Lydia Prettyman Dives Deep Into The Depths of Heartbreak With ‘Picture Frames’

United Kingdom based, 23 year old artist, storyteller, empathiser and hopeless romantic, Lydia Prettyman joins us to talk all about her debut single release, ‘Picture Frames’.

With a musical family, Lydia began her journey surrounded by instruments and the sounds of records from the greats.. she continued learning the piano from the young age of 6 and was strumming her guitar by the age of 13.

As a young adult, Lydia moved away to university, and the art of songwriting became her escape from the outside world.. a way that she could explore and begin to understand the depth of emotions she was feeling.

Lydia’s goal in songwriting is to put into song and lyrics, the feelings that many of us experience within our lives. Her aim is to inspire listeners to be touched in a way that greats like Amy Winehouse, Coldplay, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder have touched the hearts of the world and more specifically the way they have made her feel.

Stylistically inspired by the vibes of soul and jazz, Lydia Prettyman’s debut single release, ‘Picture Frames’ tells a raw and emotional story of her personal experience of heartbreak.

After two years of development, Lydia is excited to share this track that has a special place in her heart and we look forward to seeing more music from Lydia as her journey unfolds.

You can listen to ‘Picture Frames’ below:

Would you like to start by telling us a little about yourself?

Hi, I’m Lydia!

I’m 23-years-old and I live in Bedfordshire in the UK.

I recently released my debut single ‘Picture Frames’ which is so exciting and has felt like a long time coming.

What was it that first inspired you to begin a career in music?

I wouldn’t really say that I had one moment which inspired me to begin a career in music.

I just loved teaching myself the guitar when I was 13-years-old and learning John Mayer songs and songs from the TV show ‘Nashville’.

I only really started properly writing songs when I went to university, from there I began to think I could try to pursue a career in music.

I’ve always been drawn to music, from learning the piano at a young age and then asking my parents if I could learn practically every other instrument, to going to sleep at night with my earphones in listening to my favourite albums.

I’ve always found such a comfort with music, so always knew I wanted a career which incorporated it in some way.

Now I’ve found a love for writing my own songs.

How would you describe the feel of your music?

I would describe my music as a mix of soul and indie pop.

I aim for my lyrics to tell a story and so I think the lyrics I write are quite rich in that sense.

I try not to confine myself to one genre, so I just write and record what I think encapsulates my sound and how I want the music to sound.

Overall, I would describe it as soulful and easy-listening.

You have recently released your single, ‘Picture Frames’.. what was the inspiration behind the creation of this track?

Yes I have!

I released it on the 25^th March which was such an exciting day.

I started with the idea of talking about your future with someone when you’re in a relationship with them, specifically talking about baby names, but then future prospects and dreams just disintegrating when the relationship ends.

That’s where the lyric ‘Picture frames to baby names, now we don’t speak’ comes from.

I just built on this concept and tried to get into that headspace.

What did the creative process look like for ‘Picture Frames’?

I started writing the song in March 2020.

As I said before, I started with the concept of talking about baby names with someone and then once I’d got a few more lyrics I played around with chords and the song started the form!

I actually wrote the lyrics for the chorus a couple of months later but wasn’t satisfied with it, so I wrote a new chorus around July/August 2020 and then the song was pretty much finished!

I then recorded a demo and released it on SoundCloud at the end of that year and recorded it in the studio in October 2021.

It was a long creative process, but I didn’t want to rush it as I knew I wanted it to be my debut release.

Where do you find your inspiration for your music?

I find inspiration in everyday life, both my own and those around me, and in other creative areas.

I love learning about other people and their lives and what they’ve experienced.

I’m not saying this inspires my music directly, but I find that it changes the way I think and gives me a better understanding of the world.

I’ve also always loved film scores and the way in which it can shape the narrative of a film, and so other creative disciplines also inspire me.

How has Covid-19 affected your releasing?

To be honest, Covid-19 didn’t affect my releasing that much as it was such early days for my music.

I think perhaps it stunted the progression of ‘Picture Frames’ a little bit, but I was actually happy with the pace it went at, and so I was quite lucky in the sense that Covid-19 didn’t hit my music or release that badly.

What would you like to see happen for you in your music from here?

At this stage I just wanted to be building a fanbase and having as many people hear and engage with my music as possible!

I want to keep playing live and gaining experience and record some new music to release later in the year.

What is one message you would like to share with your fans?

I’m so grateful for everyone that has listened to my music, watched me play live, sent me a lovely message, and just generally supported me and made my release so enjoyable and so special.

Where can people find your music?

On all major streaming services!

I also have my Soundcloud page for some extra bits (https://soundcloud.com/lydia-prettyman?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing) and my YouTube channel for some other bits too (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCemHRolzoC3weEaehFc8dlA)