Kiera Lyons is an antidote to the endless stream of sameness we hear from singers today. She is the voice of her generation’s future, not its past. Digging deeper than the plastic party pop blanketing the airwaves and streamers, her lyrics grapple with our youth’s bitter burden: a world of decay, anxiety and depression, of alienation, heartbreak and longing at the core of Gen Z’s struggle. Her raw, unapologetic vocal performances capture the authentic spirit of her peers, while offering a powerful insight into their experience for others.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Kiera about the latest music, adapting during a pandemic, technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and how do you describe your style of music?

I was born in Boston during a snowstorm, but I’ve grown up in sunny LA. I’m bicoastal at heart, and get homesick if I stay on one or the other for too long. I’d describe my music as a blend of indie folk, dark pop, electronica, art rock, and chamber pop. I’ve been told my music has a cinematic sound, which I totally love. Sometimes I go for big string sections, massive drums, and huge apocalyptic choirs, and other times just vocal and acoustic guitar. It totally depends on the story I wanna tell. Lots of artists say this, to the point where it’s become a bit parodical, but it really does suck to tie yourself down to one sound or genre. When I’m creating I can do whatever my heart desires, and think that’s one of the main things that I love about music.

How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?

I’ve been making music for pretty much as long as I can remember, but I wrote my first proper song when I was 6 for a competition for young artists. I started producing in middle school, and it was then that I realized I really wanted to be a music producer. When I reached ninth grade, I discovered that I could use those skills to produce the songs I’d been writing the past couple years. This took my sights in the direction of being a singer-songwriter who could produce her own songs, which is incredible because it gives you so much control over what you create. I can already hear what a song is going to sound like as I’m writing it, and being able to produce it is so empowering.

I sing all the time, relentlessly. I sing around the house 24/7, regardless of what I’m doing (I’m singing Graceland Too by Phoebe Bridgers as I write this). When I come home after a long day, the very first thing I do is sit down at my keyboard and sing. It’s so therapeutic for me, and it’s the main way I recharge. For me, making music has always been a necessity rather than a choice. This is a bit of an obscure reference, but there’s a mini series called Over the Garden Wall in which there’s a character named Lorna. She’s possessed by a spirit, and she has to do housework at all times to keep the spirit at bay and prevent her from “becoming wicked.” I think I’m a lot like Lorna, but with singing instead of housework (because let’s be honest who likes doing chores?)

How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?

I’ve been exploring a lot in what I’ve created recently, and I’ve definitely felt my recent music naturally moving in a new direction. I’ve been taking a lot more risks lately, exploring different sounds and themes. I’m very inspired by horror (horror films, scary stories, you name it) and that’s definitely been reflected in my two most recent projects, “For You” and “Lock the Door and Throw Away the Key.” As I was creating “Lock the Door and Throw Away the Key,” I was really interested in the concept of making a song that was a horror film in and of itself. I wanted it to follow the story-telling format of a film as closely as possible. For those songs, I also tackled two of the most ambitious music videos I’ve created so far (one required a TON of fake blood, and the other I insisted on shooting in one continuous take, which was a huge undertaking, but so worth it).

Something I’d really love to do in the future is make movies and score them. I don’t think songs and movies are all that different, they’re just different mediums of storytelling. I’m an incredibly visual songwriter, and when I’m writing I almost always have the music video in mind already. My goal with “Lock the Door and Throw Away the Key,” was to make a short horror film. Creating music videos sparked a love of filmmaking that I think I always had, even if I didn’t know it. I’m an actor, as well, and I love being both in front of and behind the camera. I have some ambitious and exciting music videos planned, so stay tuned!

Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented times? How did you adapt?

The biggest challenge I’ve had the past couple years has definitely been not being able to play live. I’m never happier than when I’m playing live, and not being able to do so has left a huge hole in my heart, and I know so many artists and musicians can relate. But as creatives, we always manage to adapt, and the show goes on, (safely, of course). It’s been so cool to see the innovative ways to experience music and connect with others that people have come up with during these strange times. I’ve done several shows online during the pandemic, and actually played my first online music festival! It’s also given me time to focus my efforts elsewhere, and I filled the hole left by not being to play out with writing lots and lots of new music. There’s nothing like playing live, connecting to a crowd and feeling that electricity, which is something I’ve sorely missed, and I’m beyond excited that it’s starting to become a possibility again.

How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?

To be honest, I actually haven’t really had to do anything to stoke the creative fire. It’s kept itself burning, perhaps even brighter than before. I’ve never had the chance to create so much at once before. Once they floodgates were open, they were impossible to close. There were days I sat at my keyboard writing, or in front of my computer producing, and didn’t stop until the sun had gone down. I really wanted to make the most of it, because I didn’t know when an opportunity like this would come up again. Music has been my number one life raft through all this, and I’ve had the opportunity to create so much of it and be able to learn a ton about who I am as a musician and storyteller.

What was the last song you listened to?

Just For Now by Imogen Heap. Loved her and this song since I was a little kid. It’s so comforting, I always have it in rotation during the holidays.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?

Streaming is pretty fantastic. It’s absolutely limitless, you can listen to absolutely anything, whenever you want. However, I don’t think there’s anything cooler than being able to hold music in your hands. My grandmother who lives in Massachusetts recently sent a bunch of vinyl that belonged to my mom. Unfortunately, I have no way to listen to it yet, but I’m saving up for a record player, so hopefully soon! I also had to burn CD’s of my music recently, and prior to that, I’d never had a physical copy of it. Having grown up in the age of streaming, that was pretty trippy and awesome.

Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?

I’m definitely the most active on Instagram @kieraglyons, and Youtube at KieraLyonsMusic! I’m also on TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter, all @kieraglyons. You can check out my website http://kieralyons.com/ as well for important dates and more goodies!

I really appreciate your time. Anything else before we sign off?

It’s such a pleasure! I actually have a show coming up right around the corner. It’ll be online on December 10th. Here’s the link for info and tickets: https://www.sparrowlive.com/event-details/kiera-lyons

Thanks so much for having me, and thank you (yes YOU, reader!) for taking the time to get to know me and my music!