Community Spotlight: Local Musician Lyla Plumlee Looks to the Past, Present and Future

Anna musician and songwriter Lyla Plumlee talks growing up around bluegrass, finding her own sound, performing live and what comes next.

Anna, TX — For Lyla Plumlee, music started long before she began writing songs of her own.

The Anna musician and songwriter grew up surrounded by bluegrass, learning instruments from her father and performing alongside her family from an early age. Years later, Plumlee is developing a sound of her own — one she describes as “mainstream pop meets folk.”

Now, with her single “When You Fall” released earlier this year, live performances ahead and another original song on the way, Plumlee is looking toward the next stage of a musical career that began right here in Anna.

Speaking with The Anna Progress, Plumlee reflected on where that career started, the music she is making today and what listeners can expect from her next.

Lyla’s Past

Music was part of Plumlee’s life almost from the beginning.

“My dad was in a bluegrass band and taught both me and my older brothers to play bluegrass music when I was five,” Plumlee said. “We were constantly in jam circles and up on stage with my dad.”

Her father later taught her to play mandolin when she was 7 and introduced her to the basics of guitar at 11.

The guitar lessons, however, eventually became a little more independent.

“I did not have enough patience for him though and resorted to learning from YouTube,” Plumlee said.

Growing up around bluegrass gave Plumlee an early introduction to performing, but discovering pop music opened another side of music to her.

“The environment around that music is very different than most, so when I discovered pop music I fell in love with the lively atmosphere around it,” she said.

One artist in particular helped turn that interest into a passion for songwriting.

“Just like many other teen girls I know in the music industry, Taylor Swift was who started my passion for singing and songwriting,” Plumlee said.

By 11, Plumlee was writing songs of her own.

At that age, however, there was only so much personal experience to write about.

Instead, she learned to tell stories from perspectives other than her own — something that continues to influence how she approaches songwriting today.

“I didn’t have much life experience, so I always had to look through other people’s perspectives to find inspiration,” Plumlee said. “And to this day, my best songs have nothing to do with my own experiences.”

Anna itself was changing around her.

Plumlee has lived in the city her entire life and remembers when pursuing music often meant leaving town.

“I have lived in Anna my whole life,” Plumlee said. “Growing up, my family would always travel for music events because of how small Anna was.”

As Anna grew, so did the opportunities closer to home.

“Since Anna has grown, the community and surrounding areas have been so welcoming to me and other local artists,” she said.

Lyla’s Present

Today, the childhood combination of bluegrass, pop and songwriting has developed into a style Plumlee describes simply as “mainstream pop meets folk.”

“I think of it as relatable lyrics that explore deeper meaning,” she said.

Her influences have changed as well.

While Swift helped spark her original interest in songwriting, Plumlee now points closer to home when discussing the people who influence her music.

“Currently my biggest influences are the people around me like my family, friends, teachers, and everybody who encourages my music career,” she said.

That ability to write beyond her own experiences can be heard in “When You Fall,” released Jan. 30.

Plumlee wrote the song when she was 15, approaching its subject from a perspective she hadn’t personally experienced.

“I always call it my Taylor Swift breakup song, but it isn’t necessarily one of them,” Plumlee said. “I was 15 when I wrote it, never having gone through a breakup.”

Instead, she relied on empathy and imagination to capture the emotions behind the song.

“I was able to capture those same emotions in an empathetic headspace and what many call teenage anger,” she said.

But writing and recording are only part of Plumlee’s musical identity.

Her favorite part happens onstage.

“Live shows are my favorite part of being a singer,” Plumlee said. “People can expect lots of energy, recognizable songs, and fun interactions from my live performances.”

That energy contrasts with how she describes herself away from the stage.

“I always joke that my stage presence is like an alter ego,” Plumlee said. “Many people say I’m very reserved and quiet, but as soon as I hit the stage I’ve learned to entertain.”

Listeners will have opportunities to see that side of Plumlee soon. She is scheduled to perform Aug. 30 at the Gar Hole and Sept. 4 at West + Stone in Fort Worth.

And while those performances represent what Plumlee is doing now, another project is already beginning to bridge the present and future.

Lyla’s Future

Plumlee’s next original release already has a name: “Sink or Swim.”

“My most recent project is a new single called ‘Sink or Swim,’” Plumlee said. “Hopefully it will be released within the next month, but I can’t share too many details.”

For now, that is about as much as she is willing to reveal.

There are larger plans taking shape beyond the upcoming single, particularly after graduation, but Plumlee is keeping those plans close for the time being.

“I have much more planned for my career after I graduate,” she said, “but those are also plans I’m not quite ready to share.”

That leaves Plumlee in an interesting place in her career.

The instruments she first learned as a child came from her father and bluegrass. Her interest in songwriting grew from discovering pop. Her earliest songs required her to imagine experiences beyond her own. And the small city where her family once had to travel elsewhere to find musical opportunities has grown around her.

Now, those influences are beginning to form something distinctly her own.

From jam circles with her family to writing songs, releasing original music and developing an “alter ego” onstage, Plumlee’s past remains closely connected to what she is doing today.

What comes next is something she isn’t completely ready to reveal.

But with “Sink or Swim” on the way and more plans waiting beyond graduation, Lyla Plumlee’s story is nowhere near finished.

Listeners can find “When You Fall,” Plumlee’s social media accounts and more of her music at linktr.ee/lylaplumleemusic.