- Lily Rose is an award-winning country artist best known for the song “Villain.”
- She released her debut project, Stronger Than I Am, in 2021.
- Lily Rose is set to appear on The Voice on May 23, 2023
One of the fastest-rising stars in country music today is Lily Rose. The dynamic voice behind “Villain,” “Whatcha Know About That,” and more is quickly making a name for herself. In fact, 2023 might be the year of Lily Rose. In April, Lily joined Diplo under his Thomas Wesley persona, lending her vocals for the “Sad In The Summer” song from his Swamp Savant album. Lily will spend the summer on the road with Sam Hunt and Brett Young as part of the Summer on the Outskirts tour. In the fall, Lilly will join Shania Twain for part of her Queen of Of Me Tour.
All before this happens, she’ll bring her charismatic voice and killer country hooks to The Voice. Lily is set to perform on Tuesday’s showcase. Before she rocks the red chairs, here’s what you need to know about this country dynamo.
Lily Rose Is A Country Music Artist
“A Georgia native whose inspirations range from Bruce Springsteen to Keith Urban and Katy Perry, Rose broke out in 2020 with the viral smash, ‘Villain,’” reads her official bio. “Both vulnerable and defiant with a boundary pushing Country-meets-R&B sound, the track hit Number One on the iTunes all-genre chart and SiriusXM’s The Highway Hot 30 Weekend Countdown, leading to her new, ten-song project, STRONGER THAN I AM.”
“With her focus firmly on integrity, Rose’s bold mix of personal lyricism and distinctive language meets the hooky sonics of a post-genre fanbase,” the bio adds, “as pure-Country confessions merge with Hip-Hop beats and R&B flow – plus representation where there was none before. All told, it gives new credence to her ‘groundbreaking’ label.”
TikTok Helped Launch Her Career.
Whereas in the past, one would post cover songs on YouTube to be discovered – a la Justin Bieber – now, artists are opening doors with TikTok. Lily posted her music on the platform, which resulted in her manager, Rakiyah Marrshal, finding her. From there, she landed a deal with Big Loud/Republic Records, and the debut single – “Villian” – hit No. 6 on Billboard‘s Emerging Artists chart, as well as No. 36 on Hot Country Songs.
“That’s kind of the wildest part of this story… that TikTok is what launched ‘Villain’ and my career, even though I actually downloaded the app so late in the game,” she told Billboard in 2021. “If I could give any advice to anybody on TikTok in general, just be authentic. Don’t try to do anything that doesn’t feel comfortable to you. Even if it’s through a screen, people connect with authenticity.”
“I’ve been lucky to get a lot of really flattering feedback that people resonate with my songs because of their emotional depth,” she added about her music. At the time, she had three songs out – “Villain,” “Overnight Sensation,” and “Remind Me Of You,” and was eager to share more. “I love the songs I’ve been able to put out so far, and I’m glad that they are connecting with people on that level. We just cut a bunch of new songs, so our setlist is filled with a lot of fun, high-energy country songs too. I love the variety, and I’m excited for the world to hear some of the more lighthearted stuff.
She’s Married.
Lily walked down the aisle with Daira Eamon in March 2023. The couple shared their wedding photos with PEOPLE, which showed Lily in a stunning Indochino suit while her wife wore a Galia Lahav dress. “We wanted to get married in Nashville because it was ‘our’ home together, and we wanted all of our family and friends to come to celebrate us here,” the couple told the publication. “[The Bridge Building] had been a dream of ours since we first saw it.”
Lily’s father, Neil “Hondo” Williamson, walked with her down the aisle. He also gave a welcome speech to the many gathered for this gorgeous ceremony. It was a marriage a few years in the making: the couple got engaged in October 2021, the same month that Lily released Stronger Than I Am.
Lily Rose Aims To Inspire.
Lily, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, knew that she’d face some adversity when launching her career as a country music artist. Country music has a homophobic reputation – Maren Morris apologized to the queens on season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race on behalf of the genre’s anti-LGBTQ+ stance – though one might easily make the argument that hip-hop, K-Pop, rock/metal, and all other genres are equally problematic. Lily, for her part, looks to do her part by changing hearts and minds with her music.
“It’s a heavy role to have when you think about it. But taking it day by day, I’ve always prided myself on authenticity,” she told PEOPLE in 2021. “And I’m really lucky that I’ve come from a family that has embraced me with open arms. I hope with my music, I can now show other parents and kids that there is no fear. Your kid can do anything. There’s not the fear of, ‘Well, I don’t know if you’ll be accepted or embraced,’ or whatever the word you want to use is.”
She Made History At The GLAAD Awards.
In 2022, the GLAAD Media Awards awarded Lily Rose the Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist honor. This made her the first country music artist to win a GLAAD Award.
“I’ve known I was part of the LGBTQ community for 15 years now, but to be nominated with a GLAAD Award in Country music is something I’m really really proud of,” she said before her victory, per CMT. “[There are] things that we all have our eyes on in some capacity, but there are ones that are really important, and that’s what’s making me emotional. How important this is. I’m really thankful for people like Shane McAnally and Brandi Carlile and so many other folks, even Ellen in entertainment in general, that walked so we could run. We still have a long way to go, and this right here is a huge win. A huge win for Country music. I’m humbled.”
“If you’re at award shows like this [CMA Awards] or even like the Grammys or the ACMs, you feel this sense of pride of ‘wow, my team and I worked really hard, what a big win for our team,’” Lily told Billboard at the 2022 CMA Awards. “But that GLAAD Award, for me being the first country music artist to win a GLAAD Award, it felt like a win for country music and how far we’ve come as a community.”
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