With influences that blend the confessional style of Alanis Morissette and the melodic alt-rock of The Strokes, Toronto-based Lia Pappas-Kemps has a sound that would perfectly underscore a coming-of-age film.

Her latest single, ‘Switchblade’, produced by Nathan Ferraro (BeyoncĂ©, Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen), fuses alt-pop and alt-rock elements with a melancholic edge. Papas-Kemp’s delicate vocals, tinged with a malaise, capture the longing and malleability of teenage love while retaining an upbeat catchy energy.

“‘Switchblade’ is a song about infatuation and the feeling of wanting to change for someone into whatever version of you they want”, Pappas-Kemps shares. “I wrote it when I was seventeen, just me and my guitar, and I think you can feel those tender teenage feelings threaded through it”. 

🎧 Watch the video for ‘Switchblade’ below