Contributor Biography
In 2009, Lily received a Gemini nomination for the score, which she co-wrote, of the hit TV show Being Erica. Lily also co-wrote the theme song, "Everything I Ever Wanted to Be."
(She will be appearing, as herself, in a second-season episode, and you know you've turned a certain corner, fame-wise, when you appear "as yourself" in anything.)
To support the release of Lily Swings, she toured all over Canada with her western swing band (called The Debonairs in honour of the late great Canadian underground legend Ray Condo), performing songs from the repertoire of Billie Holiday, to packed houses and standing ovations everywhere.
2009 also saw Lily expand her fan-base in France, embarking with a four-piece band on two sold-out tours in a year, drawing praise from French critics for her "mastery of ambiance," her "wide palette of emotion," and the powerful singing voice and strong personality of a woman who clearly "knows where she's going."
Her last album, Cinemagique, also won rave reviews in France. Liberation praised the "alchemy, kaleidoscopic vision … and superb voice of Lily Frost." Comme Ca concurred, saying "this excellent album … shines with sensuality and charm."
In the course of this eventful year, Lily and Jose (her collaborator and husband) poured their heart and souls into the making of her new disc, Viridian Torch – Lily's sixth solo disc.
Viridian Torch is a departure for Lily. Since her early days in The Colorifics, we were used to thinking of Lily as a creature of the urban landscape, of the night, a torch singer and chanteuse in the Julie London tradition, whose sultry singing is best imagined soaring above the smoke of some dimly lit nightclub or speakeasy.
But for inspiration, this time, Lily has tapped into the wilderness of Canada, of ancient trees, terrifying electric storms, irritating insects, and romance with the land, as expressed in French poetry – specifically, a corner of Lake Huron her family has called its own for three generations.
