Lydia May is Ready to Bleed Honesty into Her Pop World
Interviewed and written by Feyi Adebanjo @feyi.ig
There’s a red thread that runs through Lydia May’s world - literally. The rising pop artist, originally from Melbourne, moved to London as a teen and has been carefully crafting her universe since. Visually bold, musically vulnerable, and armed with a rare sense of emotional intelligence (and humour), Lydia May is the kind of artist who speaks with the clarity of someone who's both self-aware and self-deprecating. Her brain bounces between theatre references, fashion Pinterest boards, anthropology theories, and TikTok humour - and it all comes together beautifully.
I caught up with her during what sounds like a slightly chaotic stretch of travel, studio sessions, and late-night Normal People rewatches. But even mid-exhaustion, Lydia May is funny, open, and brimming with creative energy. This is what it looks like at the edge of something big.
Lydia May - Photographed by Ana Pinto
“We’re at the countdown… we’re at three.”
Lydia just played her first headline show of the year - a sold-out gig in Manchester - and it’s clear that it’s still sitting with her.
“It was honestly the nicest day in so long,” she says, still glowing from it. “I was so shocked. The very first song, they knew all the words. Everybody stayed and wanted to meet afterwards, and they gave me so many gifts, and I just felt so much love and hope and community in that room. It really felt like a culmination of the past two years of figuring things out”
When I suggest it feels like the beginning of something bigger, she immediately laughs: “I felt like you know in the Hunger Games, not in such a morbid way! But when they're counting down all the numbers and then they're like, 3 to go. We're at three.”
From Melbourne to London (via Adele)
At 14, Lydia left Australia for London to attend the Brit School: the same institution that gave us Amy Winehouse, Jessie J, Raye and of course Adele - one of Lydia’s musical inspirations. That sounds like a huge, scary decision, especially for someone so young. So what convinced her?
“[Adele] was a big one for me,” she laughs, but goes on to explain that she had family on this side of the globe too. Being supported by her wider family made the move easier, but also she was used to big changes by the time she got here. “I had moved around so many different schools in Melbourne, I really struggled to find my feet in school and where I was fitting in. And I had such a long, twisted path with mental health that I was really ready to cut ties, and try something new."
It turns out the move offered more than just education - it offered clarity. Naturally, Lydia was terrified as a shy kid at a new school, but Brit was an environment that allowed her to thrive. Of coming in for her audition, she says “I was watching everyone walking around the halls, and I was like, God, people are just doing things. It feels like everyone has a purpose and everyone was quite respectful of that. I just felt a buzz and excitement that I had been searching for before. I'm so grateful. #alwaysbrit.” The magnitude of the opportunity was not lost on Lydia, as she soaked up everything Brit had to offer.
Lydia may - Photographed by Millie Caldon
Building the Brand
One thing you can’t miss with Lydia May is the look. Red bows, cherries, statement pieces, outfits that feel theatrical without ever losing their warmth.
After her Brit school journey, and following a difficult break up, Lydia felt she was a blank canvas ready to be made into a work of art: “I started constructing this character who represented a boldness and a fun and confidence to her.” Red became the symbol of this new persona, Lydia explains “Red symbolizes so many different meanings, and I love that layered vibe. I'm going to wear red, and it's just going to mean what I want it to mean every day.”
Lydia’s approach to personal branding comes from a long standing love for visual art. Her ‘bouncy brain’ works best when making sense of things visually, especially when conceptualising her music. Which makes it no surprise that she lists Lady Gaga, David Bowie, and Chappell Roan as stylistic inspirations. And much like the Haus of Gaga, Lydia May has a creative team working to build her aesthetic expression, in the form of costumer and fellow Brit alumnus Elliot MacGregor.
Lydia describes Elliot as “probably the most talented person that I know, at such a young age.” Following a fruitful DM one year ago, the pair have bonded over their theatre kid tastes and love of Bob Mackie. They build looks together around fabric shopping trips and Pinterest boards, crafting something that’s both playful and deeply meaningful.
Quite poignantly, Lydia describes how her performance art has helped with her relationship with her body. “I've struggled with an eating disorder quite badly for the past two years, and coming out of quite a horrible relationship at a young age, there's lots of things where I haven't felt in control of my physical self. And being able to give my body a creative and different purpose really is so liberating and such an escape.” Therapy works people, and so does creative expression!
Community and cosplay
Due to her well defined style, I let Lydia know - in the most respectful way - that she seems easy to cosplay. Luckily for me she takes this as a compliment, and turns out I'm thinking similarly to Lydia’s growing fandom, aka the Maybelles.
People will show up to her shows with dyed hair, wearing cherries, or with red accents. Lydia feels “it's really nice to have something easy and quite accessible that people can feel a part of, and a huge core of what I wanna do is to make people feel welcome.”
Lydia has purposely built a community around connection and inclusivity, and appreciates them in all their glory. She says of her following “I just think it's magic. I haven't found any other substance, to be honest, in the world that - apart from hate, I guess, that brings people together as much as music.” She knows that her music isn’t just about her, being an artist and sharing that art is all about emotional generosity: “it really is just the joy of my life to meet such emotionally generous and loving people. I never feel lonely, and they all make friends, and they all look out for each other, and it's just beautiful. I feel like such a proud mom, at the ripe age of 21.”
We finish this portion of the interview with Lydia likening one of her shows to those people who gather in an open public space, to watch a fitted sheet get folded. While I like to think her musical talent is more valuable than outdoor laundering, I see her point!
Lydia May - Photographed by Ana Pinto
On the Horizon: First Drop Dead Gorgeous, then world domination
Lydia’s next chapter is already in motion. She’s working on her debut EP, a project she calls her most personal and cohesive work yet.
This is the first project she’s put together as a musician with the visual concepts and live shows in mind, whilst leaning into a darker, more honest tone of voice. “I really wanted to deconstruct a lot of my own destructive behaviours, and talk about the similar feelings of engaging in them and then trying to turn away from them. I think there's strength and difficulty in both of them.” She’s keen on zoning in on that self dialogue, opening up about how she feels at odds with herself sometimes, while encouraging listeners to speak to themselves more kindly. A beautiful and timely message that I’m sure will reach across audiences.
Lydia finds people’s connection to her music is a far more valuable measure of success than any fame or fortune. However, she’s still planning on world domination: ideally the future for her includes big shows, a live band, touring, festivals; and everything great live music has to offer. She says “world takeover for me or, at least self satisfaction, is being able to perform live for as long as I can and hopefully do some amazing things. I also would love to do some more musical theater. I'd love to act again. Get me in every creative room ever.” I for one can’t wait to see her take on Fanny Brice or Lydia Deetz - two of her ideal West End roles.
Before we see her name in a Beetlejuice playbill, we get our first taste of her new EP coming soon, the new single Drop Dead Gorgeous. She says of her new music “just enjoy it. Read into the lyrics as much as you want and then zoom out and just have a dance."
Lydia May’s new single Drop Dead Gorgeous is coming soon. In the meantime, keep up with her on Spotify, and look out for the Fairy Bread link while you’re there.
