Checking In With… Lilly Hiatt

In times of crisis, it’s more important than ever to check in on your friends and loved ones. Here at XPN, we’re Checking In With our extended musical family to see how they’re holding up during the Coronavirus quarantine…and what music has kept them grounded. Today, Dan Reed chats with Lilly Hiatt.

Lilly Hiatt is a Nashville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter and guitarist whose fourth album, Walking Proof, comes out this Friday, March 27th on New West Records. Just a few dates into a U.S. run leading up to the album release, Hiatt had to cancel the tour — 45 shows in total — as the Coronavirus pandemic escalated. “We spent months mapping tour out, and we’ve had to adapt and change it. … It hurts, but I understand that my issues are pretty minor in the scheme of things” 

Below, listen to Lilly’s full Checking In chat with Dan Reed, and peruse her music picks.

Favorite Song of All Time: “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” by Otis Redding

“He definitely spans all of the arc of emotions, and one of my favorite singers of all time.”

Song that Raises Your Spirits: “Joy” by Lucinda Williams

“I think I’m comforted by the autonomy there. ‘I don’t need this, it takes my joy away.’ To me that song is saying I have joy, I’ve already got that, so reclaiming it is so empowering. And I love the way she sings it, the stomp of the song — it always makes me feel like it’s gonna be okay.”

Song You’re Most Proud of Working On: “Some Kind of Drug” by Lilly Hiatt

“The evening before I wrote it I’d met a cool guy named Corey. I was with my sister, Corey lived on the street and he didn’t know how old he was. The song spun from there, but it was one of those songs I didn’t even feel like I wrote it, it just happened. That’s not always the case, and when it is, it’s special.”