Lydia Ford is an Irish pop singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York.

Ford grew up in a musical household in Mayo. Ireland – 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. As Ford continued to play she was drawn to “KT Tunstall and any girl with a guitar", adding “Hayley Williams was my idol, I was a big Tegan and Sara fan as well.” She wrote and developed her own songs, keeping them private until 2010, when she released her first EP.

At the age of 22, feeling confined, Ford decided to move from Dublin to Brooklyn, New York. The stimulation of living in New York, and specifically the borough of Brooklyn, was good for both her head and her heart as she’d grown frustrated by Dublin’s insular gay scene. “I sort of found myself there…” says Ford, fondly. ”I think regardless of where you are or your sexuality, whatever you’re doing, the better you know yourself the better writer you’re going to be if you’re writing from personal experience. It was around that time that I started writing again.”

Having spent some time honing her craft in Brooklyn, Ford has moved on from her singer-songwriter acoustic roots in favor of glossier, synth sounds whilst keeping her deeply personal lyrics and themes at the forefront of her music. Taking inspiration from acts like Sigrid and Maggie Rogers, she incorporates elements of slick electronic production with gritty guitars. Ford currently records, produces, and releases her music independently.

Ford collaborated with German production duo Steam Phunk via SoundCloud to produce the highly-sucessfull tracks “Closer” and “Lost in Translation”. “It was the first time I’d done a top-line for anything that EDM or poppy. I’d never heard my voice properly produced in that way before and from there I felt this is the direction that I want to move in.” Since then Lydia released her second LP Bad Things and a number of successful singles.

(Sources: Lydia Ford’s website and GoldenPlec interview)