Photo Credit: Nash Rockett
Lily Brooks O’Briant is an actress and singer/songwriter in Los Angeles. Her newest single, “Better Off Alone” is getting rave reviews. This young star is finding that expressing herself through her music is not only cathartic but a great way to connect with her fans! Lily took time in between shooting her scenes on “The Young and The Restless” for a chat about her new single and her thoughts on navigating the industry.
What was your musical inspiration for Better Off Alone?
“Better Off Alone” was my realization that I was so much ‘Better Off Alone’ than being treated the way I was being treated. Yes, the heartbreak hurt, but I was better alone and focusing on finding my own happiness and doing things for myself instead of waiting for a guy to make me happy.
How do you come up with ideas for your songs?
My writing process always starts with writing about my feelings in a sort of a diary entry. I just throw all of my feelings and thoughts out onto paper so that I can help myself understand what I am feeling and what I want to write about. From there, I turn my feelings into sort of a poem with rhymes and structure and then my writing partner Ethan and I work together to create a melody and add musical elements to the lyrics that fit my feelings and my vision for the song.
What is your favorite moment while being in the recording studio?
I think one of my favorite memories in the recording studio was working with my big bro/producer Stephon Riley. It was probably 2 AM and we were finishing up the vocals for a new song (that will be releasing very soon, and we had this idea to add a bunch of different layers of vocals on the chorus to make it sound like people were screaming in the background. It was such a cool concept, and I was super excited about recording it. We spent about an hour standing in different parts of the studio screaming the chorus at the mic. It was absolutely crazy, but such a fun time and it turned out beautifully.
Photo Credit: Nash Rockett
Do you have any advice for your followers on how to handle negative comments on their social media?
Social media and negative comments can be super hard on anyone’s mental health. The best way that I have found to deal with the negative comments and energy is to surround myself with my friends and family who I know will support me no matter what!
You go to a lot of red-carpet events. What has been your favorite event so far?
One of my absolute favorite events that I’ve ever attended was the world premiere of the Marvel series “She Hulk”! It has been a dream of mine to go to a marvel premiere and when I got the invite to the “She Hulk” premiere I was so incredibly excited! I took my mom with me because She Hulk is a lawyer, and my mom is a girl boss lawyer! We had the best night, and it was everything I could have ever dreamed of!
How important do you think networking is to a budding career?
Networking is so incredibly important for any career but especially in the entertainment industry! When you create relationships with people in this industry, those people could present you with possible opportunities in the future. We live in such a small town and relationships and people matter!
Are there any upcoming projects you can share with our readers?
I have been working incredibly hard on writing and recording music that I love and am passionate about. I just released a song called “Better off Alone” and will be releasing a lot of original music in the coming months. I absolutely can’t wait for y’all to hear what I have been working on! I also have truly enjoyed working on “The Young and the Restless”. It has been such an amazing experience and an honor to work on such an iconic show and learn from some amazing actors and actresses.
Photo Credit: Nash Rockett
