Lily Zager is ready to debut her song at the piano for Spring Sing this year.
Since childhood, third-year music history and industry student Zager fell in love with music, at first in musical theater and then in the studio – producing and recording her own music – she said. At Spring Sing on May 16, she will perform her piano ballad, “If Only,” a song Zager said she wrote before learning about her Spring Sing performance, and picked for the competition as it’s one of her personal favorites. Zager added that the song reflects on a past relationship where she felt like she was losing parts of herself and did not know how to express it — revealing that when trying to make a relationship work, it is possible to lose yourself in the process.
“It’s a song that I’ve kept to myself for a little bit because I wasn’t ready to showcase it yet,” Zager said. “I feel like this is a perfect opportunity to showcase (it), because it’s a lot of vocal range, I feel like it’s a song that shows off me vocally and it’s very authentic to me. I’m very excited to be able to showcase it.”
Zager said this is her first time performing at Spring Sing, and the first time she will be performing in front of an audience outside of the studio in a while. During the audition process, she said she recreated her childhood bedroom for her callback audition, alluding to the place where most of her songs are written.
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She added that Jack Zager – her brother and an alumnus of UCLA’s music history and industry program – collaborated with her on her first album, “Blackout,” during Lily Zager’s senior year of high school, as part of Jack Zager’s music industry capstone project during his last year at UCLA. Since then, Lily Zager said she has continued to work with her brother and learn about the music business through her major, sharing her acoustic pop sound.
“I love making acoustic pop songs and (being) able to hopefully connect my stories that I’ve experienced throughout my relationships and in my life with other people,” she said. “So I do that through my music, and that was my therapeutic outlet and my way to express myself when I felt like sometimes I couldn’t in words.”
Jack Zager said the collaborative element of their relationship first developed while writing and working on music together during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing his sister as his “greatest collaborator.” He added that when working with Lily Zager, he tries to expand on her song ideas, often rooted in her emotions and relationships, while staying true to her voice as an artist. During their creative process, he said each brings their ideas to workshop together, brainstorming how to expand their original song concepts to be “musically interesting.”
In addition to collaborating with her brother, Lily Zager said she relies on her grandfather’s opinion when writing and producing her music. Her grandfather, Michael Zager, said he has worked in the music industry for a long time, co-founding the rock band Ten Wheel Drive and producing for acts such as The Spinners, Whitney Houston and Herb Albert. Lily Zager said she views her grandfather as “a legend,” often asking him to listen to demos of her songs and provide feedback.
“It’s really nice to have that relationship with my grandfather where I can call him up anytime and he’ll answer,” Lily Zager said. “I’ll play him a song and he’ll tell me, ‘Hey, fix this part’ or ‘Change this chord,’ which is really cool.”
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Michael Zager said his granddaughter is dedicated to her songwriting and artistry and thinks she could keep going for hours on end. He said he thinks she has the voice and drive to have a successful career in the music industry, especially when working with her brother.
Lily Zager’s ability to combine her vocal ability with conveying emotion, similar to artists such as Adele, along with her songwriting skills, is really special, Jack Zager said. Lily Zager said she’s using Spring Sing to debut her upcoming release, “If Only,” which will be released on streaming platforms following her performance. Beyond the song’s release, she said she’s already promoting another future release titled “Half Alive.”
“It’s very true to me, the song, and how excited I am to perform it,” Lily Zager said. “I think that will make it stand out, because I’m so excited to perform the song and for people to hear it.”
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