Warmth, instinct and unfiltered emotion...
At just 18, Lily Rae Grant is already a standout live performer across Manchester and Todmorden, headlining The Golden Lion, holding down a monthly residency at New Century Kitchens, and performing her originals at Salford University’s Peel Hall sessions with a confidence far beyond her years. Her natural command on stage, paired with a voice that feels quietly seasoned, has made her one of the most exciting young live musicians emerging from the region.
Now, with her first release, a double single featuring the raw, one-take folk recording ‘Poison Ivy’ and the dreamlike, psychedelic shimmer of ‘Forget About’ — Grant introduces the full spectrum of her sound. One track close to the bone, the other lost in a dream, both unmistakably hers.
‘Poison Ivy’ was recorded when Grant was just 16, in a spontaneous midnight session after finally playing her songs to her dad. With only one microphone, no click, and a single take, the track became a time capsule of her earliest songwriting voice — fragile, real, and impossible to recreate. Now featuring Dan Bridgewood-Hill’s evocative violin, it stands as a folk recording filled with warmth, instinct and unfiltered emotion. “I tried re-recording it,” she says, “but nothing touched the magic of that first take.”
In contrast, ‘Forget About’ showcases Grant’s emerging production instincts. Influenced by Zero 7, the song began as a kitchen jam before evolving into a lush mix of psychedelic keys, airy electronics and indie-rock textures. Self-recorded in Logic, the track reveals a new dimension to her writing, cinematic and rhythmically hypnotic. This vinyl only future classic comes out on Red Licorice Records January 8.
