(Lilli Worona)
Lilli Worona’s new album Maritime Siren doesn’t just ask you to listen — it invites you to journey. With her signature blend of Americana, storytelling and sonic atmosphere, the singer-songwriter has created a collection that explores love, memory, self-reflection and the quiet landscapes that shape us. “I think the theme for this album originated from a drive to want to tell stories that move people,” Lilli says. “What better way to move people than to create musical narratives that center around important relationships and the places that shaped those relationships?”
The title track was born during a solo winter trip to the Oregon Coast. As Lilli watched the storm-churned ocean, she imagined the lives of sailors from ages past. That vision eventually evolved into a song loosely inspired by The Odyssey — and set the tone for an album rooted in vivid imagery and lyrical depth. Other tracks include Cathedral Rock, a fictional love story set in Sedona, and Rich, inspired by a hiking guide Lilli met in the Costa Rican rainforest.
While her 2021 debut Between the Lines drew from personal experiences and melody-first writing, Maritime Siren takes a different path. “For Maritime Siren, I was more focused on the storytelling aspect,” she explains. “Most lyrics on the album were painstakingly edited and re-written several times until they fully encapsulated the character or the story I was trying to tell.”
This time around, lyrics came first, melodies followed, and Lilli shaped her vocal performance to reflect each character’s emotional state. The result is a more contemplative, immersive record — less autobiographical, more theatrical in scope. Still, it remains grounded in honest emotion.
That same intentionality carries into her live shows, which she’ll be performing across Oregon this summer — often alongside guitarists and fellow singer-songwriters John Shipe while in the valley and Mike Biggers here in Central Oregon. “I hope listeners will hear the same quality of emotional presence in my live performances,” Lilli says. “We aim to authentically tell stories — but we also aim to just have a really good time.” The trio brings humor, playfulness and “nerdy jokes” to the stage, offering audiences a chance to disconnect from daily chaos and connect with something deeper. “The serious part of this whole endeavor was in recording and getting the lyrics just right,” she says. “But in live performance, the goal is to just allow audiences to… be fully present, have fun, relax and connect to one another.”
Maritime Siren drops July 25 on all streaming platforms and at lilliworonamusic.com. Catch Lilli Worona live this summer and experience the full magic of her musical storytelling.
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