Lydia Ford

Lydia Ford is a singer-songwriter from Mayo, Ireland. Ford grew up in a musical household - her sister banged out Rachmaninoff every Saturday morning, while car journeys with mom involved a dose of Bruce Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac anthologies. At the age of 9 she picked up the guitar, inspired mainly by her adoration of pop-punk star Avril Lavigne. From there, she began writing and developing her own songs, keeping them private until 2010, when she released her first EP.

Recorded in her bedroom, Ford sold her EP Hearts on Sleeves to friends and teachers after a performance of the debut track at a school concert. From there, she was granted a Music Recording Assistance Award from the local government to record a CD of original music from a real studio. The second EP, Taking Shortcuts, which featured collaborations from a number of Irish musicians was released in 2012, receiving high praise nationally.

Renowned Irish magazine Hot Press described Ford's work as having “all the essentials… bewitching melodies, memorable lyrics and a dynamite hushed delivery,” with a review of the standout track ‘Brave.’ Ford also made the Top 10 ‘Irish Sounds of 2013’ by acclaimed music blogger I Swear I’m Not Paul. "A beautiful way of storytelling meets some warm melodies to create a wonderful new Irish sound on this four track EP. Taking Shortcuts is the debut from the 18-year-old, who calls her music “cheesy love songs.” But it’s so much better than that!"

Since then, Ford has supported Delorentos on their “Bullet In A Gun” Tour and attracted global attention on YouTube, amassing almost 120K views, and fans such as the bands Little May, Imaginary Future, Orla Gartland, Jesse Thomas and Lauren Aquilina. Currently based in New York City, Ford’s music now takes inspiration from her subway rides rather than the green coast of west Ireland. While the pop elements remain, life experiences and her formative twenties has added a more tongue-in-cheek approach to her lyrics. Ford continues to experiment and develop her bedroom productions with synths, strings, and electric guitars.