled. The track features country-style slide guitars which work as a gentle reminder that, despite her new eclectic scope, Lily hasn’t abandoned the folky compulsions of her previous ‘Dreamer’ EP. Well-thought-out details like these show that, despite her rising pop pretensions, Lily remains true to her roots. This musical sincerity is clear to the listener.
From the simple piano and vocal balladeering of the first verse, ‘Ariel’ gradually unravels with the musical elegance of a lotus flower, featuring the soft beats and light electronic flourishes of a well-sheened modern pop production. The yearning strings which come in towards the end of the track are particularly reminiscent of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, and these musical similarities are further compounded by the lyrical themes, which beautifully capture the sorrow of a once treasured love now lost.
Who knows for how long the denizens of Fremantle can contain the international talents of this rising superstar. For now Lily remains a self-styled (Fremantle) chanteuse, although, based on the strength of this single, it’s clear that she will be going places in no time.
Liam Allen
“Australian singer Lily inhabits songs she chooses with unshowy conviction”
It all starts with jazz. Lily took to piano lessons as a child growing up, and it was jazz rather than classical music which motivated her to push her skills. That wasn’t easy given how much she moved around as a kid, Mum more or less Italian and Dad’s clan scattered across Asia and Europe. Most teens rebel with parents around staying-out times and unsuitable partners. For Lily it was the hours she devoted daily listening to the sounds of George Duke, Nina Simone, and Prince.
You can hear every step of her path in Lily’s singing. Right lovers and right now ones, wrong decisions and being wronged, moves forward and time out, hurt and heart. Lily knows more of the classic songbook than she’d like to admit outside the company of fellow geeks, from Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald through to Debbie Harry. And that background allied with innate taste means she inhabits songs she chooses with unshowy conviction.
And, Lily’s got the mastery and understanding of music history for those moments to be definitive, knowing that for the vocals at least of the work she’s doing, the buck stops with her. And for Lily herself the songs she’s developing now – most of all the ones she’s writing – are just the start.
“Talented singer-songwriter Billie Reid and charming Nightingale Lily breathe life into music”
The talented singer-songwriter and visionary, Billie Reid and the charming nightingale Lily, are two gifted musicians imbuing tenderness and authenticity into the heart of their music. With Billie’s poetic facility and Lily’s sweet, savory voice, the two musical pros offer a meal for our ears with a more appetizing and innovative flair. Abandoning the bandwagon of trendy, sell-out lyrics and provocative melodies, the artists breathe passion and honesty into their songs.
This passion is sensitively reinforced in Lily’s music videos for her ‘Dreamer’ EP, which captures her as she sings two Billie Reid penned tracks in a live studio setting. Lily offers us uninhibited sincerity as she evokes the honesty of Norah Jones and the soulful, reflective emotion of Bailey Ray. There is an unencumbered naturalism about the setting, the realism and authenticity is accentuated exposing the trueness behind Billie’s lyrics. Her sentiment matches brilliantly with her rich, silky voice, creating a powerful penetrating effect.
Lily does not try to be a glittery, melodramatic twenty-something belting out bogus love songs. Rather, she confronts these tacky clichés, breathing courage and grace into the core of her music. Lily possesses a rare, effortless sophistication filled with nuances of serenity that is calming to the soul, and is truly the ideal voice to convey the expressive metaphors and sweet harmonies of Billie’s music. Through Lily’s musical tranquility and Billie Reid’s artistic lyrics, we receive a refreshing treat for the senses.
* Somewhere in the embers of last century, the work of songwriter, poet, shaman Billie Reid started to exert a pull on other independent-minded Australian talents. Stories can, and maybe will, be read about those adventures. At this point, the vessel for that work has, since 2020, been our music production biz Soundscape Media.
Billie Reid’s talents are the molten core of what we do. To those who’ve come across him, Billie’s an irascible generational talent. And we want the number of those who share that impression to grow.
Sharing the load, and bringing a canny female take on Billie’s words, is versatile Fremantle-based singer and classy piano player Lily – who’s also writing impressive material of her own.
Our artist collaboration list also includes in-house stormcrow Quinlan Porteous – a man who’s weathered years of industry bs and continues to find redemption in music regardless. As do we all.
Let’s hear it too for Wayne A Halifax, the man whose vibe Chris Isaak channelled. And never mind which came first – sometimes those who follow get it right, and Wayne has the advantage of Billie’s lyrics. As does Alfredo Malabello, cursed by Universal Music Australia describing him as the country’s “Voice of Romance”. He’s more content, and rightly, with the tag “Australia’s Leonard Cohen”.
Soundscape sounds dip in and out of alt-rock, Americana, and smart pop. Our production styles range from roots-raw to Netflix-friendly rock with splashes and squeals of electronica. We can do polished, but we’re a fan of loose edges and first take magic too. And we look forward to hearing from you – about what we’ve done, what we’re doing now, and what we could perhaps do together. Soundscape Media.
