Lois Talks "Holy Water," Finding Joy, and Stepping Into Her Boldest Era Yet

The Leeds based singer songwriter has quietly become one of the UK's most exciting emerging alt pop artists, earning recognition from BBC Introducing, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6, DIY Magazine, Notion, The Line of Best Fit, and even Elton John, who praised her music on Rocket Hour. Alongside sold out headline shows, festival appearances at The Great Escape, Kendal Calling, and Live at Leeds, plus an upcoming support slot with Sophie Ellis Bextor, Lois has spent the past year proving she's far more than an artist to watch. She's already arriving.

Yet for all the milestones, what makes this chapter feel different isn't the growing list of accolades. It's the perspective behind the songs.

The Artist Behind the Momentum

Growing up in the seaside town of Morecambe, Lois first turned to songwriting as a way of making sense of difficult experiences. It's the perspective behind the songs that shaped her debut EP Strange Men before expanding further on her acclaimed sophomore project SEVEN, which was named BBC Introducing Lancashire & Cumbria's EP of the Year.

Now, she's entering another chapter entirely.

Rather than writing exclusively from places of heartbreak or healing, Lois has started embracing something she once overlooked.

Joy.

"Writing has always been therapeutic for me and helped me understand myself better," she tells Everyday Jams. "But I never really used it as a way to express the joy I was also experiencing in my life alongside the pain. One can never exist without the other, and not making music that told that side of my story just wouldn't be a true representation of who I am."

That philosophy has become the thread connecting everything she's creating next.

Finding Freedom in "Holy Water"

Her latest single, "Holy Water," perfectly captures that shift.

Built around shimmering pop production inspired by Madonna, George Michael, The B52s, and Chappell Roan, the track tells the story of looking back on an unhealthy relationship with enough distance to finally laugh.

"I wrote this song kind of laughing at myself looking back to a time I was unhealthily in love with someone who really couldn't have been worse for me," she says. "The situation ended in a pretty humiliating way for me and this song was a way for me to take myself less seriously and find the funny in what was pretty awful."

Instead of turning heartbreak into tragedy, Lois transforms it into something playful, witty, and impossible not to dance to.

Confidence Sounds Different Now

One of the things that makes Lois stand out is her willingness to leave imperfections exactly where they belong.

One lyric in particular nearly disappeared before the song was finished.

"I very nearly changed the lyrics for 'walkie talkie taste your body,'" she laughs. "I thought maybe it was too silly, but that's literally what this whole song is about. Not taking myself too seriously. They worked too well with the melody."

That confidence extends beyond individual lyrics. It's become part of her entire creative process.

"I wanted to incorporate all these sounds I love and know so well into my own music," she says of the artists who inspired this era. "I love the audacity of their lyrics."

Looking Forward Instead of Looking Back

Over the last year, Lois has sold out headline tour dates, played some of the UK's biggest showcase festivals, received support from some of music's most respected voices, and watched her audience steadily grow.

Still, one moment remains almost impossible for her to process.

"I mean, hearing Elton John say my name has got to be one of the craziest, most surreal experiences of my life. I still can't truly wrap my head around it."

Despite everything happening around her, Lois remains focused on the simplest idea behind this next project.

When asked what ties this era together beyond the music itself, her answer comes immediately.

"The joy."

It's a fitting theme for an artist who has spent years learning that vulnerability doesn't always have to sound heavy. Sometimes it arrives through laughter. Sometimes through self awareness. Sometimes through a brilliantly catchy pop chorus that reminds you healing doesn't mean forgetting.

With "Holy Water" setting the tone for what's next, Lois isn't just continuing her story. She's writing its happiest chapter yet.

Stream "Holy Water," by Loisout now.

Photography: Sarah Oglesby