interview

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interview ✦

There’s something quietly radical about how Lily Fitts tells a story. And with her newly released debut album, Getting By, she doesn’t aim to wrap life’s hardest moments in metaphor or resolution—instead, she allows her music to sit in discomfort, tenderness, and uncertainty.

Across its 10 tracks, Fitts uses this body of work to explore themes like heartbreak, anxiety, grief, and self-worth with a lyrical honesty that feels accessible to listeners. But what makes the album truly resonate isn’t just its vulnerability; it’s the permission it grants to simply exist in a complicated place. Though that’s not all she’s been working on. Later this fall, she’ll bring The Getting By Tour to 11 U.S. cities, giving fans a chance to experience her soft, yet powerful songs in a live setting that matches their emotional weight.

Still, before the album’s release, the 24-year-old Boston-raised singer-songwriter had already managed to amass a growing fanbase drawn to her warm, emotionally textured blend of indie-folk and alt-country—where songs like “Brown Eyed Baby” and “In the Dirt” showcased her ability to thread introspection into melody with disarming ease. Naturally, that helped her generate millions of streams and praise for her raw, conversational style. It’s music for people who are still figuring things out. And honestly, that kind of applies to everyone.

Getting By feels like a deeply personal project. When you look at the album as a whole, what moment or lyric do you think most captures where you’re at in life right now?

Lily Fitts: I feel like I’m constantly riding the highs and lows of life and my emotions—but right now, with my album release, I’m feeling excited, confident, and like I’m finally stepping back into my power. So the line “I’ll forgive but I’ll never forget, I don’t owe you shit” from “I Don’t Owe You Shit” is really hitting home for me right now.

You’ve talked about how the album holds space for grief, anxiety, and uncertainty, but there’s also an undercurrent of hope. Is there a song that reflects all of those wrapped into one?

Lily Fitts: “Getting By,” the title track, really captures all of these feelings. I wrote it while sitting on my porch in about 20–30 minutes, and I’ve never changed a word since. It poured out of me and perfectly reflected how I felt in that moment—but also how I’ve felt before and even now. It touches on losing my uncle, the fear of growing up and feeling like you’re supposed to have everything figured out because people around you seem to—but also the small hope you hold onto each day. It’s about how it’s okay to just go through the motions sometimes. There’s always a silver lining, even when it’s hard to see.

The production of Getting By leans warm and organic with lots of acoustic textures that feel very lived-in. What sonic decisions were most important to you when shaping the sound of the album?

Lily Fitts: This all started with me posting videos online—just me and my guitar—and that’s what really connected with people. So it was important to keep that raw, intimate feeling throughout the album. At the same time, I wanted the production to reflect the emotion and story behind each song. If the lyrics were more edgy or intense, we’d lean into that with elements like electric guitar or heavier drums. Each track lives in the same world sonically, but I didn’t want them all to sound the same. It was important to me to experiment and bring variety, while still staying true to the organic, lived-in feel that people first connected with initially.

“Brown Eyed Baby” and “In the Dirt” resonated with a lot of people online—what surprised you most about how those songs were received compared to how personal they felt when you wrote them?

Lily Fitts: I wrote both “Brown Eyed Baby” and “In the Dirt” during a really dark time, when I felt like I had no control over myself or my situation. So it’s been incredibly powerful to see how people connected with them. What felt so personal and vulnerable to me has become something empowering for others. Seeing listeners turn these songs into something that gives them strength or makes them feel seen, even in completely different ways than I intended, is what makes this all worth it. “Brown Eyed Baby” came from a toxic relationship, and I’ve since realized how many people sadly go through that. “In the Dirt” was about losing loved ones to cancer far too soon, and it opened up this space where others have shared their own stories of grief and loss. Watching people find comfort or connection in these songs has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey.

You wrote this album over the course of a year and a half—a time that seems like it held a lot of change, both personally and professionally. Now that some time has passed, are there any songs or moments on the album that hit differently than they did when you first recorded them?

Lily Fitts: I think “Cry In California” hits differently now. I originally wrote it with a specific person in mind, but now listening back, it doesn’t even really remind me of them anymore. Instead, it’s become a reminder to stay true to myself and not let comfort or what feels “normal” hold me back. It represents growth and the freedom to move on from old versions of myself or my past. “Cry In California” has become one of my favorite songs on the album for that reason.

You’ve mentioned wanting your music to connect, heal, and empower—is there a specific song on Getting By that was healing for you to write?

Lily Fitts: All of my songs were healing to write because they helped me release the energy I had built up around the problems I was going through. One song that was especially healing for me to write was Party’s Over. It holds emotions I kept inside for a long time to protect other people’s feelings, often at the expense of my own. I wrote this song about moments in college where I felt taken advantage of and only valued when it was convenient for others. Writing this song helped me finally process those experiences, close the door on that chapter, and move on. Sometimes, you won’t get the apologies you deserve; you just have to take the higher road for your own peace.

Looking ahead, you’ve just released this huge milestone project. Is there something that you learned throughout the process that you’ll take into your next release?

Lily Fitts: One of the biggest things I learned is to not rush—beautiful things take time. It’s normal to go back and forth hundreds of times until it feels right in your heart. Being involved in every step of the process from writing, recording, production, mixing, mastering, artwork, content, and everything in between was incredibly rewarding and motivating. I can’t wait for people to hear my debut album, and I hope they love it as much as I do.