Lily Brooks O’Briant is more than just an actress.
After starringas Lucy Romalotti in CBS’s longtime running soap opera The Young And The Restless and Ella on Apple TV+’s drama Life by Ella, O’Briant is ready to show the world that she can sing too by releasing her first-ever EP Too Good To Be True.
O’Briant’s team describes the EP to have “pop influence and a touch of country and R&B. The EP takes the listener on a journey through a first breakup with all the feelings that accompany a broken heart. The last single on the EP is about coming out of the heartbreak with a new relationship yet carrying the fear of being heartbroken yet again.” It features previously released singles “Over & Over,” “Wish I Could Forget You,” and “Better Off Alone,” with two new songs titled “Crash” and the of course, “Too Good to be True.”
Lily sat down with Celeb Secrets (virtually) to talk about all things Too Good To Be True, her plans for the rest of 2023, and shares her favorite set of lyrics!
Check out our full Q&A down below and don’t forget to let us know what you think of her music by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
You can connect with Lily by giving her a follow on Instagram at @lilybrooksobriant.
Celeb Secrets: Your music is described to have pop influence and a touch of country and R&B, which artists from these genres inspire you most?
Lily Brooks O’Briant: “I love telling stories through music regardless of the genre and take inspiration from so many amazing artists but some are Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Dolly Parton, Kelsea Ballerini, Alicia Keys.”
CS: What has been your favorite part about playing your character, “Lucy Romalotti,” on The Young and the Restless?
LBO: “I love bringing characters to life and it has been so much fun to bring Lucy to Y&R fans. They had not seen her in over 10 years so it has been fun bringing her storyline to the Y&R fans. I have loved seeing how she was hurt and cautious with her dad in the beginning but their relationship has healed and now you see how much she and her dad, Daniel, love and protect each other. The actor who plays my dad, Micheal Grazati, is so cool and we have a lot of fun on set. I also have an amazing relationship with the actress who plays my mom figure (she’s not really my biological mom but that is a crazy soap opera story!), Vail Bloom. She, Graz & I love working together. Lucy has been visiting Genoa City a lot and can’t wait to see what is next for her.”
CS: What inspired you to choose Too Good to be True as the name of your EP?
LBO: “The first 4 songs are purely about my heartbreak journey and a reflection of what I was feeling at that time. The last song on the EP is ‘Too Good to be True’ because it represents moving forward and that even though I was afraid of having my heartbroken again, I saw something so much more beautiful than what I had before. It represents the light at the end of the tunnel and hope.”
CS: How did you know you wanted to be an actress, singer, and song-writer? Was that always a passion of yours?
LBO: “I have been singing and acting since I was 6 years old and have always wanted to act & sing. I started in community theatre at age 4 or 5 and then to film at age 8. I played Matilda in the Broadway tour of Matilda the Musical when I was 9 and then switched to TV. I never stopped singing and have always kept a journal of different song ideas/feelings/thoughts. Last October, my friend Stephon (he is the co-writer on ‘Crash’ & ‘Better off Alone’) finally convinced me to get into the studio and record something. I brought a bunch of random notes that became Better off Alone. It was such an amazing experience & I realized I had so much more to say. Crash was written second, then it took off from there. I love putting a bit of myself into my music and think a lot of people can relate to that first heartbreak and learning from it.”
CS: What are the rest of your plans for 2023?
LBO: “I am attending a music intensive in Santa Monica this year where I will be learning from Grammy Award-winning mentors and writing and recording lots of music! You can also expect another EP soon. I have already written several songs for the next EP or album because, well, life happens and gave me a lot of material. Just a little teaser – one of the singles in the next EP/album is called ‘Romeo & Juliet’. Expect more love, heartbreak and to see what happened after ‘Too Good to be True’.” You can also catch me as Lucy Romalotti on CBS’s “The Young and The Restless”!”
CS: Fans LOVE the music video for “Better Off Alone,” will we see anymore music videos for this upcoming EP?
LBO: “The music video for ‘Wish I Could Forget You’ came out a couple of weeks ago but stay tuned a video for ‘Too Good to be True’ VERY soon and some really fun content for ‘Crash’ that we just shot this weekend.”
CS: Wow, how was your experience performing at the Rahm Celebrity Golf Tournament? Do you have any more upcoming performances?
LBO: “This was my second year performing at the Rahm (this year I sang an original song ‘Crash’) & I am so honored to be a small part of such an incredible weekend. I was surrounded by Grammy winners & Rock n Roll Hall of Fame members. It is pretty cool! It was founded by Kevin Rahm who played my dad on another TV show. We have become like family (he & his family even came to my HS graduation this June!). Kevin & I have both been advocates for St. Jude Children’s research Hospital for many years. I have lead Team Young Hollywood since 2020 each year for the St. Jude Walk and am always looking for ways to support fundraising and awareness for St. Jude’s life saving research and treatment. I am performing at the iconic ‘Troubadour’ in LA on August 29th and also the celebrity guest and performer at at huge regional fair in Memphis, TN on Labor Day weekend.”
CS: Fans are SO inspired by your powerful lyrics. Do you have a favorite set of lyrics from this EP “Too Good to be True?”
LBO: “From ‘Wish I Could Forget You’ – I only wanted what was best for you, You only wanted what was shiny and new, I gave you everything I could and more, You only gave me what I asked you for. From ‘Crash’ – Well my friends said run…. , And don’t look back.. But It’s harder letting go of what we had.. , I jumped the gun, Went way too fast, Then I start to lose, control and I crash. From Too Good to be True – I’m scared to love you Knowing that I have something to lose.”
CS: Since we are Celeb Secrets, are there any secrets you can tell us about the recording process for your EP?
LBO: “The crowd vocals for ‘Crash’ were recorded at 3am in my friend, Stephon Riley’s, studio. It was so funny because the two of us had to go around the room and record vocals in different parts of the room – standing on stool, on the couch, on the floor, in the doorway. We made about 20 different recordings to create the crowd. It was so much fun.”
LISTEN TO “TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE” NOW:
