10 Things I Learned From Releasing My Debut Album

Hi my loves,

Happy Monday. I hope you had a cozy weekend. Nashville is freezing there are snowflakes drifting outside my window as I type this. The city feels quiet. I’ve been spending a lot of time alone lately, replaying the last year in my mind, still somewhere between exhaustion and euphoria. My debut album “Cinematic” is finally out in the world. I’m still catching my breath.

I started writing again this week (crazy I know ahhh) and it reminded me why I fell in love with all of this in the first place. So before I fully dive into the next chapter, I wanted to write down a few things I’ve learned along the way.

1. There’s no right way to make an album, only your way.
   The second I stopped chasing other people’s timelines and started trusting my instincts, everything began to bloom.
2. You can’t rush art.
   Some songs come like lightning. Others take seasons. Both are holy.
3. Perfection is the enemy of feeling.
   The take where your voice cracks, the line you almost cut are the moments that make people cry in their cars.
4. The hardest part isn’t writing, it’s letting go.
   You tweak, you second guess, you obsess. But at some point, you have to whisper “enough” and set it free.
5. Stop waiting for permission.
   You’ll never feel ready. Release the thing anyway. God’s timing is never late.
6. What scares you is what saves you.
   The songs I almost hid ended up being the ones people said healed them. Vulnerability connects.
7. Independent doesn’t mean alone.
   It means every decision, every lyric, every heartbeat is yours. It means freedom.
8. Releasing music is only half the art.
   The other half is the storytelling. The photos, the captions, the visuals must all weave together into one big cinematic universe.
9. Celebrate the small wins.
   The messages. The playlists. The strangers who said, “This song feels like my life.” That’s the real success.
10. You don’t arrive. You evolve.
    “Cinematic” wasn’t the end. It was the first scene of something bigger. Growth doesn’t end when the dream comes true. It really is all about the climb.

So here’s to the next chapter. To the late nights and early mornings. To trusting the process and making something beautiful anyway. My podcast “Live, Laugh, Lily Kincade” is back for Season Three, and the first episode is live now. Click here to listen, and maybe let it inspire you to start something of your own.

Xoxo, Lily