Cork-born artist LYRA releases her debut, self-titled album, unveiling a comprehensive reflection of who the artist is today. Written between Los Angeles and London, the 14 tracks express the broad range of her musicality, journeying from the dark and sultry “Chess” to the ethereal radio hit “Falling” and the pulsating dance anthem of “Lovers”, all of which elevate her powerful vocals that have given her a one-to-watch status.
“When I began writing music, I aimed for a specific style,” she explains. “But as I started developing, I wanted to write a ballad when I was heartbroken, or an irreverent song when I had a one-night stand, or an upbeat song about going on the lash with my friends and dancing until three am. To me, music should be fun and evoke different emotions, and you’re not going to do that through one sound.”
Underpinning these textures is Lyra’s commanding voice that effortlessly plays wavers between lightness and depth, and fragility and strength, which immediately enriches the emotion in her words. Her raw and powerful vocals are put to exacting use: lyrically, the album offers snapshots of past relationships – specifically one turbulent end and its liberating aftermath. “The first ballad I ever wrote was ‘Someone New’, and it took me a lot of heartbreak and learning to get there,” she says. “But the album also documents when I embraced my single life and went a bit carefree and wild. People will understand much more about me, because all the songs are about my life. Except for ‘Naked’. That’s my alter ego coming out.”
In 2016 Lyra picked up a record deal with Polydor and relocated to London. The first Polydor-release single “Falling” garnered great interest, with strong radio play and a Choice Music Prize Song of the Year nomination in 2019 alongside acts like Hozier, Roisin Murphy and Lankum.
To develop Lyra’s craft, manager Caroline Downey (credited for discovering Hozier) put her in contact with Burns (Lady Gaga, Charlie XCX). Enamoured by her promise, he invited Lyra to LA for writing sessions in Max Martin’s studio to kick off the process of making the album. “It was an incredible experience, it was like a whole different world,” she says. “These are people who created Lady Gaga’s sound, they’re masterminds in the industry. That they were interested in working with me gave me the confidence to believe in myself more, which in turn allowed me to experiment and have fun.”
Other collaborators on the album include Dan Priddy (Bastille, Rag’n’Bone Man), The Nocturns (James Arthur, Maisie Peters) and Phil Cook (Lewis Capaldi, Ellie Goulding).
Lyra has had notable musical appearances on shows like Ireland’s Got Talent, Dancing with the Stars, The Tommy Tiernan show, numerous Late Late Show appearances and The Main Stage with Mark Fehily. Her talent extends to TV also: in 2021, she joined Boy George, Jedward and Aston Merrygold on the judging panel for Virgin Media Ireland talent show The Big Deal, and Lyra has also taken part in Ireland’s Celebrity Gogglebox. Her music has also been featured on hit TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy and Love Island.
Supporting the likes of Pink, Westlife, Blondie and Sting, her sell-out live appearances prove that while Lyra’s music is laden with intensity and drama, her bright personality is irrepressible. Her current extensive Irish tour purveys her musical artistry alongside striking fashion statements, and comes after previous festival appearances at Wilderness, Leeds and Reading, Isle of Wight, Latitude, Lollapalooza in Berlin, the main stage at Electric Picnic, and Brighton Pride.
Though Lyra is an accomplishment that surmises her last several years of heartbreak, growth, and musical discovery, it’s also an opening gambit to her musical endeavours, an introductory marker to the path that lies ahead. “I feel I haven’t shown who I am or what I am until now,” she says. “People in Ireland will think that’s a strange thing to say because I’m known there. But as an artist, I feel like I haven’t scratched the surface at all. This feels like just the beginning.”
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