Lily Papas

Prove them wrong.

For breakout Gold Coast singer-songwriter Lily Papas, that’s always been the MO. An unmistakably standalone voice in a world increasingly geared towards homogeneity, Lily, who has been singing since she was eight and began writing music not long afterward, prefers to trade on passion rather than what’s in fashion.

Revelling in the kind of fantasy that amplifies Lily’s quixotic lyrical style, Wild is a record that ultimately documents her coming of age and maturity, both as a woman and as a songwriter. From an early age, Lily was an escapist, channelling the frustrations of her teenage years into a persona that would leave her world behind.

Lily has always been a bold dreamer. Told by a music teacher at 11 years old that she had the voice of a folk singer, Papas went home and learned to sing Christina Aguilera songs instead. “I’d always go for the big notes,” she says. “I wanted to be Steve Nicks so badly. I would just tell myself, I am going to be a rock star.”

“I have this thing where I have to prove people wrong when they said I can’t do things,” says Lily. It’s certainly working well for her so far. Impossible to pigeonhole but instantly accessible, Lily is equally indebted to London Grammar’s ardent synth love letters and the brassy melodic strokes of The Pretenders’ Chrissy Hynde.

Astonishingly accomplished but unsurprisingly confident, Encore marks Lily as one to watch, but more importantly one to be heard.