Southern California-based 16-year-old singer-songwriter, LiLi Joy, a member of Team Blake on NBC’s The Voice this past season, has officially released her debut EP, Colours You Can’t See. The 3-song independent output of original music features the previously released singles “Float” and “Sink” along with new track “Glow.” Listen to the EP now below.
“The ‘Colours You Can’t See’ are the emotions and feelings that we carry around with us every day that we don’t let other people know about,” shares LiLi Joy. “Some of them we’d be proud to wear on our sleeve while the others, not so much. All of the songs on the EP were written during a time where I was isolated with myself and my emotions. I know what it’s like to feel as if you should be ashamed to share what’s truly taking up your headspace, even if it comes from a place of love. My goal with this project was to paint with the colours my mind had already made for me, whether they were some type of mixed-up paradox or beautifully clear. As a result of that, I hope from the bottom of my heart that people can feel unashamed of being the beautiful, complex confusions that they truly are.”
The young vocal powerhouse showcases a variety of sounds and emotions on Colours You Can’t See. “Sink” pairs a stark and stripped vocal performance with a thudding bass line and loose distorted guitar riff that underscores the mental tension of feeling trapped in a depressive state. On the other end of the spectrum,“Float,” an enchanting song about admiration and love for someone in the purest form, ebbs and flows over airy synths and glossy keys in warm waves from a jazzy swing into a hypnotic hook upheld by her shimmering, soulful delivery. Meanwhile, piano, violin and bass shine through on new song “Glow,” which is about vulnerability and being scared to show your emotions to those you love the most. PRESS HERE to watch the whimsical music video for “Float.”
As a child, LiLi Joy admittedly dreamt of being a pixie. Once she started writing poetry and songs, the teenager, who began singing at the age of five, found her own form of fairy dust, fashioning otherworldly pop from old-school jazz cadences and modern alternative musings. Over the years, her musical palette has expanded from Lana Del Rey, Gwen Stefani, and Lady Gaga to standards by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong, courtesy of her vocal teacher. She studied the style inside and out, taught herself how to scat, and recorded videos to share with her out-of-town jazz aficionado grandfather. Maintaining a steady stream of YouTube uploads, LiLi Joy caught the attention of The Voice in 2019, and later won over the hearts of audiences everywhere as part of Team Blake Shelton. LiLi’s cover of Gwen Stefani’s “Cool”from her blind audition has notably drummed up a staggering 2.3 million views.
Following her stint on the show, LiLi Joy immediately dove into crafting what would becomeColours You Can’t See, hitting the studio with producer and co-writer John Velasquez [Zella Day, Max and the Moon]. Together, they distilled her songcraft into a singular style equally informed by those classic jazz influences as well as forward-facing flourishes and palpable vulnerability. The new EP simply sets the stage for much more music to come as LiLi Joy, who has recently been featured by YSBnow, Celeb Secrets, Tiger Beat, Teen Music Insider, The Young Folks, and Vents Magazine, among others, casts an unbreakable spell of her own through being unabashedly honest in each of her ethereal songs.