Britain plays host to a delicious serving of home-grown talent as the stunning new singer/songwriter, Lydia Baylis, releases her debut single, ‘Mirrors’ on 5 August. The single will be accompanied by a tempting album sampler for media, which gives an insight into the forthcoming album, ’A Darker Trace’, scheduled for release early 2014.
Bestowed with captivating beauty (Lydia boasts compliments from the likes of legendary screen goddess, Lauren Bacall), as well as a unique song-writing talent and a vocal ability that’s been compared to artists such as Dido, Carly Simon and Marianne Faithful - Lydia Baylis is truly set to be an unforgettable artist of her time.
Releasing ‘Mirrors’ as the debut single from the forthcoming album, Lydia instantly positions herself as a songwriter of depth and wisdom beyond her years. Painting a gripping tale of outer-self versus our hidden inner feelings, this track is the perfect introduction to this debut artist. Diving beyond the superficial, ‘Mirrors’ showcases Lydia’s supreme crystalline vocals, which are rich with expressive, heart-ripping emotion.
The single comes hand-in-hand with a divine aperitif to the forthcoming album, ‘A Darker Trace’.
Showcasing x 5 tracks from the album (one of them being ‘Mirrors’), the sampler sets the scene for the highly anticipated Lydia Baylis. Her sound is slightly dark, edgy and gritty and yet each track ingeniously delivers the precise injection of captivating melody, just enough to knock you off your guard and entwine you in it’s grasp.
From the haunting tingles of ‘Ghost’, right through to the catchy hooks of ‘Show Me The Light’ and ‘Light Blue’, this sampler is nothing short of absolute musical class. The jewel in this incredible melodic crown is Lydia’s personal interpretation of the Black classic, ‘A Wonderful Life’.
First released in 1987, the original is a far more jazzy, sax-led version than Lydia’s cover, which has a slower tempo and finds itself gloriously steeped in haunting chords and ethereal vocals.
The daughter of a service man who was on board the Sir Galahad when it was attacked during the Falklands war, Lydia had an amazing life moving with her family from one post to another.
Born in the English countryside of Aldershot, Hampshire, the family were stationed in Germany when Lydia was just 2-years-old and later moved to an ex-commune flat in Russia, which still bore all the scars of communist life - including one-way radios in the walls.
At the age of 18, Lydia sought the bright lights of New York, exploring the theatrical world of acting alongside experimentation with her singing and songwriting. Lydia’s global exploits later took her to India and South East Asia where she stayed for 6 months, earning money by teaching English.
Her adventures also landed her on the production team for Liz Hurley’s wedding. On her return to the UK, Lydia settled down to university life at Oxford, where she began writing and performing live with greater gusto than ever before.
Upon graduating, Lydia moved to London, used the Capital’s live circuit to truly find her voice and began writing her album with Paul Statham (credits include Dido, Kylie Minogue,Jim Kerr), Richard Cardwell (credits include Annie Lennox, James Morrison, Dido) and Owen Parker (credits include Amy MacDonald, Pet Shop Boys, The Gossip). Richard and Owen then went on to produce the album.
Drawn by the buzz of the big Apple, Lydia also made frequent trips back to NYC, where she was inspired to write and perform, with production duo, Ronan Coleman and Augustus Skinner, Crispin Thump/Muse IQ, based in Brooklyn.
Now for the summer of 2013, Lydia is ready to share her incredible musical talent with the rest of the world as she releases her debut single, ‘Mirrors’ alongside the sampler to her debut album, ‘A Darker Trace’. The album is an epic tale that exposes a tiny glimpse of the stunning Lydia Baylis. But this is only the start, the Lydia Baylis tale has only just begun...
The debut single, ‘Mirrors’ is released on 5 August as a digital single. A digital ‘bundle’ is also available, tracks include ‘Mirrors’, ‘Mirrors’ acoustic version, ‘Gravity’ and remixes by Timothy Allan & Mark Loverush and Super Stylers.
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