Lily Rose Is 'Stoked' to Perform to Her Largest Crowd Ever at Stagecoach: 'It's Just So Massive'
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John Shearer Lily Rose
Lily Rose has been going non-stop — and won't be slowing down anytime soon.
In the midst of touring with the likes of Sam Hunt, Chris Lane and soon, Dylan Scott, the rising country singer-songwriter is about to accomplish a milestone performance at the 2023 Stagecoach Festival during the weekend of April 28-30 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. (Festival passes go on sale Friday at 7 a.m. EST here.)
Coming up as a performer at local venues, first in Atlanta and then Nashville, the Georgia native signed to Big Loud, Back Blocks Music and Republic Records after garnering viral TikTok fame early last year with her debut single "Villain," released in December 2020. Since then, Rose released her debut project Stronger Than I Am and toured regularly in both opening slots, headlining shows and festival sets.
After years of grinding at open mic nights, playing unique combinations of covers and original songs, Rose, 29, told PEOPLE last year that she was looking forward to "the consistency" of crafting a show and perfecting it night after night on tour. Now, she's been doing exactly that — and still enjoys the repetition, which she views as an opportunity for connection and growth.
"I still love the lather, rinse, repeat of it all," Rose tells PEOPLE. "After a three-day run, Monday hits, and I still want that fourth night. It's a drug for me in a sense, and I'm still loving it and feeling a high from it all."
Rose recently sat down with PEOPLE to discuss her Stagecoach 2023 performance, upcoming music and preparing for her March 2023 wedding to fiancée Daira Eamon.
Less than two years after signing your record deal, how does it feel to be on the Stagecoach 2023 lineup alongside superstar headliners like Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton?
I mean, crazy. It is definitely one of those festivals that, before you sign a record deal, you don't really know the ins and outs of all the major festivals and things you're going to be filling up your summer with in the country music scene — but you know about Stagecoach. It's just so massive, and I know it's coming off of those two weekends in a row of Coachella. I can only imagine there's something in the air when you get there — besides dust, but I'm so stoked. I've just heard so many good things about it, and I'm really excited.
As more LGBTQ+ country musicians have become open about their identities, the Stagecoach lineup has featured more members of the community every single year. Last year, they had Orville Peck and Brothers Osborne play, and Brandi Carlile was on the lineup until she got COVID. How does it feel to be a part of that kind of representation on such a huge stage?
It always feels great for me. I definitely know over on the West Coast, there's just a lot more open arms and embracing and everything, especially with the country music fans. I'm always grateful to be invited, whether as a member of the country music community or the LGBTQ community. And it's just cool. There are a lot of people out there that have been waiting to see people that look like them, sound like them and talk like them on stage singing songs. I'm proud to be able to represent those people.
Around 80,000 people attend Stagecoach each year. Have you ever played to a crowd that size before? How do you anticipate that feeling?
Hell no! I've never played anywhere close to that. I think the biggest festival I played is Faster Horses, but I was on the B-stage, and that was 45,000 people. So, to know that many people are admitted into the festival, that is wild. I'm excited for it. I'm grateful. I think I'm on the main stage. I don't know who's letting me do that. Dang, as you can tell, I was not aware that it was that many people, so that's crazy.
Lily Rose
But you've obviously been getting a little bit of preparation out on the road, playing shows with Chris Lane and Sam Hunt. After years of grinding in Atlanta and Nashville, what have you learned from touring alongside those musicians?
I'm trying to be a sponge right now. Even though I've been touring for about 10 years and writing songs for 15, doing it at this level is a completely different thing. It really is going from — not zero to a hundred, but 10 to a hundred really quick. I learned a lot of really great on-stage energy things from Chris in the three months we were on tour with him. Being on tour with Sam Hunt, I've just learned how a trickle-down effect really works when you own a company, and he's so kind to everybody that works for him. I want to be that kind of boss too, that's really present and out in front of everyone, even if I'm the biggest star in country music.
It's been really cool, and all of it has been great prep for opportunities like Stagecoach. There are a lot of moments, when you're in my position as an artist and a performer, that people aren't going to know who you are. And there's a lot of opportunity to get new fans every single night as opposed to holding onto the current fans. So, that's what this year has mainly taught me, and 80,000 — I'll take them if they want to hop on board.
You told PEOPLE last year that you were looking forward to "the consistency" of creating a show and performing it repeatedly on tour. But you joked that we need to check back in with you in a few months, so how have you felt about that element of touring? Do you find yourself wanting to switch up your set list?
Dude, I did say that so much, and I'm so glad you checked in. I still love the lather, rinse, repeat of it all. I, for so many years, would play one show in Atlanta [for] 200 people, and I woke up the next morning [and] kind of had a depression. My dad was like, "How are you feeling? Are you still on cloud nine?" I'm always like, "No, I want to do it again tonight." And I'm finally getting that opportunity.
After a three-day run, Monday hits, and I still want that fourth night. It's a drug for me, in a sense. I'm still loving it and feeling a high from it all. I've learned more as I get to do something, and if I screw it up night one, I have the opportunity on nights two and three to improve. That's been really helpful for us as a band. We've never felt tighter as a band and as a traveling crew. It's something that I really don't take for granted, because I went so many years just dying to do this, and I'm really grateful. I'm tired, but I'm really grateful.
Last year saw the release of your debut project, Stronger Than I Am, and you've since dropped "I'd Be You" and "In My Drinks." Are these songs leading up to a larger project?
Yeah. We have been touring so much. I've written less in the last few months than I have in my whole career, it feels like. Ideally, we'd love to head towards project number two, whatever it is. As of right now, we're in single land. We're just going to keep trying to write, record, release. Write, record, release. We might be releasing a couple more songs in this calendar year, so keep your eyes peeled. I wish we had a release date, so I could give it to you. But as of right now, we just know that we're releasing more songs.
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Shortly after Stronger Than I Am came out, you and Daira announced your engagement. How has engaged life been?
It has been so fun. We did a really long engagement of a year and a half because we knew the touring of 2022 [was] going to be insane. We're getting married in March of 2023, and we feel like we're in crunch time right now. We're actually locking in the DJ and locking in all the stereotypical things, so we're in the thick of it. She actually just left to go to some wedding appointment. I have a music video all day today, but she's handling a lot of it. She's a superhero.
When it comes to planning the big day, what parts of the process are you in charge of, and what elements are you leaving up to Daira?
Yeah, I'm super type-A, Excel spreadsheet nerd. I love that stuff, so when it came to the guest list... You know how it goes. You have the gray area of, like, "OK, if these people say 'No,' then these people get to come," and all that. I'm super stoked to make the seating chart. I wish I could do it right now, but it's something you're supposed to do a month out, I guess. I handle a lot of the logistical things, and she's so creative and has such an incredible eye. She's handling all the decor, flowers and all of that, but we're doing a lot of it as a team. It's kind of the whole point of this thing, isn't it?
Definitely. Are you going to write your own vows? Have you started yet?
We are writing our own vows. We've been together for four years. The night we fall in love was last night — four years ago. I've had things in my notes for the last three [years]. I have one secret doc that she knows exists, but she wouldn't go snooping or anything like that. I've always [written down] buzz phrases, buzz words, anything that has ever come to mind that I'm like, "I want to tell you this the day that I promise you to be mine the rest of my life."
We're both writing our own vows, and Daira is definitely aware that she's up against a professional songwriter. I keep telling her, I'm like, "It's OK, whatever you say is going to be incredible."
Will you serenade her with a performance at the wedding, or sing at all?
I don't think I'm going to sing at the wedding. We have a couple of songs that I haven't shared with her yet that we've written around the engagement and since the engagement's happened, that, who knows, it might be our rehearsal dinner kind of thing. But as of right now, I have no plans on it.
If the song was right — if you have a "Speechless" by Dan + Shay up your sleeve, that would totally make sense. But I just don't, and I'm always trying to seek out moments in my life that I want to make sure I'm being Lily the sister, wife, daughter — and not Lily Rose. I'm always making sure that's number one on days like that. So I don't know. Trust me. If we could get a "Speechless" under our belt, yeah, I'll probably have to sing that.
