MOORE: Northwest Arkansas resident Sarah Lily is one of the candidates for the 2025 Arkansas Tiny Desk Concert, an annual concert in Little Rock and celebration of musicians all around the state. Ozarks at Large’s Sophia Noorani recently sat down with Sarah for a KUAF live session in the Firm and Garner Performance Studio. They discuss how Sarah came to the natural state and where she finds her inspiration for her songwriting. First, this is “On the Hill” by Sarah Lilly.
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NOURANI: Can you tell us a little bit about that song?
LILY: That is a heavy one. It's inspired by the phrase “the hill I die on.” That phrase got stuck in my head. I had a very heavy moment full of a lot of grief. I just mixed the emotions and used that little phrase as a metaphor.
NOURANI: That term “die on that hill” reminds me of stubbornness. This is what I think of when I think of that. Is that what you mean- unless it's too personal to share?
LILY: No. Without going too far into detail, I think in really difficult, painful situations, sometimes we don't want to look and see the truth of what's happening. We’d rather romanticize and say it's okay- way past the point of it being obvious that whatever the situation is, it’s not okay. It surpassed the realm of normalcy. It’s definitely about denial and wishing that whatever is happening wasn't happening. Having this stubborn and unhealthy level of hope that this thing is going to resolve when sometimes it's like, you got to accept what's happening right in front of you. What's unfolding.
NOURANI: Well, some things will resolve, but just not in the way that you necessarily expect them or want them to be doing that.
LILY: Or, they have to resolve within you because you don't have control of other people. That takes a lot of strength to take something that's that painful, that heavy and something that you cannot change because it's someone else's behavior and actions and just be like, you know what? I have to find peace within myself with this situation ongoing.
NOURANI: That's very beautiful.
LILY: So, it’s a heavy one, but I sing it all the time because it just sort of helps me like process that emotion.
NOURANI: It was great to listen to. I loved being here for that. We were just talking about you before the interview started. You were mentioning how you lived in Arkansas for the past four years. Maybe tell us a little bit more about yourself and how you came to this state?
LILY: In Pennsylvania, where I'm from, I grew up on a horse farm. My dad is a breeder, trainer, importer of horses. It's his whole life. I started working in the horse industry very young.
I got a job here as a as a writer and taught lessons. It was meant to be a pretty temporary gig, but when it ended, I just didn't want to go home, honestly. I found Arkansas to be a lot more just beautiful and homey than I was expecting. I was in a place in my life where a new beginning felt very called for. So, Arkansas I've always thought of as like, my fresh slate.
NOURANI: I love that. That’s lovely. When did you first start playing music and how does that music fit into your life of transitioning into Arkansas? I'm curious about if that ever was incorporated into that.
LILY: It definitely was. I started writing songs way before I started ever sharing them. I'm a pretty introverted person and I was extremely shy. I still can be. It took me forever to share them. I wrote my first song in high school. It’s called “Ruby Lou.” It's on my album. Then, it wasn't until I got to Arkansas that I started actually taking gigs and singing.
NOURANI: Clean slate. What sparked that? Was it anything in particular? Or were you just like, I'm gonna try this.
LILY: As I was moving to Arkansas, I was working on producing my album. It was recorded in Pennsylvania,in the midst of like, heavy COVID era. A lot of stuff was happening long distance anyways, s it was fine that I was moving as it was happening. I think just it was it was received so well. I was kind of surprised by how many people heard it. I was doing it for fun, and I was doing it to challenge myself to do something with this fun hobby that I was just keeping to myself. I was trying to push myself and share it.
NOURANI: We're glad you did.
LILY: I definitely got a lot of support and help booking gigs and stuff.
NOURANI: Talk about when you first started performing live and then how that ultimately led to you wanting to submit for the Tiny Desk contest?
LILY: When I first started performing there were a lot of learning curves. I'm definitely not someone who naturally loves being in a spotlight. Definitely had to get used to that. It's still a hurdle sometimes. Honestly, I love that part, it’s extremely challenging for me to the point where I have fun. But it's also that stress versus excitement. Am I stressed out or am I excited? I don't know.
NOURANI: It feels like the same thing most of the time.
LILY: I love the creation that happens a little more behind closed doors. I love recording, I love producing, I love songwriting. This was fun because there was this visual component, and I had always wanted to make a visual to go with this, this song “Or Do I,” that I recorded for Tiny Desk. It all came together in the timeline that Tiny Desk had their submissions open. I was like, well, I might as well throw a desk in there and submit it and see what happens.
NOURANI: That's awesome. Well, this happened, which was awesome. What was it like being selected for the Arkansas Tiny Desk Contest?
LILLY: I was surprised. I honestly didn't know that there was acknowledgment for the state level. Obviously, I knew there was a national winner. I was surprised on multiple levels. I was like, “whoa, that's so cool that they celebrate the state winners.” It's just extremely flattering.
NOURANI: It's a collection of all of the NPR affiliate stations here in Arkansas judging and selecting the favorites of the state. It's definitely an exciting opportunity to kind of highlight the art and the work that we have here in Arkansas, regardless of, you know, the, the tiny the National Tiny Desk contest.
LILY: And it's amazing because like, obviously the National Tiny Desk like selection committee has their preferences. The genre and the type of artists they're drawn to is not going to be- it doesn't get to acknowledge every genre. So, it's cool.
NOURANI: Every opportunity to highlight an artist that was able to submit for that is good. What was it like winning and what was it like preparing to ultimately perform in Little Rock in October?
LILY: I still have a lot of time. I got a bit to prepare. I'm hoping to bring a band with me. We will rehearse. The band knows most of my stuff already, so that's nice. We'll throw a few new songs in there, and it'll be fun. The Hall is a really fun place to perform.
NOURANI: I'm about to ask if you've been to the hall.
LILY: Yes, yes, I've opened for a few shows there. I've never been the show, so that'll be fun.
NOURANI: That's very exciting.
LILLY: It’ll be an awesome night. Awesome.
NOURANI: Where can people find you in the meantime on social media? And I'm assuming you're on Spotify and Apple Music?
LILY: Yes. All the streaming platforms, all the streaming under. Sarah Lily. Lily spelt like the flower- L-I-L-Y and, I do have an Instagram. It's underscore @_sarah_lily
NORUANI: Perfect.
LILY: That's me.
NOURANI: Is there anything else that you want to share about your music, about yourself, about the contest?
LILY: No. I'm very grateful, and again surprised to be acknowledged and that people really liked it. I loved making it. It felt very me. It’s very rewarding.
NOURANI: Well, you shouldn't be surprised, because you're extremely talented. I'm glad I got to see you perform.
LILY: Thank you. Thank you so much.
MOORE: That was Sarah Lily speaking with Ozarks at largest Sophia Nourani in the Firm and Garner Performance Studio at KUAF. You can find more information on the 2025 Arkansas Tiny Desk Concert when you visit US Public Radio's 2025.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
