Despite still being in her teens, Kent-based artist Lily Madison is already developing a songwriting identity rooted in emotional honesty and a deep appreciation for the melodic alternative rock of previous generations. Drawing inspiration from The Sundays, The Cranberries and Fleetwood Mac, she brings the melancholic warmth of 90s guitar music into distinctly personal territory.
Her latest single ‘This Is It’ centres on the courage required to take an emotional risk when there is no guarantee of how things will turn out. Originally written as Madison tried to build up the confidence to be honest with a friend, the track captures both sides of that uncertainty: the possibility that everything might finally fall into place, and the fear that taking the chance could cost you something important.
So with the new single out now, we sat down with her to find out more about her origins and what has been inspiring her most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I think piano. I remember going to my older cousin's house and him having a keyboard in the kitchen and me always wanting to play it. My parents noticed this and put me into piano lessons when I was maybe 9 but I don't really learn by being "told what to do", and ever since then I've been learning by purely just messing around and seeing what sounds nicest. My parents both work from home, so any time I have the opportunity to be home alone the first thing I do is go downstairs to the piano and play to my hearts content.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
The first sort of introduction I had to music was One Direction, as I'm sure many little girls first musical love was in the early 2010s, then after being devastated over their "hiatus" I fell in love with Little Mix and especially Ariana Grande - I wanted to be her SO badly, and thought she was the coolest person I'd ever seen.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I could be wrong, but it must've been Up All Night by 1D. Absolute classic.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Every song ever but probably Mayonnaise by The Smashing Pumpkins. "Fool enough to almost be it, cool enough to not quite see it, and always old enough to feel this, always old, I'll always feel this." Yeah I'm floored.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I usually find that a lot of lyrics come to me in the shower whilst listening to music funnily enough. I think I used to only value lyrics but now I'm older and understand music a lot more it is really important to me that the instrumentation that I put to the lyrics truly captures how I felt when I was writing it, and this usually just comes from stealing small things from other songs I love and turning it into something new.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
My music taste is always always always expanding, but currently it's Bleech 9:3. NOBODY does it like them, I've been a fan since just before Jacky came out in November (I think) and I finally got to see them live on May 11 at Camden Assembly, with the incredible Theatre supporting. The second I got home I wrote a song, which will hopefully be out by the end of the year, and I am so confident in saying it's my best yet. I've been lucky enough to see them 3 more times since then and have met them 4 times - every single time I've been to see them. Got 2 more Bleech gigs to go in 2026 too and I'm so excited for their new music!
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Billie Eilish is the first that came to mind, because she is probably the first artist that truly inspired me into wanting to become a musician. It would be so full.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Everything happens for a reason and in its perfect timing but you do need to create your own luck as well, and these CAN go hand in hand. Whilst I am a firm believer of my first statement, I think that hustling and feeling like a "beg" puts artists off sometimes when wanting to ask to send demos to people, but I recently was at a festival and a few gigs, and spent the entire weekend sending a new song to all my favourite bands, and I'm starting to see some good come from it. I think a lot of people spend so much time doing this too and hear nothing back, but when its the right timing they will, you just need patience, and whilst your being patient, perfect your craft, otherwise you're going to stay in the same endless loop.
And what is the most frustrating part?
I think sometimes comparing myself to other artists, whether it's big ones or ones I know personally. I'm very blessed that a lot of my friends are musicians as well, and when I see them start succeeding, as well as the obvious excitement for them, it is totally normal to think, what are THEY doing that I'm not. Obviously, I know that it isn't that anyone is better than the other, but it can feel a bit difficult to keep going when others are experiencing success, no matter how slight and you just aren't.
With saying this though, I'd like to just reiterate the fact that I am a GENUINE fan of all my friends and every single one of them deserves the opportunities they've been blessed with or will have!!
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
There are definitely multiple. When you're rehearsing a new song, and after maybe messing up loads or things going wrong, you play it, zero mistakes, and it sounds amazing. When you finish recording a song and get the mixed master sent to you and it's even better than you imagined. When you hit a note that you didn't know you'd be able to during a gig. There's countless.
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Lily Madison's new single 'This Is It' is out now. Check it out in the player below.