aaamusic | On 22, Jun 2011

Admired for her beauty by the legendary Lauren Bacall and garnering vocal comparisons to Dido, Carly Simon and Marianne Faithful, the glittering British singer/songwriting talent of Lydia Baylis is on course for galactic success as she launches her debut physical release, ‘Starman’, on 1 August. Written in homage to of her greatest musical influences, David Bowie. ‘Starman’ will be a fundraising campaign for the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal – a sincere hand of support from an artist personally affected by the tragedy of war.

 

A track of epic proportions, ‘Starman’ delivers a jaw-dropping cocktail of gripping instrumentals which work as a bespoke sound-bed to Lydia’s incredible voice. The track exports the listener on an exhilarating journey, which beautifully explodes into cascading drama and excitement as Lydia’s powerful Dido-esque vocals envelope the melody to create a sheer musical masterpiece.  Lydia writes about what she sees around her, as she explains, “With Starman, I wanted to write about feeling lonely and wanting to be saved.  It has an element of The Little Prince, a touch of the fairytale of a knight in shining armor in the form of a Starman from outside our ‘world’ to take you away.”

 

Born in the army town Aldershot, to an army officer serving father, 22-year-old Lydia is the only daughter among four siblings. Army life was second nature to little Lydia.  Both her grandfathers were Welsh Guards who took part in the liberation of Brussels during World War 2.  Her father Peter and uncle Hilarion were aboard the Royal Navy landing ship, Sir Galahad, when it was destroyed in June 1982 during the Falklands War.

 

Lydia maintained a desire to perform throughout her whole schooling career, where she constantly jostled for the starring role in productions, both at her International School in Russia (where her dad’s post-military career took them) and then later at the prestigious boarding school, St Marys, Shaftsbury. Acting later became her first ‘job’….. being disadvantaged by dyslexia, Lydia was told to abandon dreams of a university career in the UK, so she flew to the New York where she landed a role in the stage play of  Pieces of Paradise by Tenessee Williams.  During a screening of Notes on a Scandal, Lydia received the greatest compliment when Lauren Bacall gently touched her blonde locks and remarked, “You’ve got beautiful hair”. Later that year, the talented Lydia defied all odds as she stormed her way into Oxford University, graduating with a BA (hons) in History in 2010.

 

Regardless of her beauty and strong acting talent, Lydia decided to shun these avenues in favor of her true passion – music.  Whilst studying for her degree, she began gigging in and around Oxford and after graduating she signed with professional management and began the process of writing and demo-ing for her debut album.  And her musical collaborations are mighty – with the likes of lyricist Ian Pickering (Sneaker Pimps, Natalie Imbruglia), writer/producer Paul Statham (Dido, Kylie Minogue, Simple Minds, Peter Murphy) and engineer/mixer Richard Wilkinson (Adele, Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys), plus New York based label and production team Crispin Thump – comprising of writer/producer/engineer Augustus Skinner (EMF, Neneh Cherry, Sneaker Pimps) and TV and film composer Ronan Coleman (Last Days On Earth, Faraway Up Close, Global Nomad) – as well as her beloved brother Casimir on guitar – Lydia Baylis is set to be a force to be reckoned with.

 

But Lydia has never forgotten her family’s army roots and one of her first shows since graduating was a performance at the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal event, hosted by Captain Harry Legge-Bourke, (former Welsh Guards) at Glanusk Park last July 2010.  To build on this, voluntary donations made from her new download release of, ‘Starman’, will be go to the Appeal, so that injured soldiers and their families can receive vital support on their home return from service.  A truly sincere gesture from one of the UK’s most promising talents.

To receive a FREE download copy of her new song ‘Starman’ visit:
http://www.lydiabaylis.com/