Lyla DiPaul has only ever had one dream; to sing and to play guitar. In 4th grade, when her older brother began to teach her to pick out songs by Taylor Swift and Green Day, Lyla knew she was hooked. Inspired and indulged by the artsy DC suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland, where she grew up, Lyla began performing original music at local festivals by the time she was 11 years old.
 

Although passionate about songwriting, Lyla felt hesitant to pursue a career in music. A mostly self-taught musician, Lyla recalls feeling like she wasn’t good enough to make her dream a reality. It wasn’t until she entered college at Loyola University New Orleans that Lyla found confidence. “I was scared that I didn’t have enough experience or understanding of music theory to really take the leap. When I arrived at school I was all set to study Environmental Science. Very quickly I noticed the number of people around me who were boldly pursuing their dreams.” By her second semester, Lyla had switched her major, recruited a band, and released her first single. 

 

Since then, Lyla DiPaul has been discovering what it means to survive as an independent musician. She knows that the only way to make it is to form a community of creative and determined people to help you along the way. Her new EP, Something To Lose, is a perfect example of getting by with a little help from your friends. Recorded entirely at her close friend and collaborator Riley English’s home studio, each song on the record came together like pieces of a puzzle. What started as an idea to make a stripped-back acoustic record became a 9 month journey to find the perfect sound. The two musicians slowly began inviting friends to lend their musical talents on everything from drums to violin. One by one, the songs came to life. When they finished recording, they knew they had created something special. Something To Lose features stories from the last four years of Lyla’s life. Stories that she hopes people can connect with and perhaps even find themselves in.