Lila Drew is entering the new year with a soaring new record "Locket," which shows a stripped-back artist side to the 19-year-old LA-based independent singer-songwriter.
"Locket" arrives today alongside a new music video shot and directed by Phillip Lopez, whose impressive catalog includes videos for Selena Gomez, Zella Day, Kygo, Liam Payne, and more. Lila approaches songwriting as "lyrical scrapbooking… pulling from a lot of different emotions and situations to articulate a full feeling" her team shares. "Locket" is the next evolution for her coming off her successful debut of side one of her "locket" EP. Drawing inspiration from journal entries, voice memos, and notebook confessions, Lila's music reflects the mind of a teen wise beyond her years, who revels in the confusion that comes with growing up. Her new single "Locket" moves with warm vocal intonations and weaves gentle piano work which glides effortlessly into piano keys, and playful R&B production work.
Lila's video work is becoming resonant with big ideas and abstract references. When speaking with us about the new single, she shares, "I had met the director, Phillip Lopez, a few months earlier because we had worked on something else! Our first project was my original treatment, and through that, Phillip and I got to know each other. I texted him “Locket” on a whim (way before the song was even done…) – I knew I loved it and wanted to make a great visual for it. We met soon after, and he showed me this photo from the 70s of a girl kind of strewn in the back of this old pickup truck that was filled with these orange flowers. He said he kept going back to that photo while listening to the song. We both agreed that it would be interesting to look at the juxtaposition of death and purity in the video – it was a theme that played through the song, but we felt it could be more deeply explored in the video. Anyway, the truck transitioned into a hearse, and the flowers turned to butterflies… We also wanted to represent movement and the idea of “moving on,” hence the Evan, who is the dancer in the video. And yes! We did light a man on fire!!! It was insane. We wanted the fire to be this jarring moment that both represented moving on and the idea of the “old flame,” but also to represent the death of a significant moment. I remember crying when I got home from the video shoot because I was so happy and just felt so grateful to have been able to make something like that."
The video is a bold effort for what could be graphic imagery, but the soft vocal work of Drew helps it lay easier on the eyes and ears. In addition, the visuals work closely with the evolution of Lila's music, as butterflies are metaphorical for transformation and it is certain at only 19-years-old, Lila will keep evolving with each new project. She has more music slated for the year and we'll be staying tuned.
