Lily Kershaw

Lily Kershaw merges indie folk with songwriter pop in arrangements that often balance lush textures against delicate details, yielding melodic stories unafraid to probe intricate corners of emotion and conduct. Television placements opened doors that led to her first full-length release, the largely acoustic Midnight in the Garden, issued in 2013. Her Nettwerk debut, Arcadia, arrived in 2019 and favored more polished pop production without sacrificing closeness. Subsequent singles such as the 2020 track “The Last Time” and the 2023 depression-inspired “Depreshmode” blended gentle acoustic playing with hazy electronics.

Raised in Los Angeles, Kershaw began as an actress, appearing in minor television parts while still young. Guitar practice and songwriting developed alongside those early roles. Credits on Third Watch and Law & Order: Los Angeles preceded her 2012 breakthrough, when “As It Seems” closed Season Seven of the CBS drama Criminal Minds. A follow-up placement of “Ashes Like Snow” in the subsequent season finale prompted a Nettwerk Records contract. Thoughtful lyrics, bright melodies, and spare acoustic settings shaped her September 2013 debut album, Midnight in the Garden. Further singles followed, among them 2015’s “Sleep Peacefully,” the tender 2016 holiday song “Your Christmas Song,” and the introspective 2017 release “10,000 Miles.”

The June 2018 Los Angeles EP signaled a move toward richer, pop-leaning sounds and preceded the early-2019 covers collection The Music’s for the Sad Man, which offered hushed renditions of the standard “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” Skeeter Davis’ “The End of the World,” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young.” Arcadia, her second album, emerged on Nettwerk late in 2019 and gained traction through the single “Now & Then,” which amassed millions of streams. During the COVID-19 pandemic she issued several singles, including the solo piece “The Last Time” plus joint efforts with Lawson Hull (“Paint”), Jack in Water (“A Stranger’s Home”), and producer Slumberville (“Didn't Want to Go”). Solo work resumed with 2023’s “Depreshmode,” framed by fingerpicked guitar, synth shimmer, and stacked vocal harmonies.