Who is Lily Rose? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music (2024)
Who is Lily Rose? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…
Quick Facts:
Full Names – Lily Rose Williamson
Birthdates – 09/11/1993
Hometown – Atlanta, Georgia
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Keith Urban
Label – Big Loud Records / Back Blocks Music / Republic Records
Current Single – “Back Pew” // as of date of article: 5/13/24
The Beginning:
Back in 2021, we introduced you to viral, country newcomer, Lily Rose. In the past three years, Rose has garnered millions of fans and has become much more than her viral sensation, “Villain.” We reconnected with the singer-songwriter and chatted about her journey thus far and her new music that came out last week (5/10).
“I’m from Atlanta, Georgia, and my parents always had music playing in the house and took the plunge of letting me get a drum set and a guitar when I was a kid. They always just let me chase my dreams,” shared Rose, reminding us exactly how essential music was to her upbringing. Rose spent her childhood cultivating her sound and really delving into the music that she loved. According to the singer, she grew up listening to many different genres of music, taking inspiration along the way.
She credits her parents for her early musical influences, as well as their unconditional support in her and her interests. “My parents would take me to concerts when I was just eleven years old. And they let me stay and watch the guys in Mexican restaurants sing ‘one more song’,” she laughs. “They always fed into whatever my passions were and I think it’s really important for parents to do that outside of sports and academics.”
The Turning Point:
After graduating high school, Rose attended school in Athens, Georgia, where her love of music really hit its peak. “That’s where I started playing music and being on stage, and really tried to do the Lily Rose thing and not just write songs in my bedroom anymore,” shared the singer.
Despite wanting to move to Los Angeles to pursue music, Rose made the move to Nashville, after realizing that country music could be her future, thanks to Sam Hunt. “He’s kind of my North Star, and always has been when it comes to country music,” she shared. Adding, “When I was about to move up to town, I always wanted to move to LA and come and write country, but I just didn’t see myself being a country artist, until Sam came on the scene in 2014 and changed my whole perception of country music.”
Around the same time that Rose started to cut her teeth in Nashville, she download TikTok, which went on to change her life. “I moved up to Nashville, and I was here working every part-time job I could think of just trying to get a deal, and then I posted “Villain” on TikTok at the end of 2020, and everything changed, and here we are.”
Today:
Flash forward to today, Rose just released her best music to date. Her new EP, Runnin’ Outta Time speaks to her journey thus far, as well as, her true, authentic nature that is evident across her catalog of music. “I think everyday is different. There are some days where I’m like “hey I’m proposing to my girlfriend in a week, let’s write a song about it,” and then this next chapter of music, I kind of had to recenter myself a bit, and truly figure out who I am in the amidst of really crazy partying culture and trying to be the best me I can be at the same time. It just depends on the day, but I always try to be the most authentic that I can.”
The new project features six songs that all tell a unique story, while still feeling relatable to the listener. “‘Parking Lot’ is the oldest of them all. We wrote that in 2021, and I’ve always loved it. It never was really moving the needle in the A&R meetings in what we were going to cut, so I just started to play it out with Sam Hunt, and it kind of convinced everybody. But the other five songs, we’ve written in the last ten months,” shared the singer.
According to the entertainer, she really found her Nashville crew in songwriting, which allowed her to create this body of work. “We can attack [writing songs] whole-heartedly, and these six songs are kind of an example of where I’m at in my life right now. The crossroads of one street being I’m going balls to the wall partying, we are touring and I’ve been married for a year, and we’ve been celebrating and just having the time of our lives, and the other street of always trying to be the best version of myself that I can, always trying to be the pest person, sister, wife daughter, friend, while also trying to make sure I’m doing it all, while working on my relationship with God. So it’s all this really cool layout of what my life has looked like these last ten months, and we put it into songs.”
While this EP may be the best body of work Rose has put out thus far, in the words of the stellar singer,“I feel like we’re just getting started.” Fans can catch the singer on the road with Luke Bryan this season. Checkout all of her tour dates here and stay tuned for even more new music!
Connect:
Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about future Lily Rose releases.
To keep up with Lily Rose, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Lily Rose’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
