Newly signed to Fueled By Ramen, singer-songwriter Lily Lizotte aka alt-pop sensation THE BLSSM is building on the huge success of their 2021 single ‘HARDCORE HAPPY’ with the release of second EP, ‘PURE ENERGY’. Checking in from the van on the way to Boson – where they’re about to play a support show with American bedroom popster ROLE MODEL – Lily tells us a little about what they’re up to.
What first sparked your interest in music? Who were your first-ever favourite acts?
My dad is a musician and producer so getting into music was totally all from him. We listened to everything at home. I was really into Dipset, N.E.R.D, Elliott Smith, The Cure growing up. I can remember a lot of that playing at home.
How did you get into making music of your own? Can you remember the first song you wrote?
I really just started writing poetry and then turning the poems into songs. I can’t remember as there wasn’t like one poignant moment… it really was a collage of building moments that started to push me into my obsession with music.
What were your first steps to getting your music ‘out there’?
Sharing with friends was first, then uploading it to DSPs. But honestly just sharing it with a bunch of friends who cared.
How long did it take for you to hit upon your sound?
I’m always evolving my sound but ultimately I have a signature and consistent approach that doesn’t waiver…
All of my influences woven together into my own “pop sound” driven by hyper-melodic songwriting.
You’ve just released a new EP – how did ‘Pure Energy’ come together? What’s it about?
I recorded some of it at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu and American Songs Burbank. This is a really special EP to me, it’s a collage and time stamp of my life and it feels triumphant as much as it does cathartic and aching. “PURE ENERGY” is the embodiment of the project. It’s a maximum version of myself, chewed up and spat out.
Do you have a favourite song on the EP?
‘I HATE SUNDAY’.
What else are you working on at the moment?
Another project for sure in the works!
What would you most like to achieve during your time as a musician?
Just to have my project feel like someone else’s as much as it is mine.
Music aside, what do you do for fun?
I love to cook and go shopping, hunt for clothes… especially vintage!
Taken from the July issue of Upset. The BLSSM’s EP ‘Pure Energy’ is out now.
