On Burn You Up, Lucia Stavros’ first album recorded under her own name, she wanted to create a mixtape. She wanted to capture the excitement of adolescence, of discovering music for the first time or introducing someone close to your favorite songs. The New York-based harpist, vocalist, songwriter, producer, and bandleader wanted her album to not only be an introduction to her style as a singular compositional voice, but a look at the songs and artists that have helped shape the musician she is today. The true power of Burn You Up, though, lies in the way her unique musical perspective shines through and informs the vast array of influences she brings to the table.

Today, Stavros has shared the stunning single “Daydreaming.” “I’m interested in the concept of onomatopoeia in music: that I can recreate a moment in time with sound. This is what I attempted in “Daydreaming, she says. “The day is hot, and the heat makes my head feel hazy. The bugs and birds chirp and wind blows through the trees timelessly. I’m waiting for someone in this perfect moment, with anticipation, but where are they?! I often write music about my dreams because they are so vivid.”

Though Stavros sounds undeniably confident in these beliefs on the album, it took her a long time to work up the courage to be this sturdy in her own voice. She wanted to get everything right when it came time to record Burn You Up, which is why it is arriving over a decade into her career. If she hadn’t laid the groundwork–raised enough money for a world-class studio, fair payments for her musicians, and more–these extremely powerful moments wouldn’t hit as hard, in her estimation. “I took a lot of time and care with it so that I would feel confident, that I would feel that I had really dotted my I’s and crossed my t’s and said everything that I wanted to say,” she explains. “Because I did that, I feel that I did what I needed to do and I’m ready to put it out there.”

Perhaps the most staggering aspect of Stavros’ wonderful debut is how clear her vision is throughout the project. Amongst different lyrical themes, melodic templates, and styles of music, her perspective remains untainted and wholly confident. As a shy person, Stavros has used music as an outlet, a way to convey emotions and thoughts she doesn’t always feel comfortable expressing in individual settings. “In conversation, sometimes words fail me,” she explains with a chuckle. “Creating a song and the feeling of a song is how I’m able to explain myself. I experience the world through feelings, and in my songs I transmit the way I feel with the world.” Burn You Up is a notebook of sorts, a reflection of Lucia Stavros’ relationship to the world. She concludes: “This album is ultimately a testament of how music can be more powerful than words.”

Photo Courtesy: Kevin W. Condon