Lilly’s love of music began in her childhood, when her sister started roping her into bedroom sing-songs, “she would whip out her guitar and be like “Lilly, c'mon sing this song!’” These collections of sister bonding moments is where Lilly discovered the passion. After leaving school Lilly was overwhelmed with the choices left up to an eighteen-year-old, so decided to channel her time and focus on what she did in her spare time, singing. "Music is something that has helped me grow as a person, so why not keep going?" Giggled Lilly. Lilly tells me about her childhood self; a “bubbly, confident, and cheeky little bean” and the unrelenting support she receives from her whānau who are constantly reminding her of her worth. She seems very grounded, which could be attributed to this safe home base she is lucky to have. She is still the cheeky and bubbly kid she tells me about, but says her confidence has gone through waves as she has aged - sometimes she feels herself more than other days.
"I write my best when I’m in the heat of my emotions and I really have to give myself time to vent."
Lilly's calming energy touches me through the screen, as she smiles and laughs during the interview. We feel like friends chatting about our star signs and our mutual love of Etta James and Frank Ocean - two artists she has covered on YouTube beautifully. Her music is dreamy, soft, whimsical and confronting. We talk about her 2020 EP, 'Messy Mind', and the theme of growing up and discovering that your actions and energy directly impact those around us. 'Messy Mind', which Lilly began writing at eighteen, explores the end of Lilly’s teenage years, commonly known as the ‘selfish’ years, and accepting the responsibility of ourselves and others. Messy Minds pinpoints the growth Lilly experienced leaving the teenage safety net and stepping into herself, while figuring out the mess of relationships with ourselves and others. “When you’re growing up you’ve gotta realise that everyone’s energy that they are giving to you, you are also giving it to them. It can be hard to realise that you’re hurting someone or they’re hurting you”.
Lilly’s love of her hometown, Muriwai connects to her whānau history. Her mother was raised in Muriwai and her Grandparents also reside there, making it a special home base for the young artist. The untouched beauty and serene nature of the beach allows Lilly to lean into her safe space and write with no boundaries. “Something about living somewhere where you can just look out and zone out, the chaos just disappears because you’ve got this huge body of water that you can just get lost in. It sounds cliché but it’s so meditative to just exist in Muriwai”
Since Sony Music signed Carron, she’s been able to collaborate during writing sessions and gain industry guidance, “I’ve learnt so much, and met the coolest people who are sweet and humble. You can really open up to in a session and actually create something that feels the same as if I were making it by myself and talking to myself. I'm very lucky. She goes between writing in her notes app and filling up journal after journal, “I’m definitely a journaller, gotta love it - I’ve filled up a few of those bad boys”
Listen to Lilly Carron's EP, 'Messy Mind' on Spotify below:
Lilly Carron is featured in Tenner Magazine's 'Discover' issue - available to pre-order now!
www.tennermag.com/shop
Words by Ruby Clavey
Lilly wears Layplan
Photography by Oli Spencer
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