PREMIERE + Q&A: Lydia Ford shares new single 'Overrated'

Lydia Ford continues to establish herself as one of the most thrilling alt-pop talents in the country, with the release of her stunning new single, 'Overrated'.

Ahead of the release, the Co. Mayo artist told us all about the new single, the creative freedom she found in Brooklyn, the state of the Irish pop scene and more.

You’re grounded in an alt-pop sound, but you also incorporate genre-blending elements – what inspired that approach?

Lydia: Growing up I listened to a lot of different music – my mam was always playing Bruce Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac, my sister played classical piano, and I spent most of secondary school playing in rock bands. When I go to write lyrics they can be quite detailed, like the singer-songwriter genre, but I love pop melodies and guitar-driven music – so they all come together.

How did your time in Brooklyn influence your music?

I lived in Brooklyn from my early through to my mid 20s, so those are already very formative years – without adding being so far away from home and in a different culture. My biggest takeaway was a newfound sense of confidence in myself and in music. Brooklyn is a little pocket of creative and queer people, and I felt very at home there for a long time. It also gave me all the stories for my last EP!

You’ve built up a reputation for your starkly honest lyricism – how do you usually approach songwriting?

With lyrics, I try to tell a story with a beginning, a conflict and a resolution – and I love a good bridge! I draw from my own experiences. With pop, there’s an art to making the song both personal and relatable to a wider audience. People can hear when you’re not being genuine and just spouting clichés. I don’t usually sit down to write unless I know I have something to say. Some people write every day, and unfortunately I don’t think I’ll ever be one of those!

‘Overrated’ explores a rocky, alcohol-fuelled relationship – where did the inspiration for that track come from?

I’ve had a couple of these types of relationships over the years. It’s normal and fun to go out and drink a lot when you’re young, but for me, the novelty quickly wears off – especially if it becomes a daily thing. ‘Overrated’ is quite an angry song, but I’m mainly angry at myself for not trusting my gut and spending time with someone who wasn’t a good match.

Like other brilliant Irish acts emerging now, you've embraced a real DIY ethos – is that independence important to your identity as an artist?

Being independent has definitely given me the time to find and create the sound and aesthetic I want and start to establish myself as an artist. While you might get more attention with big labels, there seems to be a lot of external pressure and influence on those fundamental things. It’s important to me to have a strong sense of my identity as an artist. I’m proud to be where I am so far with the hands-on, DIY approach!

What do you think of the pop music coming out of Ireland right now?

I’ve been listening to a ton of Irish music during quarantine and really loving it! I still think pop gets a bad rep in Ireland – maybe that’s what we genre-blend it a bit. But artists like Elkae, Elkin, Orla Gartland, Bobbi Arlo and Laoise are amazing songwriters and performers.

‘Overrated’ is out now. Lydia Ford plays Upstairs at Whelan’s on October 2.