Lyra is living the dream, the Cork singer started her career with a bang in 2016 and has been going from strength to strength with every year.
She has worked with Lady Gaga’s team, her music has been featured in shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Love Island and she has worked as a judge on shows like The Big Deal.
VIP Magazine caught up with Lyra as her single, 29box, hit the airwaves. We chatted all things social media, her love for fashion and, of course, that picture with Hozier.
Here’s what she had to say…
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Hey Lyra! Congratulations on your new single, 29box, how does it feel now that it’s out in the world?
It’s crazy. It’s always a bit scary putting new music out. Obviously, it’s really exciting but you always have that little voice at the back of your head like, “Oh, it’s coming out. You’re releasing another thing close to home. How will people take it?“ But it’s going really good. When I woke up, my phone was on fire, that’s a good start. I got on New Music Friday that’s a second good start. I’m going with it.
Is it always scary putting music out?
It is massively scary. When I write all my songs, I always write them about something that is personal. It could be a break-up or a night out with my friends. My latest single, it’s a song about a day when I wasn’t very nice to myself. It is always scary putting them out because everyone is going to know my secrets. It just dawns on me when the song is out there. You would think I would hold certain things back, but I’m an open book. I just put everything in because the song feels more real to me. But then you forget that you’re sharing it with everyone.
Tell us about the inspiration behind this song.
This one came out really fast. You know, I love social media, as an artist, it helps me get my music out there and it helps me connect with my family and friends. But it does have those dark pockets that you can go down. It was one of those weeks where I was overthinking everything and comparing myself to people online. I forgot that there is a social media world and a real world. It’s a very glossy world online where everyone puts their best foot forward. I was comparing my everyday life to the perfect lives I was seeing. I was getting myself down. I had to sit down one day and tell myself, “The only person doing this is you.“ Nobody else was sitting beside me asking, “Why aren’t you like her?“ I thought this is ridiculous so I just wrote about it and got it out of my system. I also wanted to share with other people that I also go through these things. Despite my Instagram.
Your Instagram is perfect, we’re sure it will comfort people that even you don’t feel like that all the time.
I want to post more stuff online about my regular life. On days that I’m down and show my real life. But I need to get the confidence to do that. I’m on a journey to be able to do that.
Picture: Brian McEvoy
No Repro Fee For One Use
Your music career is just on the up and up. So what has been your pinch-me moment?
I don’t see myself as other people see me. Last night, my sister took me out for drinks to celebrate my single coming out today. I’m really bad at celebrating myself. We were there and people recognised me. And I was shocked by that. My sister told me I had to get used to that because this is the way things are going. I have those moments and I’m like, wow, I’m not at home minding my sister’s kids anymore. It’s really weird. I am getting better. It is really cool. I love it, it makes me feel like I’m making my way. I’m the opposite. I think instead of having pinch-me moments, I don’t realise these things are happening to me.
As well as your incredible music, you are known for your fashion. Have you always loved fashion?
You should see me right now, I’m just sitting here in a dressing gown. [Laughs] I always loved fashion, I always loved being a little bit extra when I’m going out. When I go on stage, I love dressing in clothes that make me feel good and make me feel like I can put on the show of my life. People are using their hard-earned money to come and see me. I want to get up there and give them a show. I want to give them an overall great night. Fashion really helps with that. It’s so much fun. I don’t get to wear those outfits walking down the street, so it’s really fun getting to wear those outfits when I go on stage. I love fashion, if I had the budget of Lady Gaga my outfits would be five-hundred-thousand times more impressive. That’s where I’m going.
We would be remiss if we didn’t ask you about your very official wedding to Hozier. The picture you took together at a wedding went viral for all the wrong reasons.
Obviously, I’m Mrs Hozier, that’s my name. [Laughs] It was so weird. I put the post up in black and white because originally I wasn’t supposed to be wearing that dress to that wedding. My other dress didn’t arrive in time. I was doing a photoshoot that I had styled myself but I didn’t want people to see the colour of the dress before it came out in the magazine. So I put up the picture with the caption about the beautiful wedding and put the phone down. I came back to all these notifications and I was like “What the f**k is going on?“ It was crazy. It was on the magazines online. I had to go in and edit the caption to say we did not get married. I’d say Andrew was like “What on earth is going on?“ I’m so sorry Andrew.
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Well, we’re pretty sure that Instagram marriages are legally binding!
Yes, absolutely. And since he’s my husband I think we should do a duet. I definitely think I’d go Hozier. He’s so magical. Take Me To Church is the song that I wish I had written. That is the one. It is such a good song.
Okay, back to you! What is next for Lyra?
I’m going on tour at the end of October, I am going around everywhere in Ireland which is going to be brilliant. Then I go straight after that I go on tour with Westlife in the UK. I have like four days off until Christmas Eve. I hate not being busy, it makes me anxious. I’m like, “Hehe. What am I doing?“ I can’t wait to go on tour with Westlife, I have met them a few times. They’re so lovely. And their fans are super fans. It will be interesting to see how they take me and my music. They’ll be like, “Who is your one with her arse hanging out? She’s like a banshee.“ And I’ll be like, “It’s me Lyra.“ Let’s see how that goes. They just sang to 70,000 people in Singapore. I couldn’t get seven people to come to watch me perform in Singapore never mind 70,000. Jesus Christ.
You’ve had an incredible career, but what advice would you give your younger self?
I would say to her be the best version of yourself. All the time. From day one. I only got that advice later in life and it is the advice that really changed me as an artist and changed me as a person. I stopped being someone I wasn’t. I was really unhappy at the start of my music career because I was trying to be a product. Once I stopped doing that and started to enjoy it, that’s when my career really took off and it’s when I’m happiest. I wish I got that advice sooner. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t get that advice, but I’m here.
Lyra’s new single, 29box, is now available to stream
