At only 21 years old, Lia Pappas-Kemps has already achieved an impressive range of creative accomplishments. From appearing on shows like the CBC’s period drama Anne with an E and doing motion capture for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, to releasing her 2024 debut EP Gleam and reaching four million listeners on her 2021 single “Jinx” on Spotify (as of March 4), Pappas-Kemps continues to expand her artistic reach.
Now, she embarks on a new chapter with the recent release of her single “Towers” from her upcoming album Winged, which debuts March 13.
The title of the track itself went through several iterations before settling on its final form. “It changed a bunch,” Pappas-Kemps says, “but we settled on Towers because it felt the most natural.”
Choosing the lead single proved more complicated. Pappas-Kemps explains that selecting singles is always difficult because the songs she holds closest to her heart are not necessarily the most marketable. Still, “Towers” ultimately stood out for its lighter tone compared with some of her earlier work. “It came out a bit more fun than my other music,” she says. “Some of my songs are a bit more baring my heart. But this one felt very representative of my light-hearted songwriting.”
Despite her age, Pappas-Kemps demonstrates a maturity beyond her years, creating intimate, gut-wrenching and intense lyricism combined with a musical aesthetic reminiscent of Alanis Morissette or Joni Mitchell. Her music reflects influences from both throwback alternative rock and modern indie rock.
In shaping Winged, one of the greatest challenges she faced was finding the right balance between cohesion and variety. While she had already written the songs, narrowing down the tracklist proved difficult. “I was nervous about cohesion,” she explains. “I really appreciate when albums are cohesive, but I didn’t want the songs to all sound the same.” The challenge came down to choosing which songs best fit the album as a whole. “Being selective was a thing for me, but I’m happy with the track list now.”
Among the artists who have shaped her musical taste are several well-known names as well as musicians she believes deserve wider recognition. Pappas-Kemps points to artists like Madison Cunningham, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Courtney Barnett, Molly Rankin of Alvvays and Dora Jar as some inspirations.
While her lyrics are emotionally raw and vulnerable, the backtrack of “Towers” pairs heartbreak with upbeat instrumentation that almost makes listeners forget the emotional weight beneath the song. The chorus lyric — “you had eyes for another, hand me that flare gun” — reads like a poetic cry for help from someone realizing that the person they love may not love them back. At the same time, the line is carried forward by the up-tempo beat of the drums and the hazy melody of the guitars.
Performing such emotionally charged songs can create powerful moments on stage. Pappas-Kemps says that seeing listeners connect to her music can feel overwhelming, but ultimately rewarding. “I’ve had moments where it feels really intense on stage, seeing people connect to it or crying, and knowing that something I’ve written has touched someone,” she says. “That’s an intense feeling…It’s simultaneously kind of healing as well to be like, ‘yeah, this is something I wrote, I get to sing it, I get to share it.’”
Through songs like “Towers,” Pappas-Kemps continues to transform deeply personal emotion into music that resonates far beyond herself. To learn more about Lia Pappas-Kemps, follow her on Instagram @liapappaskemps or visit her website.
