Older (and Wiser): No One Else is Doing It Like Lizzy Mcalpine

Even if you don’t know her name, you’ve likely heard of her music. After her 2022 song Ceilings went viral, amassing over 600 million streams on Spotify and over 600K TikTok posts as windswept teenagers ran down beaches to the tracks bridge, Mcalpine’s fame reached new heights. While she acknowledges how “surreal” the popularity of the song was, Mcalpine has made it clear she wasn’t swept up in the allure of fame. In fact, she’s even commented on the negative side that came with Tiktok’s (literal) 15 seconds of fame. 

Amid the unanimous love for Ceilings and the announcement of her next headlining tour, she preempted fans that her second tour was focused around her newest album and that the show would not be “the show for you” if only concerned with Ceilings. Despite this, after the first few shows of the US leg of the tour, she felt the need to move Ceilings from the middle of the setlist to the end of the encore because (some) ‘fans’ were leaving halfway through the set after it was played. 

Mcalpine has often reflected on the complex relationship between herself and the stage. After cancelling the European leg of her sophomore album’s tour, Five Seconds Flat, to prioritise her mental health, she told DIY Mag that while touring, she felt like she had to “go on stage and pretend to be an old version” of herself and that she no longer connected with the music she was playing, or the way she was playing it. Accordingly, Mcalpine and her band completely changed the way her concerts were executed. Unlike other pop icons of our time, she plays her entire setlist without backing tracks meaning she can play “completely live” so that she and her band can “do whatever we want” and “play whatever we want.” Unconventionally, she decided to tour without an opener so that fans could get the last train home and crews don’t have to be unpacking at 1 am. Her third album, Older (and Wiser), went through three meticulous years of producers until she met the band that brought it to life. After meeting Mason Stoops and his band at a Ryan Beatty show, Mcalpine notes that, for the first time, everything “fell into place.”

Having been fortunate enough to see her live in October, her Older Tour was unlike any concert I had ever been to. Having missed out on her last tour and been listening to her music for four years, it was undoubtedly my most anticipated concert. And after waking up at 6am to catch a 3 hour train and having been queuing since 2pm in the cold, it’s safe to say we were ready for the concert to start. The stage, arranged as a cozy living room with lampshades glowing behind the band and bedside tables holding their music, created an intimate atmosphere where the audience could feel like we were part of the performance. Playing in casual clothes, performing without choreography, and admittedly learning Joni Mitchell songs 45 minutes before her call time, she refreshingly laughed off the moment she briefly forgot the lyrics of a song from her earlier album. Her ability to embrace such moments, with little concern for mishaps or mistakes, emphasised that her musicianship is focused on connection rather than perfection.

Through her unfiltered performances, she is leaving an indelible mark on the music industry and the world of performing, where originality and authenticity are at the heart of accomplishment. She’s made it clear she isn’t searching for overnight success or fleeting one-hit wonders. Instead, Mcalpine is in the process of defining a new era of artistry, valuing her own authenticity over the validation of others. 

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