Earlier this year, Lily decided to commit to releasing one song a month; “It was a promise to myself, as well as giving younger me the consistency that she was craving”- Lily explains, “This is the messy part - I haven't written most of the songs for this year. March is done, and I'm obsessed, but April onwards isn't written - I’m just trying to embrace being a work in progress”.
This commitment can come with many challenges, making it difficult to stay on track - “I’ve realised months go by so quickly. I’ve just released a song, and now we’re onto the next one… and then the next one. It can be hard to stay present and enjoy each release as they come”. Lily elaborates: “I’m trying to enjoy the song I've put out that month, instead of already thinking about the next one”.
Before embarking on her song-a-month goal, 2025 saw Lily take a break from the music industry to focus on herself: “I didn't write for about six months, I was really ill at the beginning of 2025, and that wiped me physically and mentally, which led me to a very bad place. I just quit”.
By the end of 2026, Lily wants to be understood more as an artist as well as an individual navigating life: “I write and produce most of my songs in my pyjamas in my tiny home studio with my puppy on my lap…I want people to understand that I'm figuring it out in real time and I don't have everything planned, but I care deeply about what I'm putting out”. Gia Lily will continue to explore this era throughout 2026, even through the chaos, mess and unpredictable way life goes.
Chloe Ridgley
Image: Ella Sandle