A new angle to exploring queer identity: Lydia Shute discusses her latest single, ‘white flag’
On May 9th, the Liverpool-based singer-songwriter Lydia Shute released another heartbreaking ballad into the Spotify ether; a single aptly titled white flag.
A song that grapples with learning that you just can’t love someone into loving you back, white flag is a testament to Lydia’s stunning lyricism, powerful vocals and ability to convey exactly how she’s feeling through music.
In an exclusive interview with VoiceNoted, we talked to Lydia in-depth about her latest single, discussing everything from LGBTQIA+ sonic inspirations to her songwriting process and what informs her decision-making as an upcoming artist.
Photo credit: @richard.mukuze
When did you decide that music was something you wanted to pursue professionally?
“I started doing musical theatre when I was about 10 and was set on pursuing that professionally until I picked up the guitar around 15. I remember my dad buying me Joss Stone and Avril Lavigne albums that I totally rinsed on my CD player and he used to take me busking on a Saturday morning. My focus shifted away from theatre then and more towards the pop scene and I started writing a little bit, but I honestly didn’t find the confidence to take myself seriously with it until a few years later. I went to LIPA to study Songwriting and Performance and have been releasing and performing as an artist for over a year now!”
How would you describe white flag to someone who hasn’t heard the song yet?
“It’s an emotional one for sure! The writing is really honest and a bit painful really, with lots of Lizzy McAlpine and Gracie Abrams influence lyrically, and a pretty heavy feeling production that you can definitely hear Holly Humberstone and Bon Iver through. The songs I’ve released so far have all covered me finding my identity in a queer relationship in different ways, and this is definitely a new angle of that. This feels like a step up from my previous releases though and these are some of the lyrics I’m most proud of, as they’re so vulnerable and honestly feel a bit like a time capsule of the pain I was putting myself through by staying with the wrong person.”
We’d love to hear about the process of creating the song: Where did the initial spark of inspiration come from? Did you start with lyrics first and work out the instrumentals later? Tell us all about it!
“I wrote the chorus a year or two ago now and knew it felt special, but writing any more than that meant I’d have to actual deal with the feelings I had about the person that I was with, and probably walk away from her which I just knew I wasn’t ready to do. I finished everything around the chorus at the start of the year, which then added a very retrospective feeling to everything around it.
I’ve realised now that sometimes I find it too overwhelming to put all the emotions I’m experiencing down on paper in the moment, and I need a lot of time to come to terms with what I’m thinking and this song is the perfect example of that. It wasn’t purposeful but it’s a perspective I absolutely love. I feel like I’ve been able to capture the emotion toll of being with someone you know you shouldn’t but being without them would also send you into a complete downward spiral, as well as what it’s like to look back on those feelings when you’re past them.”
In your Instagram bio, you say you’re “writing songs about [your] big fat feelings so they don’t eat [you] alive.” Did it feel cathartic to finish writing White Flag and do you feel like you got to say everything you wanted to within the song?
“This song genuinely feels like a sigh of relief for me, and says everything I wanted it to.” I took it to Shell and Dop at The Inscape to fully record and produce, who have done a perfect job. All of my previous releases have been written and/or produced with them and I feel so lucky to have found people to make music with that are sick at what they do, listen to every opinion I have, sometimes know what I want before I do and are just great people.
We talked a lot about cutting the second verse in half to make the song under four minutes, which we eventually decided was a terrible idea because they all contributed to the story I was trying to tell and if I have something to say with those lyrics then they should stay. I let the song go where it wanted to and didn’t want to make any creative decisions that were influenced by ‘what will perform well on TikTok’ or play into the short form style of content just because those things are popular at the moment. As scary as it is to create songs as raw as this one and put them out for anyone and everyone, it’s scarier to me to change what I’m doing to fit the mould of what’s currently ‘trending’.”
Photo credit: @elodiehphotography
We’re big on lyrics at VoiceNoted, so do you have any favourites from the track?
“This is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written, and I just adore all the lyrics, especially the opening line ‘thinking I had you has been keeping me afloat, if only that were true then we could have shared a boat’. I wanted the first line to be cutthroat but in a really beautiful and delicate way, and it almost sums up the whole song before its even started. It kind of throws you in the deep end emotionally and sets the tone for the rest of the song, and is very much how I felt when writing it and I’m really glad the listener is immediately right there with me in that.
The final chorus also stands out to me with a feeling of desperation that I haven’t really tapped into before, but felt like it was where I needed to take the lyrics before I got to the end of the song. I’ve spoken to a few friends and a few listeners about their favourite lines and it’s so interesting to me how everyone has a different opinion and make the lyrics mean whatever they want them to.”
We then asked Lydia what other songs she had on repeat whilst writing White Flag, and made them into a playlist for fans to enjoy:
As an openly queer artist, who are your LGBTQIA+ sonic inspirations or other artists in the community that you admire and look up to? Any you'd love to collaborate with one day?
“So many! Reneé Rapp, Catty, Nxdia, Cat Burns, Hayley Kiyoko and Kehlani are some of my favourites! Collaborating with Reneé is a crazy thing to even think about and I don’t know how I would even form a sentence if we were in the same room to be honest. Catty is just incredible and I am a huge fan; she is so cool and real and she’s definitely someone I think more people should be paying attention to! Writing with her one day would be sick - also, adding being her support slot to the bucket list!
In a field with so much comparison and criticism, it’s so inspirational to see artists such as these committing to themselves completely and being so genuine and open, which is something I’ll always be striving to be.”
We saw that you did an acoustic set on White Flag’s release day, so we’d love to know how that went! Were there any memorable reactions from fans and friends?
“Yes, I just did a super chill acoustic show at the cafe my friend manages! It was lovely to play a gig that all my friends could come to, as well as a couple of fans! I’m really lucky to have the most supportive group of friends and seeing their faces when I’m singing is always the biggest boost. It’s also insane that people who I’ve never met have simply connected with my songs so much that they want to see them live. It’s moments like that that are so special as an independent artist, as it can get lonely and stressful, and its really easy to get caught up in the smallest things that go wrong sometimes, so being able to interact with anyone who enjoys the music in person is rare and massively helps you see the bigger picture - it’s one of my favourite parts!”
Having released your first single a little over a year ago, we’re sure it’s been a crazy ride through the world of music since. So, if you could say anything to your younger self about where she’d end up, what would you tell her - sage advice or something a little more chaotic?
“There’s so many things I would tell her, the first thing being to just start! I’m much better at planning than I am actually executing things, and I had so many ideas that I was just too scared to do in case they didn’t work or turn out perfect. As I’ve released and performed more I’ve learned to relax and do things that I don’t always have a clear outcome for, and that it’s always going to be better to just do something and it not go the way I’d planned than to not do it at all.
I’d also tell myself to stop paying attention to literally everyone else. Do what you want to do and if someone else is doing it differently it’s never because you’re doing it wrong, there’s just a million paths you could take, especially in music. I still struggle with this constantly, but think it’s one of those things of trusting and being confident in yourself and your decisions that really does just build with time.”
And finally, do you have any exciting plans for what’s next after white flag, and could the song become part of a longer project like an EP?
“Yes, I’ve got lots planned! There’s a couple of songs I’ve written over the last few months that I adore and am really excited to put out, as well as a couple of exciting shows coming up. I would just love to play a festival next summer! That’s definitely a goal of mine, as well as just be consistent with releasing and interacting with people that care enough to listen as much as I can. Some more support slots with the full band set up would also be amazing.”
Photo credit: @nthncole
We certainly can’t wait to see what’s next for Lydia Shute, so make sure to follow her on Instagram for the latest updates, and enjoy the rest of her discography on Spotify below:
