Interview: Lyra Star
For ethereal electronic indie-folk/pop artist Lyra Star, music became a part of her life in the third grade when her mother made her try piano lessons. The Nashville-born and raised artist really felt like music became an integral part of her life, however, once she approached adolescence and high school. Attending the University School of Nashville from kindergarten through 12th grade allowed her to be surrounded by many talented musicians and to be introduced to new music. With Nashville being such a mecca for music, she also took advantage of the many opportunities afforded to her to go to concerts and hear live music. Although she played piano, guitar, and clarinet and wrote and composed songs in high school, she moved to the west coast after high school and put music on the back burner for a while to pursue other interests, including yoga and working as an educator in Montessori schools. While living in Santa Rosa, she one day picked up her guitar for the first time in a while and started working on chord progressions, singing, and working on lyrics, with the desire to start creating her own music again.
In 2018, Lyra moved to LA to focus more on pursuing her music and teaching yoga and released her debut album A Thousand Dreams, a collection of celestial songs that comes complete with lush orchestral arrangements. Although she has faced the challenges an indie artist faces navigating the music and entertainment industry, she has found being surrounded by so many creative people deeply inspiring and has had the opportunity to collaborate with many different artists and producers. Aside from pursuing a career in music upon moving to LA, she also became a self-taught contortionist! Having spent three years doing yoga competitions onstage prior to moving to LA, she was encouraged to look into performing, so she looked into the art of contortion. Aside from a couple of classes at the Cirque School, she watched videos and learned certain movements to see what she could do on her own. For Lyra, her movements and music go hand in hand and she loves performing to her music as a backing track at live shows. She also loves the creative outlet of making music videos as a way to blend her movements with her music in a beautiful and unique way.
On May 19th, Lyra released her latest EP entitled Scars. She released the EP’s title track in April of this year, written during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and the CA wildfires, and it reminds us that we do not have to bask in the darkness, but have the capability to find and create beauty in even the most dire circumstances. Her Scars EP is a reflection of the increased time, energy, and focus that she is now able to put into her art and music, with her sound evolving over the years into more of an electronic indie/folk sound. May 26th will see the release of her music video for “Scars”. “People can expect another visual gem that showcases my skills as a movement artist from a variety of angles and also shows the emotion that I feel when I sing,” says Lyra. With plans to take a break and travel after the release of her music video, she plans to start work on her next single and video before the end of the year. You can connect with Lyra Star and stay up-to-date on all upcoming news and music via the following links:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | ITUNES/APPLE MUSIC | YOUTUBE | TIK TOK | DEEZER | BANDCAMP
You were born and raised in Nashville and were surrounded by music growing up, having played piano, guitar, and clarinet, dabbling in songwriting and composition in high school, as well. What can you tell me about your childhood and growing up in such a musically inspiring city and being surrounded by such musically talented friends?
Lyra: I did not technically grow up in a musical family, although my mom plays piano and made all of us (myself and my two brothers) try taking piano lessons when we were younger. My parents definitely listened to music a lot (my dad is a huge Bob Dylan fan), and I remember my mom listening to a lot of Bonnie Raitt and Joni Mitchell in the car. Essentially, music became a part of my life when I started taking piano lessons in the third grade, but it didn’t really start to feel like it was an integral part of my life until I approached adolescence and high school. I was fortunate to go to the University School of Nashville (I attended from kindergarten through 12th grade), which had a number of really incredible musicians, many of whom continued on that career path and found lots of success… our high school band was really skilled, and one of the reasons I actually picked up the clarinet was so that I could be in the band. I was honestly never super passionate about that instrument, but I loved being a part of such a talented musical ensemble. I ended up becoming friends with some of the guys in the rhythm section, and they were always introducing me to new music. I fell in love with making mix tapes too. Nashville is a music city, so I had many opportunities to go hear live music as well. I remember I used to go to this bar called 3rd and Lindsley to hear the Wooten brothers play for only $5. Bela Fleck also played at one of the events hosted by my school. I was just constantly surrounded by music and also took advantage of many opportunities to go to concerts and live shows. I started taking guitar lessons in high school as well because I found my mom’s old acoustic guitar and wanted to learn how to play. Ultimately, I just feel so fortunate to have grown up in a place with all of these opportunities to be inspired by a wide variety of musical artists.
After high school, you moved to California and worked in education in Montessori schools. While living in Santa Rosa, you one day decided you wanted to start songwriting and composing again. Was there a particular catalyst that led you to decide to pursue music again and why do you feel that your songwriting, composing, and pursuit of music had taken a bit of an absence after high school?
Lyra: Honestly, I don’t know what was the catalyst that day. I just picked up my guitar for the first time in a while and started messing around with a chord progression. I then started singing and working on some lyrics and just knew I wanted to get back into it again. My pursuit of music had been on the back burner because I have always been passionate about many things, and I had been focusing on exploring other interests, such as playing ultimate frisbee, backpacking, working with Americorps, pursuing my grad school program for the Montessori teaching, and also doing a bit of traveling. I was still listening to lots of music and going to shows but hadn’t been creating much of my own.
What can you tell me about moving to LA to focus more on pursuing music and teaching yoga, another love of yours? What has it been like to be an indie music artist and trying to navigate the music and entertainment industry and make connections and what are some important things you've learned along the way?
Lyra: LA has been tough in many ways, but also so rewarding. All of the opportunities and growth that I’ve had as an artist since moving here almost five years ago would not have been possible anywhere else. Even though it’s a difficult city in many ways, there is so much creative energy and incredible people working hard to pursue their dreams. I came down here prepared to hustle, which is absolutely necessary in order to find success, and I’m finally starting to feel like I’m in a good place with all of it. I’ve even made some incredible music connections through my yoga communities. The city is full of creatives, which is my favorite part of living here. I’m constantly meeting new people and getting inspired in new ways. Being an indie artist is difficult for sure, and you have to be careful who you trust. I’ve experienced working with people that perhaps I should not have trusted as much as I did, but it’s all part of the learning process. LA also has a number of independent artists who understand all of this, so there’s a really strong support system too. I’m grateful to the people that I currently work with and know I will always be learning and growing from each project and everything I choose to pursue. It’s a beautiful journey no matter what. I’ve appreciated every moment, including the high points and the low points. The most important thing I’ve learned is never to rush into anything.
What can you tell me about being part of the duo Wisps and Willows before branching out on your own and becoming a solo artist?
Lyra: I met a wonderful violinist when I was in the bay area, and we just clicked. Her musicianship fit so well with my songs, and we started playing a bunch of gigs around the bay area together. The problem was that she wasn’t always available, and I didn’t want to just play under my real name for solo gigs. I decided that I needed to have my own name so that if I performed, it could be just me solo or me plus a band or one other musician. I really just wanted to be my own entity, although I loved playing with her, and our duo was so much fun. We played some really fun gigs together!
Aside from being a musician, you are also a self-taught contortionist! How did your interest in that form of artistic expression come about and how would you describe your love for the art of music and movement and the relationship you see between the two? In what ways would you say your music informs your movements and vice versa and what excites you the most about the visual aspects of combining your two loves through music videos?
Lyra: I came to contortion through my yoga practice. I spent three years doing yoga competitions onstage. I competed at both the regional and national levels, and I worked with a coach during my second year. I learned a lot of drills and skills from that and gained a lot of flexibility through my dedicated yoga practice. When I moved to LA, people encouraged me to look into performing, so I started looking into the art of contortion. I took a couple of classes at the Cirque school, but I couldn’t afford to be doing that on a regular basis, so I started just to watch videos and learn certain movements by testing them in my own body and seeing what shapes I could create and what skills I could learn on my own. I like to go slow, and my music has a mellow, sexy vibe, which I think is perfect for my movements. They essentially go hand in hand, and I love performing my music as a backing track at live shows. The music videos add a whole other element because there are so many more options to create. It’s an incredible way to offer unique angles and add that visual dimension to my lyrics, which are already quite imagery driven.
What has it been like for you to be a part of both the music and performing arts industries and communities and what do you see as parallels between the two?
Lyra: Honestly, it’s hard to navigate through both, especially with my teaching schedule on top of that. When I first moved to LA, I spent a lot more time trying to get involved in the music world than the performing arts world. My name started getting out there through word of mouth for contortion, and I eventually got connected to a few burlesque shows and started my performance career there. Both industries can be tricky and you have to be careful and mindful of all of it, but I’m fortunate to have met some very trustworthy and supportive people in both industries that truly believe in my art and have helped me further my career in many ways.
Upon moving to LA in 2018, you released your debut album A Thousand Dreams, which you said was full of lush instrumental arrangements and the manifestation of putting yourself out there through your music. What can you tell me about the process of making the album and the songs, some of which you reworked on the piano that had originally been written on guitar?
Lyra: I actually moved to LA just after releasing that album. I really felt that this collection of songs was my best work thus far and was a strong musical compilation. I was introduced to the producer, Christopher Krotky, by a friend of mine, and I knew I wanted to put together a full album. I had released an EP under Wisps and Willows, but now I was ready to create as Lyra Star. Julie (the violinist from Wisps and Willows) actually plays on a number of the tracks on this album. When I first met with Chris, he asked me about my musical influences (Tori Amos, Radiohead, Bjork, Azure Ray, and Mazzy Star were some that I remember mentioning), and he had me come in to make scratch tracks for some of the songs I wanted to use. Ultimately, we worked together to choose the final ten songs, and we took it one song at a time. It was a side project over the span of about a year where I would come in and work on each song. We always started with the basic framework of how I had written the song originally, but certain tracks, such as “Paper Moon” and “Wanderlust,” actually ended up being reworked on the piano and came out so beautifully that way. I didn’t want any of my songs to sound to “folk”-y if that makes sense. I wanted to start to create my own sound. Fortunately, I knew a lot of great musicians that played a variety of instruments from my time living in Santa Rosa. I knew someone that played trumpet and upright bass as well as a musician that played trombone and accordion. Chris also knew musicians that he brought in to fill in for certain elements. I was just plugging along at this while I was working 30 hours a week at a Montessori school and teaching yoga twice a week. The album really didn’t get a lot of traction when it was released because I was a brand-new artist and really had no clue what I was doing. I have learned a lot since then and wish the album had gotten more attention, but I think creating music videos will be a great way to bring awareness to these songs.
Your music video for the song "Moonrise" was selected for the LA Independent Women's Film Awards. What was that experience like? What was the inspiration behind the video and what can you tell me about the filming process?
Lyra: This was such an honor. I submitted it through Film Freeway, and people that watched it at the festival (we got a video of live audience feedback) really responded well to it. Pretty much everything was virtual for this festival, but it was still a cool experience. I hope one day to actually be able to attend an in-person festival that is showcasing one of my videos because it would be so rad to see it on a big screen. This was my fourth video with director Tonya Kay, and my main vision was to bring some of the elements from the lyrics to life visually, such as the paper cranes, full moon, and white wolf. Tonya is an incredible director, and she has a knack for visual beauty and creativity, so much of the imagery and the way it was shot and filmed were all her ideas. We actually filmed in a tiny room in DtLA that she made to look like four locations with lighting and set dressing. It was also really hot in the room when we filmed because there was no AC, so it was quite uncomfortable for most of the people on set. I was loving it though because warmth is great for contortion!
With such beautiful and cinematic music, do you see yourself at some point in the future writing and/or scoring music for film?
Lyra: It’s funny that you ask that because I actually wrote a score for a film friend of mine in college for his senior project. I really enjoyed getting to create a soundscape that went along with the visuals of his film. I also used to sound out film scores from movies that I liked a lot, especially if it was a really beautiful piano part. I would say that yes, this could be something I do in the future for sure.
You recently released "Scars", the first single from your upcoming Scars EP, to be released on May 19th. The song was written during the 2020 pandemic and natural disasters in CA and reminds us that we don't have to bask in darkness, but rather can find and create beauty in even the most dire of circumstances. What inspired the song for you and how do you try to stay optimistic and find beauty during dark times?
Lyra: Yes, I wrote the song during the time when all of the fires were happening in CA. It felt pretty bleak, but I also found that we were all united as humanity by being immersed in this experience together, even though most of us were isolated. It got me thinking a lot about human emotions and past experiences that leave scars, but it’s something that we all have. It unites us as humans. I believe we have the power to bring so much beauty into the world and that dark times can be the catalyst for this creation of light. I have a very strong gratitude practice, which keeps me optimistic and hopeful even during difficult times. If I feel myself coming into a place of darkness, I always try to pick at least one thing that I am grateful for in that present moment. Yoga has really given me a strong mind and provided me with the tools and ability to focus on the positive as much as possible.
Your Scars EP is your first full body of work since A Thousand Dreams. What was making this EP like for you in relation to your first album? How do you feel like you have evolved in your songwriting and sound since 2018, and what do you hope listeners take away from the album?
Lyra: My life is in a completely different place than it was in 2017, so I felt like I could put a lot more energy and focus into this body of work. I wanted the music to be a more integral part of my life, and because I’m no longer working with kids as a school teacher, I can put more of my time into my art and my music. I also felt no rush to finish it and gave myself no specific deadline. I didn’t really have a deadline for A Thousand Dreams either, but I really let myself go slow with this one. It was originally supposed to be released at the beginning of the year, but I wanted to be able to focus all of my energy on promotion and sharing this body of work with the world. I’m really glad I waited because it has all been coming together in such a beautiful way. I think spring is a great time to release an album of hope that also plays on the idea of renewal and coming out of darkness into light. My sound has evolved a bit into a more electronic indie/folk vibe, but I think it’s perfect for the music. I just want listeners to be transported through beauty and feel a connection in some way to each song and the experiences that are offered with each track. I hope they will want to listen again and again. It’s definitely an album to experience with headphones on to be completely immersed in the soundscapes in all of its detail.
You will be releasing the music video for "Scars" on May 26th! What can you tell me about the video and what people can expect?
Lyra: It’s my fifth video with director Tonya Kay, and she traveled all the way down from Canada (she is now based in Vancouver) so that we could create this together. My hair/makeup is reminiscent of the album cover, and my costumes are all gold. I also do some contortion in a giant champagne glass, which was my first time experiencing that. People can expect another visual gem that showcases my skills as a movement artist from a variety of angles and also shows the emotion that I feel when I sing. Tonya is always looking for new and exciting ways to capture what I do with my body while also showing that I am a singer. Prepare for another stunner!
You have your EP release show at Molly Malones in LA on May 20th, your first live show since the pandemic and your first time performing in LA with a full band! What are you most excited about for the show and what can people expect?
Lyra: I am most excited to bring everyone an evening of both music and performing arts. It’s going to be a really eclectic and lovely show starting with one of my favorite LA artists, December Fades. I actually attended a music video release show of his at Molly Malone’s when I first moved here, so it’s an honor to have him on board as a part of the evening. I will debut my contortion act to “Scars” and then have two other burlesque dancers that will perform their own acts so that the audience gets a little taste of the other part of my world (besides music). I’m playing with a backing track, guitarist, and drummer, and I’m keeping my set short and sweet… just the four tracks from the EP. It will be my first time just singing and not having to play an instrument, which I’m super excited about. After our set, I will be doing a sneak peek showing of the “Scars” music video on a big screen prior to its release. The audience is in for a real treat.
Aside from your EP release, what's next for you? What are your dreams and goals going forward?
Lyra: Honestly, I need to take a breather after this release. The amount of work and preparation leading up to the show and the release has been all-encompassing. When you do everything yourself, it’s a lot. Once the music video is out, I’m going to take some time to reset. I’m planning to take a big trip towards the end of the summer to southern Europe and northern Africa because I love to travel and want to explore some places I haven’t been to yet. I’ll probably start to think about my next single this summer, and I will of course keep doing contortion performances. I try not to set big goals and expectations for myself because life can instantly change. I know I want to start working on my next song and music video before the end of the year, but I will not be rushing anything and want to enjoy the release of this beautiful EP before heading into my next move as an artist.