LILY HOLBROOK
1998-2005
She had a sweet soul & a bad attitude


The streets and subways have sounded a little sweeter, from coast to coast, thanks to Lily Holbrook.

For some years now the Boston native has been captivating audiences with her expressive, wistful voice and thought-provoking melodies. People strolling through Harvard Square, Newbury Street or the 3rd Street Promenade have stopped short to listen, often causing a pedestrian traffic jam with hundreds of people gathered, caught up in her musical web.

Drawing inspiration from the likes of PJ Harvey and Tori Amos, Lily studied music and art at Emerson College, but it was live performance that seemed to be her real passion. When not studying, Lily could often be found busking in subway corridors and street corners. Shy by nature, Lily found the somewhat anonymous street scene far less intimidating than being cast in the spotlight at clubs and lounges. "Being part of the scenery really worked well for me at the beginning. Busking was a great way to build confidence and try out new songs without all the pressure of a paying audience. You don't necessarily expect people to stop and listen." But people did stop and continued to take notice. Gaining confidence and a small, but loyal following, Lily began to play various venues throughout Boston including such hotspots as The Middle East and TT The Bears, as well as participating in the Women's Independent Music Show. Fellow Bostonian and busker-turned-major label songstress Mary Lou Lord praised Lily as "Boston's best kept secret. But with a voice like that and songs to match, it won't be long until the rest of the world catches on to this lovely new talent."

In 2000, Lily was ready to unleash her music on a wider audience with her independent debut "Running from the Sky". Dedicated to the memory of her brother Christopher, the album punctuates Lily's sense of loss, beauty, and the sublime. Making easy comparisons to Jewel and Aimee Mann, Lily's sweet, ethereal vocals lend the songs a fairytale quality.

With her steady street buzz, Lily was a natural choice for the film, "Playing For Change"˜ a rockumentary highlighting the lives of 16 street musicians across the country. Through Lily's and the other musicians' words and music, the audience discovers the secret and fascinating lives of street performers carrying out this age old tradition. Its unique spirit has prompted the Sundance Channel, the Independent Film Channel, and Comcast on Demand to add the film into their rotation.

Lily's appearance in "Playing for Change" helped to secure her a record deal with Backporch Records, a subsidy of EMI/Virgin, and in 2005 she returned to the studio to complete her second album "Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt". While developing her unique brand of melancholic folk rock, Lily doesn't stray far from the soft, but hardly fragile voice that sets her apart from the fray. "Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt" is one of those rare albums with real meaning, with songs that force us to take stock of the world around us objectively ˜ a world with both beauty and pain.