{"id":4061,"date":"2025-09-08T22:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T22:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/?p=4061"},"modified":"2025-09-15T12:44:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T12:44:01","slug":"lydia-night-isnt-moving-on-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/08\/lydia-night-isnt-moving-on-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Lydia Night Isn't Moving On"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Lydia Night<\/a> is used to being misunderstood. <\/p>\n

Still, that hasn\u2019t stopped her from putting all of her thoughts and feelings \u2014 even at their most honest and messy \u2014 into her songs, even if they will inevitably churn up more ire from the internet.<\/p>\n

Night has been touring and making music since she was just 13 years old and is best known as the former frontwoman of California indie-pop outfit The Regrettes. \u201cThat\u2019s been interesting \u2026 going from child to adult in that same record deal and same band. I was fifteen when I signed,\u201d she tells PAPER<\/em>. T<\/em>he band, which was also comprised of drummer Drew Thomsen, bassist Brooke Dickson, and guitarist Genessa Gariano, parted ways after the release of their third album Furthur Joy.<\/em><\/span> <\/em>So despite making music her entire life, at 24-years-old, releasing her debut album felt like starting over from scratch. <\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t care about talking about it now,” she says of the band’s spit. “I was fifteen years old, Warner found me alone and was like ‘I love the 50 demos you have. I want to sign you and make what you want to make.’ Which is amazing. So I formed a band and it was a gray area. They were all older than me, but I was being told I\u2019m their \u201cboss.\u201d I was a child, so it was very confusing.”<\/p>\n

Released last month, Parody of Pleasure, <\/em>is her first foray in going it alone. The album maintains the same contagious lyrical ethos of Night\u2019s earlier music, but with new stories and perspectives that reflect her shift into young womanhood. The album also signifies a full tilt into pop territory. The 24-year-old singer-songwriter, whose band was known for its punk-rock-pop pursuits, has now embraced the Gwen Stefani, Madonna and Britney Spears she grew up on. Now, she’s telling stories of love and, heartbreak and coming to terms with life itself over delectable pop tracks. <\/p>\n

She worked with producers Adam Henderson and Alexis Kesselman on the album, who pulled out emotion that had her looping between crying, writing and napping. When she finished the hyperpop inspired track, \u201cArt Sucks,\u201d she\u2019d been working on her debut without even realizing it yet. In \u201cGutter\u201d she writes playfully about the \u201ccherry lips\u201d of a girl she\u2019s obsessed with. On \u201cPity Party,\u201d the track the album\u2019s title is lifted from, she digs into self questioning and eternal yearning. She performs it at her release show at Baby’s All Right and the crowd sings every word \u2014 bouncing and dancing to self reflections that were once safely between Night and her co-creatives.<\/p>\n

Following her sold-out New York City release show, PAPER<\/em> caught up with Night over wine and cheese in the Lower East Side where she got candid about writing about her famous ex, why The Regrettes broke up, and how she pushes against imposter syndrome to embrace the younger version of herself who had no doubt she\u2019d make it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve invested this much time, this much effort, this much money, this much strife in my life [into music],\u201d she says. \u201cIf I\u2019m going to stop, that\u2019s a disservice. Remembering people who come up to me at a show and remind me how important I am to them, that\u2019s enough. Of course, I don\u2019t think I\u2019m saving lives, but in those moments, you get reminded. If I can keep doing this and they like it who cares about the other shit? Not everyone can do this. It\u2019s a superpower. This is my superpower.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s talk your debut, <\/strong>Parody of Pleasure. <\/em><\/strong><\/em>I love talking to artists after the album is out because you get to be an observer and the person who created it. What does it feel like to be on the other side of the album release? Having played two sold-out shows, hearing fans sing your words back to you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That is the biggest high in the world. It\u2019s also met with the biggest crashes and biggest lows. Today I had such a weird day where I woke up and was like, \u201cAm I bad at what I do?\u201d I think that just a natural thing of, \u201cThis is out there and now I have to own it.\u201d I do own it and I\u2019m proud at my core but there\u2019s also obviously a part of me … let\u2019s just get into my biggest trauma [Laughs<\/em>]. The biggest thing I have to work on with my therapist is my own sense of self-trust, so with putting art out into the world, it\u2019s like \u201cThis is great. I believe in this. I believe in this.\u201d Then you put it out and that\u2019s the easiest trigger to be like \u201cOh wait, am I missing something?\u201d Am I not seeing it? Am I not hearing it how other people hear it? But also at the end of the day, it\u2019s all perspective. Today I woke up, and I must have had a bad dream because when I wake up after a bad dream, I\u2019m just in a weird ass mood. But then I wrote a song that I\u2019m really proud of. <\/p>\n

Can we talk about the new song?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. I\u2019m going into the studio a bunch while I\u2019m in New York with Alexis Kesselman who I made the majority of the album with. I was really concerned, I almost cancelled today because I was off and feeling weird about making art. I was like, \u201cHow am I going to go in and make something new when I\u2019m reading comments and letting in other opinions?\u201d I\u2019m not going to make something I\u2019m proud of. I needed to shake it off or go on a long walk … which I did. So I went in today and we\u2019re working now on some songs for the deluxe album. I\u2019m really proud of what we wrote. I\u2019ll play it for you after. We thought we were going to go in a more dark pop direction, and the songs are very sweet, which I\u2019m very into.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk more about putting your music out into the world and going from sharing it with people that you trust and who trust you and your artistic direction, to having to hear from everyone who has a streaming service and doesn\u2019t know you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, but they think they do.<\/p>\n

They think they do. And they can compare you and your music to other artists who were not around when you started making the songs that you made. I know you\u2019ve been writing songs since you were really young. So even when someone\u2019s like \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to compare this to Chappell Roan,\u201d it\u2019s like you can\u2019t, <\/strong>really<\/em><\/strong><\/em>. Because you\u2019ve had the seeds of these songs forever, they didn\u2019t just start last year.<\/strong><\/p>\n

People forget that you don\u2019t write a song and immediately release it. They forget that intermittent, in-between period. Like this could\u2019ve been written years ago. This is my first solo record, so I think people forget that.<\/p>\n

I can complain on your behalf because the first time I wrote about The Regrettes was in 2018, when you were just 17 or 18. I remember loving the band, but also specifically loving your songwriting. And it\u2019s still happening. What do you think people misunderstand about you? Because I\u2019m sure it happens in life, too, not just in your music.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So much. People think I\u2019m really confident, and that\u2019s not to say I\u2019m not confident, but I think they think it overpowers a lot. People assume that because I\u2019m bold and have been raised in a way to be strong-willed, forward, and social, that the idea of me experiencing social anxiety is very foreign. Those things aren\u2019t mutually exclusive. You can get pretty creative in the ways that you don\u2019t like yourself. And I do that. People are like \u201cShe must feel so good all the time. She\u2019s so happy all the time.\u201d I think it\u2019s a common thing with people in the public eye. I also think I get so much shit for my ex and talking about my ex and poking the bear and rage baiting. The \u201cGirl, move on\u201d comment is one I get pretty regularly.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never moved on from anything. <\/strong><\/p>\n

First off, no one moves on from shit. Secondly, the context of a four-year relationship that people don\u2019t know details about, except for song lyrics. People take song lyrics like they\u2019re the bible, by the way. They think every lyric has meaning. But you have to be artistic and stretch things and give meaning to things or leave out things. It\u2019s Twitter … I don\u2019t know how people actually feel. But to read comments that are about that is interesting to me. At the same time, I get it. I rage bait and shit. I poke the bear, because it\u2019s funny. But sometimes it\u2019s not funny. It\u2019s a weird, weird time to be marketing yourself. That\u2019s a big thing. <\/p>\n

I have a hard time with anybody being critical of someone for sharing how they actually feel. I\u2019m like, \u201cAre these people not living their lives?\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you not get hurt? Do you not get jealous? I am not claiming to handle things, or a breakup, perfectly and if you\u2019re out hear claiming that you do that, please send me tips.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Send us your newsletter. We\u2019d like to subscribe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Please! I\u2019m a 24-year-old girl trying my best. At the same time, I get the criticism. I am kind of incentivizing or playing into things and asking for it a bit, then complaining about it, which is annoying. But on the other side of the coin, I think it\u2019s valid. I have feelings. I\u2019m talking about them on my first album. It was really intense for me. I think I handled everything like a champ. <\/p>\n

I have girlfriends who I feel like I\u2019ve beaten so many dead horses with. <\/strong>When we see it in an art form, our brains go \u201cWe\u2019re being sold something.\u201d We think it\u2019s a TikToker sharing a storytime. It\u2019s not a storytime.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fucking record. What am I supposed to do, not talk about one of the most traumatic periods of my life? What the fuck? I mean The Beatles \u2014<\/p>\n

They were writing about shit that happened. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Before social media, there was more respect for artists. I think there was distance and mystery which now hardly exists. You know who has it really good, who I\u2019m jealous of and would like to act like? Lots of rappers. They have relationships to their teams and public where they really run the show and can post once and have a cult following. They don\u2019t have to follow the rules. I look at that and I’m like, \u201cGoddamn, that\u2019s so cool.\u201d I hope to bring that to my art one day. But right now, I\u2019m at a place where it doesn\u2019t make sense yet for me.<\/p>\n

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I get so much shit for my ex and talking about my ex and poking the bear and rage baiting. The \u201cGirl, move on\u201d comment is one I get pretty regularly.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Speaking of social media, you\u2019ve been vlogging your touring and creative process with your<\/strong> \u2018Pop or Flop\u2019 series<\/strong><\/u><\/a>. What has been hard, challenging, fun and interesting about making those videos?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I really went into this album super nervous about ideas that come from outside people. I work with a lot of people. To be a technically debuting artist who already has a set of so many people working with me and expectations is really weird and hard. I had to do a lot of work to separate from that. The way I started the record was by lying to everyone and telling them I\u2019m taking a break. Then I went and made some music because I needed everyone to look away so I could make what I wanted.<\/p>\n

Who knew that you were making music? <\/strong><\/p>\n

No one except Adam and I. It started with just me and Adam [Henderson]. That process allowed me to look at it and be like, \u201cOk, I already know that they\u2019re going to have a lot of ideas.\u201d Because I had seen it at the end of The Regrettes. There were lots of trends and ways to promote that record labels look at because they work for lots of people. I wanted to create something and let people into this world, even if it was a small number of people. How do I share the truth and be authentic in this state of the world and music industry? So I presented this idea of, instead of putting out BTS videos later on, presenting how I was feeling in real time. <\/p>\n

<\/span>I think that\u2019s so interesting to me and makes me feel better about what I\u2019m doing. Showing vulnerability in that way \u2026 showing how you shoot an album cover or telling them \u201cI feel weird about putting out this album. I feel weird about this relationship.\u201d That\u2019s the truth and that\u2019s what\u2019s funny too. A lot of people come at me on the internet and don\u2019t know that I\u2019ve already said it. Trust me, I\u2019ve clocked it. I know my shitty tendencies and patterns. So that\u2019s where the vlog series was born. I was thinking about how to market myself in a way that feels fun and authentic. <\/p>\n

<\/span>Then Drew Thomsen, my drummer and best friend, he got into videography and editing and all this shit during COVID. He wanted to do all this fun stuff and I loved how he was editing these things for fun that we were making. Drew also acts like my brother. I was going over to my dad\u2019s, getting rid of stuff and we found this old camera. My dad was like, \u201cDrew should take it.\u201d And Drew took the camera, so that\u2019s how we\u2019ve been shooting everything. It\u2019s the same camera my dad took my baby videos on. It was very full circle and very real. I\u2019m trying to keep every piece of what I do close to home. [But] it makes it hurt more when people don\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n

<\/span>I can see that feeling more personal. You\u2019ve been making music your whole life. You had all these expectations externally. What were the expectations like internally?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest thing was knowing I had to lock back into younger Lydia. Younger Lydia was a delulu<\/em> queen who never doubted the fact that I\u2019d make it. I never doubted it. Why not me? I work hard. I\u2019m talented. I\u2019m a good person. I have good karma, why not? Then you deal with all this shit and start believing you don\u2019t deserve it. I got imposter syndrome. Am I missing something? It freaks me the fuck out. Making this record, I wanted to start with the baby steps of it. This was me saying I\u2019m taking a break after the last Regrettes shows. I was sitting in my apartment, it was the first time I was supporting myself fully. I had been living with my boyfriend for four years, and was now paying for my own apartment. We shared animals, everything. It was insane. I was finally feeling this real sense of independence. I was living by myself, I took our cats, I was mama. <\/p>\n

I fell in love with Adam, who was my best friend, for a year. He knew my ex too. And there was never anything weird. We love and respect each other as friends. Because that layer was built, we started dating. Right before the last Regrettes shows around November of that year. Going into January, we had built this relationship that was really fun and different from anything I\u2019d experienced. I started writing these songs from my couch. That\u2019s how I started. \u201cArt Sucks\u201d was the first. I wrote a guitar demo and sent it to him. I was like \u201cI think this is good.\u201d And I trust his opinion. He has a solo project that he\u2019s finally putting out. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s a secretly crazy good producer and I believe in him so much. I had done so many sessions in the past and had no idea who was going to make this record. There was no intention, but this was my best friend, this was my boyfriend, this was the only person I wanted to send a song to about hating my career. I\u2019m not gonna share this with anyone else. He was like \u201cCome over, let\u2019s track it.\u201d We tracked some vocals and guitar, I went to sleep, and I wake up and he\u2019s like \u201cI worked on this till 4 AM.\u201d It was insane. That song, the production, the whole vibe is insane. It\u2019s super hyperpop. It was everything I explained to him as to where I thought it could go. It was that brain chemistry of \u201cYou get it. You get this.\u201d It was so different from anything I had made. I was like \u201cLet\u2019s do another one.\u201d We wrote so many songs and I kept camping at his place. It was so fun. I went into my sessions with Alexis so hard. I\u2019d cry. I’d work work work and record, then finish and be like \u201cI need a nap.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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People take song lyrics like they\u2019re the bible, by the way. They think every lyric has meaning.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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