Brighton-based singer/songwriter Lydia Evangeline first broke out in the folk-rock duo Wayward Daughter before launching a solo pop career in 2018. Born Lydia McAllister, she was brought up in a music-loving household; her mother came from a family of classically-trained instrumentalists, and her father was a music obsessive who introduced his kids to the likes of Billy Joel, the Police, Mott the Hoople, and the Carpenters. Lydia began her musical journey at the age of 13, writing a poem for her school's poetry competition which she later set to music. A teenage obsession with Paramore led to a love of folk and rock bands like Dry the River and Mumford & Sons. In 2012 she formed Wayward Daughter with Becky East on guitar. The duo became a self-made streaming sensation, releasing four EPs and one album, supporting the likes of McFly, and accruing fans all over the world. In 2016 McAllister became known to a wider audience after the duo was featured on trance producer Gareth Emery's track "Reckless," from his album 100 Reasons to Live; she wrote and performed the lead vocal and was featured prominently in the video. Wayward Daughter disbanded amicably that year; East went on to form Maypine, while McAllister joined Jake Isaac's backing band, touring all over the world and supporting the likes of Elton John. In 2018 she launched her solo career with the single "Coldest Shadow"; she released four further singles that year, which were collected on an eponymous EP. Her solo material saw her move away from Wayward Daughter's folk-rock sound toward a kind of slick, epic electro-pop. ~ John D. Buchanan