Popular Music alumna to release debut album on major label Fiction Records

Having signed to Fiction Records in April 2024, Lily’s debut EP Fabric was released shortly afterwards to critical acclaim. She has since played at Glastonbury, supported established acts like The Staves and will embark on a series of headline shows in support of her album release this winter. 

In our latest episode of Ones To Watch we caught up with Lily on her recent visit back to Falmouth where she led a workshop for current students.  

"My name is Lily Lyons. I’m a singer-songwriter, and a Popular Music graduate.

"Being a live performer and a writer has made me a lot more alive to my every day. I am in a place of feeling very grateful and satisfied with the journey that I've had so far. It’s been a tough path – it's not an easy job, but it's also incredibly rewarding. The things that I've had to learn to keep going, on an emotional level, on a musical level; they’re lessons I’d never switch for anything, they’re so valuable.  

"I know that there's an album coming out this year, and that's a beautiful thing to look forward to. Coming back into the studio and listening to my first album, and just feeling 'Yes! That's what I sound like'. That is a feeling that is going to stay with me for a very, very long time. 

It's Falmouth Uni. It's just doing its own thing. And that is a superpower.

"Glastonbury is such an iconic festival; I spent the week before with Chris Difford and a bunch of other amazing musicians; we all wrote music together and spent so much time together talking about music and creating. That was our launch into going to Glastonbury – this iconic event that you watch on TV as a kid. That week was a very special week for me, and that performance a very special one.  

"I do really cherish the time that I had at Falmouth. The time that I spent here and the lessons that I learnt about what it is to live in a place like Falmouth, that's really beautiful. 

On coming back to Falmouth to work with current AMATA students: "I found a lot of the students that I worked with really inspiring. All of them freely shared what they had written and that was really moving, and I thought it was really brave. Little moments like that make me feel very inspired. I think that they are not as little as they seem; I think they are really big, all of the students being so open and porous to the exercises.  

"Falmouth is a really safe environment for trying out being a live performer. The sound engineers are really good here, the tech is good, but you are in this safety bubble – I think it’s good to have this bubble for your live set to exist in for a bit. 

"Somewhere like Falmouth you’re going to get something completely different, and to learn to be original, and to be doing something different. It's not one of the London unis. It's Falmouth Uni. It's just doing its own thing. And that is a superpower, I think."

Inspired by Lily's story? Explore Popular Music BA(Hons)