Lily Lane On Women Dominating The Music Industry and Her New Song “Blue on Christmas”

“Blue on Christmas” is a new single from Lily Lane. Following the release of her new five-track EP Love, Lily Lane, the songwriter is now serving up the perfect track for the holiday season. Lily Lane is a soul pop princess and alliterative artist hailing from the east coast and now taking over the west. “Blue on Christmas” was inspired by everything Christmassy, from gingerbread and the smell of pine, to laying in Central Park and watching the leaves fall off the tree and feeling the excitement of the holiday season ahead. Lane shares, “As a child the most exciting thing about Christmas is the magic of it, the stories of miracles and Santa, but as an adult the thing that really makes the holiday season special is who you spend it with.” Lily Lane originally wrote the lyrics alone at home snuggled up with her dogs in bed. Twinkling with jingle bells, delicate piano melodies and angelic harmonies, “Blue on Christmas” is the epitome of a perfect holiday song, wrapped up in cosy, wistful melancholy that evokes a sense of longing and nostalgia. In conversation with Clique, Lily shares how her songwriting process is extremely disorganized and chaotic- she keeps having to pay for more and more storage on her phone and her computer because she refuses to get rid of things. She records every melody idea she has as soon as she has it and saves every iteration of it and how it evolves, and if it doesn't evolve she saves it to go back to later.

CLIQUE: When did the idea of having your christmas song “Blue on Christmas” come to you?

Lily Lane: I wrote this song this fall in NYC, and then came back to LA and recorded it and produced it with Taylor. Something about NYC in the autumn, it was getting a little chilly, the leaves were falling, and it had me longing for the holiday season and Christmas music!

CLIQUE: Tell us a little more about your song “Blue on Christmas”

Lily Lane: This song was inspired by gingerbread, the smell of pine, laying in central park and watching the leaves fall off the tree and feeling the excitement of the holiday season ahead. As a child the most exciting thing about Christmas is the magic of it, the stories of miracles and Santa, but as an adult the thing that really makes the holiday season special is who you spend it with.

“I don't think as a kid I realized that there was new christmas music I thought all the christmas songs were 100's of years old like hark! the herald angel sing from the 1700's. in my teens i discovered Christmas Pop and then in my 20s I was brave enough to start writing some myself.”

CLIQUE: Is Christmas music something that you knew you always wanted to write?

Lily Lane: Not until I was in my 20's did I start writing Christmas music. I don't think as a kid I realized that there was new christmas music I thought all the christmas songs were 100's of years old like hark! the herald angel sing from the 1700's. in my teens i discovered Christmas Pop and then in my 20s I was brave enough to start writing some myself. I think I hold christmas music up to a higher standard than other songs because if it isn't as good as a classic why bother- there's only one or two months you have to listen to them, why waste your time on a song that isn't the best?

CLIQUE: What does performing live look like in your future?

Lily Lane: I'm hoping to do quite a few shows on the east and west coasts this year, and some festivals all over! You'll see a great classic Lily Lane show like you usually get with all live singing, some guitar shredding and drum banging, and a lot more dancing and choreography than you're used to from me! I've been working on it!

CLIQUE: Who are some of your musical inspirations?

Lily Lane: The great female singers and songwriters that shaped my sound are Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Amy Winehouse, Carole King, Julia Michaels, Taylor Swift. The Christmas voices that have inspired me and made me fall in love with Christmas Music are Darlene Love, Donny Hathaway, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Mariah & Kelly of course. 

CLIQUE: What does your songwriting process look like?

Lily Lane: My songwriting process is extremely disorganized and chaotic- I keep having to pay for more and more storage on my phone and my computer because I refuse to get rid of things. I record every melody idea I have as soon as I have it and save every iteration of it and how it evolves, and if it doesn't evolve I save it to go back to later. I do the same thing with word documents and lyric ideas, lines, themes, streams of consciousness. When I feel like I have the shape of something or know exactly where I want to go I get into the studio with someone I trust who understands my vision (which lately has been Taylor Sparks and Gabe Scribner, my friends and favorite producers) and we make it happen pretty quickly. 

“music has always been the end all, be all for me. I always wanted to be a popstar, and as I grew up that goal may have focused a little more as I learned about the industry and all the different ways you can make music and be the soundtrack to peoples lives”

CLIQUE: When did you first know you wanted to get into music? 

Lily Lane: Since I could talk, I could sing. Unfortunately or fortunately I'm not sure, but music has always been the end all, be all for me. I always wanted to be a popstar, and as I grew up that goal may have focused a little more as I learned about the industry and all the different ways you can make music and be the soundtrack to peoples lives, but it has always remained constant that music was the one thing that could make me happy and feel like I have purpose.

CLIQUE: What is your favorite Christmas song?

Lily Lane: My favorite Christmas song to sing is "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway, but my favorite to listen to has to be Mariah Carey's classic All I want For Christmas is you- it goes number one every year for a reason! John Legend has another one of my favorite Christmas albums and voices as well!

CLIQUE: As a woman in the music industry, what is it like to see women dominating it right now?

Lily Lane: It feels like *finally*. My spotify wrapped every year is all women, women have always dominated my musical taste and world and it is so nice to see people who have been consistently working for a long time finally get their flowers like Victoria Monet, Chappell Roan, Sabrina etc. 

CLIQUE: What do you have coming up?

Lily Lane: I have a new project coming summer 2025 and the first single off it drops in the beginning of 2025! I'm so excited about it! Expect to see me doing some dancing in music videos coming up too! 

Listen to Lily’s single “Blue on Christmas” on Spotify here.