At the start of the year, Lili Joy had just hopped on board as a contestant for 16th season of NBC’s singing competition The Voice. She was quickly recruited to Team Blake after making an impression with a memorable cover of Gwen Stefani’s song “Cool.” Since leaving the show, she has been focusing on getting her own original music out into the world– with her debut EP Colours You Can’t See to be released on August 14th. She’s dropped a few tracks from the EP, most recently “Float,” an airy synth track that highlights the warmth and versatility of Joy’s voice.
Lili Joy caught up with The Young Folks to give us an update on what has changed for her since her time on the show and what we can look forward to from her new music.
What was the most important lesson you learned from your time at The Voice?
The most important lesson I learned from The Voice was that practice truly makes perfect. When you’re in the process of filming the show, you gain so much extra experience through intense vocal training and interviewing, that by the time you’re done, your skills are 10 times better than they were before! To me, that was the most useful lesson of them all.
Has your vision for yourself as an artist changed at all from your experience on the show?
I think I definitely came to realize that I wanted a huge part of my artistry to be in the writing of my music. I want to be known as a singer/songwriter rather than a cover artist or an artist who sings songs that were written by someone else.
What can you tell us about your upcoming EP, Colours You Can’t See?
Colours You Can’t See is a project about embracing the feelings or “colours” that you believe the world would never want to hear about or understand. I wrote all of these songs by painting with the many different hues of my isolated emotions. The goal is that people will hear the songs and say, “Hey, I didn’t know someone else felt that way.”
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Your two singles “Float” and “Sink” are opposites, is there an intentional connection between the songs?
Honestly, there isn’t an intentional connection between them, but I do believe they are a beautiful contrast between how simultaneously blissful and overwhelming life can be.
The final song from the collection, “Glow,” is coming out next month. What can you tell us about the track?
“Glow” is a song about vulnerability and how scary it can be when you really do love someone. If I were to compare it to other tracks, I would say it has similar emotional desperation as “Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle and “Video Games” by Lana Del Rey.
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What was it like working with John Valesquez for the EP?
John is like a big brother and he has helped me hone in my artistic direction so well. He has been my mentor through every step. Not to mention, his production work is impeccable.
You have built quite a dedicated fan base, what are some of the best interactions you have had with fans?
Just seeing what my fan pages post is amazing. They have one meme account where they use my pictures and I think that’s honestly my favorite thing ever.
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I love your brightly colored wigs, how did they become a part of your style?
I walked by a wig store one day and said, “Hey, I’m gonna buy one.” And ever since then I’ve just had fun with it! To me it’s the same as wearing a fancy pair of socks or a barrette in your hair, it just adds to how I express myself through my clothing!
What are your plans after the release of Colors You Can’t See? Any upcoming live shows?
I’ll be doing a few low profile gigs, but nothing crazy. I’m hoping to plan more in the near future for the fans to come to!
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