You’ve probably heard some of Elli Moore’s hits already. She and Alina Smith have an L.A. production company called LYRE that’s gotten over 100 million streams to date, including cuts by Fall Out Boy and numerous K-pop stars.
The LYRE founders teamed up to write Moore’s new single “The Dirt”, which does sound a bit like an American version of Seoul superstars aespa and TWICE.
“I came up with the idea for ‘The Dirt’ while I was on tour,” says Elli. “From the outside, everything looked great but I was about to live through one of the worst years of my life. My world was quietly falling apart, and the only thing keeping me together was giving a good show. I learned in musical theater that if you mess up, just keep going and most people won’t notice. That rule saved me for a while. But this song was the moment I finally stopped pretending. It’s me airing out the mess I worked so hard to hide. And sonically, it’s unlike anything I’ve done before. I wrote it with my best friend, who really pushed herself to the edge to bring this to life. We both poured everything into it.”
Moore’s previous single “American Girl Doll” is one of the most perfectly crafted songs of the year. Her cadences are impeccable, like on the 10-syllable phrase “my smile will no longer be painted on” that sings beautifully – kinda like a cross between Sabrina Carpenter and Eminem.
Despite the difficulties laid bare in “The Dirt”, Moore has both the charisma and talent to notch Top Ten singles for years to come.
Listen to “The Dirt” below, or find it on the streaming services.
