Q&A: Lily Williams Releases Debut Project ‘How The Story Ends’ for When the World is Falling Apart
A LOT CAN CHANGE IN TWO YEARS — For British-born, Southern California–based artist Lily Williams, change came in the form of a character arc. Chronicled in her debut project, How The Story Ends, Williams shares 10 songs chronicling the serendipitous moments that happen between falling in love to falling out of love. Within the cinematic tracklist lie references to her life and the life stories of her closest friends. The record captures the feeling of being a young 20-something trying to process emotions on her own for the first time: heartbreak, grief, loss, embarrassment, love, and anxiety about the future.
When she began writing the songs, Williams had no idea that the story of How The Story Ends would unfold in the way it did. Taking inspiration from musical influences spanning classic Disney scores to Sara Bareilles, Williams narrates life as it passes by and candidly explores her emotions with a rich openness. In doing so, her heartbreakingly beautiful songwriting navigates through the real and unavoidable challenges of young love and the miscommunication that comes with it. Reminiscent of a sentimental indie short film, each track plays an important role in telling the story of growing up, finding a lover, and eventually growing apart.
Memories of who she once was linger in Williams’ vivid lyricism and transportive melodies. In essence, she seamlessly illustrates her most intimate moments of swimming through the unknown and trying to find a life raft in order to get to a place of peace. Complimented by the allure of her lullaby-like vocals and conscientious instrumental placement in production, Williams allows herself the space to feel the full range of human emotions, accept that they appear in her life, and miraculously let them go.
The poeticism of How The Story Ends is not lost in the heaviness of its songs. In fact, it alludes to the hidden kindness we might not always see in life — that even when everything feels like it's falling apart, there's always a little hope left to find. As Williams talks about in her songwriting, when you stop worrying about tomorrow, you can live in the moment and experience the wholeness of existing in a place of gratitude realized.
Stream How The Story Ends wherever you get your music and read below to learn more about how Williams created the album, how she’s navigated the healing process, and how she prioritizes the important things in her life.
Photo by Graci Burdick
LUNA: What was it like working on the 10 songs for your debut, How The Story Ends, over the course of two years?
WILLIAMS: Oh my gosh, it was a lengthy process … it started two years ago during the middle of the pandemic. So much in my life changed in those past two years that I honestly had no idea how this project was going to evolve. It came together so beautifully and perfectly — like it was always meant to be. I really feel that, and every single song makes so much sense in it. Each track was written in a different way. Some were authored from my perspective of being super in love, and some were written from that fear of moving out to LA, the discomfort of being a 20-something paving my own future.
There’s so much on the record, and all the songs mean something special to me. What I love about it the most is how the songs tell this one cohesive story, which honestly I didn't plan. I had no idea which songs were going to be on the project, so I was in awe of this at first. And it does have this one recurring theme of moving forward, and I think that's because it came to me in the place of life I was in. So even though it’s seeped into reality subconsciously — into all the songs — this [is the] feeling [of] being in your twenties, being afraid of what’s next and not wanting things to change, but also not wanting to be stuck is a common thread throughout.
LUNA: Thanks for sharing that! I know we have listeners who will be able to relate to that. On the note of how musically inclined you are: How does being a singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist impact your point of view about the world around you?
WILLIAMS: It's honestly so fun to think about. I know it's so cliche, but music is how I express the hard things that I'm going through, how I process those emotions, or take note of the incredible things that happen to me. And when I'm understanding something new, putting it into a song is how I do that. I have a unique point of view and story that I must tell and I can do that with my lyrics and compositions.
I love to play piano, which plays a big part in that. I wrote my first song ever on the piano when someone close to my family passed away. I wrote it when I was a 10-year-old needing to express my deep emotions. I wasn’t sure how to do that so I turned to songwriting. And I continue to do even up until this point, but now it's not only just my stories I’m telling but the stories of my friends or from films I love and books I read … anything that inspires me and makes me feel deeply.
LUNA: Your point of view is awesome. Sharing how you evolved from 10-year-old Lily to where you are now is a story that’s so relatable and human. Mental health topics are cool to talk about, and your vulnerability is great to see. You touched upon working on this debut during the early days of the pandemic when you moved from the Berklee College of Music in Boston back to your small town outside of London. You mentioned how that's when you started writing this project. What moments influenced you to begin working on it?
WILLIAMS: Funnily enough, when I started working on it I didn't even feel I was working towards this big project at all. It honestly came from that feeling of "Oh my gosh, I'm stuck again and something needs to change.” I was at a point where I needed to write about something to get myself through it. And so this project organically began. The one song that really reminds me of 2020 is “A Little Good Left,” which is the last track on the record. For that song, I woke up one morning and England had just announced it was going into another lockdown, and this was at the end of 2020.
“Really, another lockdown,” I thought, and then I pivoted. I was just like, “Okay Lily, let’s make a list of things that are still good even if I'm in a lockdown and everything is falling apart.” And I wrote that list on my Notes app: coffee, Sunday mornings, falling asleep, the rain, and bakeries. I thought, “You know, even if I can only order pick-up from the bakery I still feel so much joy from getting baked goods.” And doing that did something for me. I went to my piano and the words came out so fast and it all started with that list of things that were still good, even in uncertainty. That song takes me back to those earlier days in the pandemic. Starting from there, the whole project grew and evolved into something I couldn't have ever imagined. And from where I’m sitting now, I'm so grateful. I feel it all fell into place at the right time.
LUNA: It's a beautiful piece of your heart on a page. And shoutout to your “good things when the world is falling apart” list for helping you through. On the note of grounding yourself during changing times, I want to talk about the common denominator in your music, which is finding peace. How have you navigated that road toward healing with this track list?
WILLIAMS: I love that question. I didn't realize that all these songs talked about restlessness, “stuckness,” and anxiety in some way until someone on my team pointed it out to me. It makes so much sense because the last two years of my life have been both amazing and unsettling. I underwent a lot of changes that came through in the songs and it’s nice to look back at them now and to feel more settled. This project reflects who I’ve been and it tracks my journey as I’ve gained more confidence and trust in my process. I’ve come to realize that things work out how they're going to work out.
When it comes down to it, everything is usually okay and we make it through. One song that I love that originally wasn't on the project but counteracts my feelings of anxiety is “July.” It’s only on the tracklist because people around me loved it. At first I wasn’t going to release it but then I started thinking of the songs that made me feel peaceful or reminded me that everything's going to be okay, and I thought, “Why wouldn’t I share this song with the world?” It’s one of my favorite songs on the project since it perfectly ties into that dream of wanting to feel peace but [instead] feeling anxiety. It gives a sense of balance that counteracts the debut’s feeling of restlessness. It almost speaks to the anxiety saying, “It's okay, you can stop.” It's a gentle reminder to myself to let myself be in the moment, and that’s the goal really, to just be living in the moment and enjoying each moment as it comes.
LUNA: That’s powerful — anxiety can be an overwhelming force. I can imagine how having one thing to hold on to and say that to yourself is grounding. You write songs from your personal experiences. When it comes to songwriting, what would you say are the most challenging types of lyrics for you to translate from your thoughts to a page?
WILLIAMS: Honestly, it's hard for me to write happy songs. I think it's so easygoing into that “sad girl mode” and feeling the world around me rain outside even when it’s sunny. I make myself the main character of a movie when I'm in that mode. But when I'm writing a song about being in love, feeling peaceful, or finding joy in something it's hard to put those feelings into words. I want my lyrics to not come off as cliche, or cheesy. So, those happier songs have been some of the most challenging, yet rewarding to write and sometimes they come out of the blue. And there’s a part of me that feels that’s the recipe for a happy love song. I remember being in my apartment and wanting to write a song about what I was feeling. I was sitting on the floor because we had no furniture and we only had a piano from Facebook Marketplace and was like, “Okay, I'm going to write a song about sitting here right now, having no furniture and still feeling happy. We have an apartment space that is amazing.” Writing about that pure feeling was nice. And sometimes I think that when I go into a session coming up with those happy songs is harder. It’s not easy to figure out how I want to tell a story outside of that “sad girl” mentality that I go to by default.
LUNA: I'm meeting you right there — I’m the same way with “sad girl” music. And I'm glad I asked you that because I feel more connected to your songwriting now. I have to say, I love the way your brain works.
WILLIAMS: Thank you!
LUNA: You've mentioned you didn't know how this record’s story would unfold because you wanted to capture candid moments to inspire your lyricism. What was that process of making songs as you went? Since the debut is not all autobiographical, what things inspired you?
WILLIAMS: Yeah, not all the tracks are autobiographical, which was risky. We only added the last song about a month ago and I gave everyone at the label a heart attack. I need the track on the record. I wrote it around the time when one of my best friends went through a hard breakup. I stayed with her that night and went into a recording session straight after. All I could think about during the session was the heartbreak she was experiencing. And so I wrote a song about her heartbreak because I felt it so much. What she was going through was so real to me, because when my best friends are going through something I go through it too; we were grieving her relationship together.
I asked her permission to share that story and she was all for it. Other than that, I love taking inspiration from poetry and reading. I ask myself, “What did I love about this story?” My life isn’t interesting enough to write a million songs about, and there’s always interesting people and things around me that resonate with me. Being part of something bigger than me takes that pressure off. I don’t live this crazy life where I’m always doing something, but someone out there is probably doing something worth writing about.
LUNA: You’re an empathetic human being for writing a song about that experience with your friend. I bet it did something for your friend, and from what I’ve noticed that’s the giving person you are. After narrating this collection of songs as life passed you by, what are some things that you learned about yourself that you might not have known going into this project?
WILLIAMS: Good question! I learned to let go because this record wasn’t planned. I originally thought it was going to be four tracks and it turned out as this 10-song debut project. If I'd had it my way it would have come out in 2021 with five songs. But in the beginning of 2022 people started interacting with my music online and that changed the shape of the project. Different songs were added and taken away, and in the end it became this beautiful, cohesive story. I didn't really have a lot of control over it, but at the same time it showed me to trust that everything is going to work out how it's supposed to. The way everything’s turned out is better than I could’ve ever imagined. I never thought I would be signed over to Atlantic Records or have a lot of people listen to my music. If you'd told me that when I started writing the project, I just wouldn't have believed you. It’s taught me to let go of being a control freak so that I step back and let things happen. It’s been a chaotic and stressful journey, and it's also been amazing.
LUNA: I’m a believer that existing as your true self is enough, and you're existing in a cool way that follows your passion. Excellent job in living your truth! I feel that I was meant to talk to you today because letting things happen and flow is a great reminder to have. Going off your comment about social media, in what ways would say having an Instagram and TikTok presence have played a part in sharing your story with a wider audience?
WILLIAMS: Oh my gosh. It's changed my whole journey because I'm so grateful for everyone who is for everyone who shares a comment or a story about how one of my song’s has touched them. It never gets old, and I'm always taken by the positive reception to my music online. I moved to LA to be a songwriter. My goal was to write songs for other people, and I spent an entire year hustling and by the end really burnt out.
At the beginning of 2022 I started to gain a following, and it gave me the confidence to see myself as an artist. I didn't have that before, so I thought, “I can do this.” Having all those people encourage me and tell me how a song has affected them lead me on the path to becoming an artist. Having that online interaction changed my narrative and I’m thankful for it.
LUNA: You deserve all the recognition you’re getting. Those interactions are motivating. I have a theory, personally, that songwriters make the best musicians and artists. I'm a big Julia Michaels fan, and I see that energy with you.
WILLIAMS: Wow, thank you! She’s such an inspiration to me. What she does in the writing room is amazing.
LUNA: That’s beautiful. I love to see strong women supporting other women. More on the record, let’s readers take one thing away from how the debut ends. What do you want them to take away when they reach the closing chapter of its story?
WILLIAMS: The record is one story that comes together in unexpected ways, similar to how our life stories do. It walks through the stages of a relationship: having a crush, being in love, the relationship falling apart, and then ending in heartbreak. For me, the last two songs provide hope with the idea that we do get some say in how the story ends. They say that even if we can't control everything that happens to us, we get the control to say, “Okay, despite my situation and despite everything that's going on, I can choose to see the good that’s left in the world.”
In hindsight, everything is much easier and better than it feels at the moment. We always look back and say, “Oh, why was I so worried or stressed out, or why did I feel like it was the end of the world?” I want readers to take away that, no matter what happens, there's always a little bit of good left to to hold on to. It’s the idea that even in the hardest of heartbreaks you're going to make it through. And I want to validate that even though this record ends in heartbreak, there’s still hope at the end and the world keeps on spinning.
LUNA: That's a wonderful way to put it, especially for young people dealing with a broken heart. Being able to look that experience in the mirror and put it into words is a gift. As a creative human, what perspective are you taking into this next era of your life now that your story has a chance to begin again?
WILLIAMS: My word for this year was “gratitude.” For me, there’s so much power in being thankful for even the smallest things and celebrating them as they come. I'm someone who feels embarrassed to celebrate my wins sometimes, and this record made me realize that I should celebrate even the smallest victories. Personally, when I give myself that space to celebrate, it takes power away from anxiety and negativity. I’ve found so much power in celebrating little moments of happiness and finding gratitude in the important things that happen. I'm trying to do that more to lessen the power of anxiety in my life and improve the power of celebration and gratitude.
LUNA: As a human who deals with anxiety myself, I'm going to ride that train with you. On the note of anxiety, what helps you be there for yourself and move forward when everything around you feels like it’s you caving in?
WILLIAMS: That’s such a good question. For me, it's about prioritizing the important things in my life, and sometimes I mess my priorities up. I enjoy taking the time to sit down and pray or read in the morning to ground myself before the craziness of life sets in. Reminding myself that the world isn't ending, taking a deep breath, and going outside is healing. Getting my skin into the outdoors and thinking about how big the universe is and how many more days I have left works for me. And honestly, telling someone does too.
Sometimes having that support system around me and texting someone, “Hey, I'm having a difficult day. Can you call? Can you be thinking of me?” or whatever. It's hard to be open and vulnerable, but there’s so much power in vulnerability too, and I think that's the same with music. The more honest I am with my songs, the more people relate to them, and I realize I’m not alone and we all go through difficult things in life. There’s so many emotions — especially anxiety — that everyone experiences on some level and knowing I’m not alone and I have a support system around me is important.
LUNA: I love your vulnerability. You put your heart on your sleeve in your music and that’s why people connect with you. Before we go, here’s a fun one for you: Is there something you wish you were asked in interviews? If so, what is it and how would you answer it?
WILLIAMS: Oh my gosh, that's such a good question! I need to think about that one… I can't think of original ones but someone once asked me, “If you could describe your music as a drink, what would it be?” I love that question because the project has such a cozy feeling, even though there's heartbreak. It’s driving in your car in the morning or just getting out of bed to journal. It feels old like a latte, because that's my drink right now, and hot because it's cold in LA right now. I love the idea of imagining my music in another creative way like that, so that [question].
LUNA: What a great question. I will be asking that to the next person! That’s all I have for you; thank you for showing up so honestly and kindly today. This was a pleasure.
WILLIAMS: Thank you so much too! I value your time. Have a great rest of your day.
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