From stealing scenes (and hearts) as Jet in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series to serving up his own brand of heartbreak anthems, Adrian Lyles is already proving at 20 that storytelling is kind of his thing. In our chat, he opened up about his debut EP Horizons: Dawn—the first in a three-part journey that’s not just sonic but cinematic, with four videos directed by Cole Santiago and featuring Freakier Friday’s Sophia Hammons. He also dished on co-writing Michael Clifford and Waterparks’ chaotic bop ‘give me a break!,’ surprised us with a poem, and even more. Dive in.
You dropped your first unofficial-official EP in middle school at 13, recording it with your parents—manifesting those sonic gems onto Spotify before you were even verified. What do you think that younger version of you, chasing dreams so early, would make of where you are now?
The younger version of myself would be so excited to know I didn’t stop doing what I was doing. He had and has such big dreams, and I think the fact that I get to carry them would make him very proud. We’ve got a lot more moving and growing to do, but even the starting line feels far away sometimes, so I’m sure he’d be psyched to see where we are. I’m thankful to him for doing the groundwork back then.
You played Jet in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series—already iconic—but you also recorded ‘The Boys Are Back,’ a staple from the original soundtrack. The show didn’t include a full scene for it (though we got ‘A Night to Remember’). What was it like just being in the booth, recording that track, knowing the legacy it carries?
Recording that song felt a lot like just being on the show in the first place. It’s such a strong staple in so many people’s lives and childhoods, so the fact that I got to carry the torch with the show and the song is something I literally never would have even conceptualized. Plus, ‘The Boys Are Back’ was my favorite High School Musical song growing up, from what I remember, so super full-circle moment!
You’ve said you love writing from other people’s perspectives rather than your own—something that leans into acting but veers away from the typical singer-songwriter diary style. How do you think that approach gives you an edge when it comes to connecting with listeners?
Well, I always try to write from my perspective. Songs have to at least be somewhat personal for me to be able to connect, but I love to see other people within the perspective of my writing and how the feelings of the song may differ depending on who is in the driver’s seat. I think a lot of artists forget the fact that, yes, you wrote the song, but once it’s out, the listener is in the driver’s seat, not you anymore. I feel more like I make the road and just happen to drive it a lot, rather than feeling like I am the one driving the car for somebody else.
You mentioned on B-Sides with Pete Mar that you love thematic albums. We definitely see a narrative thread in Horizons: Dawn—especially with Sophia Hammons appearing in every visualizer, like a mini-film. Where did that concept come from, and what were you trying to say by having her at the center of it all?
Themed albums are the greatest! I’ve always felt like a song is just one chapter of a book or one scene of a movie. I’ve always loved telling stories, and to craft an experience through a bunch of songs and visuals is always the direction I turn to. The story of Ep 1 is just a part of the full overarching narrative, but the concept truly just came from looking for the picture the song was already painting. The four songs do follow a step-by-step process of some very realistic aspects of a relationship. ‘Way down’ with infatuation, ‘Limbo’ with misunderstanding, ‘Truce’ with faulty connection, and ‘It Isn’t Over Until You Die’ with hitting a breaking point. The visual idea was just us tying things together. Sophia was the Cherry on top. She really embodied the feeling that we were presenting and honestly added so much more depth to our story than we were even anticipating. Nobody is the bad guy in these videos. It’s just real people living real lives.
You name-dropped To Pimp a Butterfly—one of the all-time great thematic albums—and Kendrick’s use of skits and poems clearly inspired you. We get a hint of that vibe at the end of ‘It Isn’t Over Until You Die.’ Is there a poem that feels like it lives alongside this tracklist? Or something you’ve written that you didn’t include?
My biggest dream is to one day make an incredibly cohesive album that takes the listeners through a full story. To Pimp a Butterfly is a record that transports me into every song and takes me through an entire life. I love that record, and even though our music is so extremely different, I hope to offer a similar feeling of being transported to somewhere else. Music transcends genre. I actually did have a poem I wrote a while ago, back when we were thinking of making an album for this project instead of the EPs. While it doesn’t reflect the project as much anymore with our new rollout, it kind of became my mantra for creating a lot of these songs:
Loud or not
In a busy crowd
What’s the difference
Would you notice if I’m not around
Proud or not
Lost or found
Does it matter
If a tree falls does it make a sound
If nobodies there
With no crowd to cheer
With no one to validate if you were truly here
If I sing alone
Or if im in my room
Am I really singing if nobody hears the tune
Lets say I found the key
Let’s say I make it through
Did I really make a dent if no one knows I do
Cause I’m here now
I can’t fear you
Can you hear me
I can’t hear you
The fish-eye lens in the ‘Limbo’ visualizer is such a clever device. Sophia’s in the room with you, but you’re singing to the camera—almost like you’re confessing to the audience, not the person who could actually help. It feels like she’s not really listening. Verse three leans into that from her perspective. Was that visual separation intentional—splitting those emotional POVs?
The whole point of the ‘Limbo’ visual is to show the lack of understanding between two people. It’s like trying to reason with someone who speaks a different language sometimes. ‘Limbo’ is such an emotionally raw and full song that I wanted it to feel like I was ranting to her, and she can’t hear or even notice my presence in the room. Being seen by the person you love is so important, and I wanted to show exactly what it feels like and sounds like when you’re not.
In ‘Truce,’ we see Sophia again, this time lip-syncing the lyric, “She said, boy, you can be honest with me.” The whole song carries so much emotional weight, but that moment is so subtle. Was it easier or harder to zoom in on those quiet pockets of sadness when everything around it is already so heavy?
THAT MOMENT IS MY FAVORITE MOMENT FROM ANY OF THE VIDEOS. It takes ‘Truce’ and makes it even more heartbreaking by making it a conversation, not just a one-way rant. I love the feeling of ‘Truce’ on this record. It is such a sad yet powerfully genuine moment to me, and having Sophia engaged in the conversation made it even more alive than it already was. It felt easier to hone in on the small, powerful moments because of how simple the actual setups for each video were. We got to feel the emotion without the distraction of too much busyness.
The visualizer ends with Sophia holding a knife, stabbing you, and leading us directly into the final track, ‘It Isn’t Over Until You Die.’ We also loop back to the opening through her turning to face you, and the bed reappearing. Were you intentionally creating a full-circle moment—like the EP begins where it ends?
The main theme with these EPs to me is the concept of choice. Making choices and dealing with the consequences. The choice to pursue this relationship is one of them. What I wanted to create was a Groundhog Day effect where we see the choice being made and the result, and then we’ll see my character try again in a different way. Bringing us back to the start was a super intentional choice for me. Whether the audience sees it as another chance to try something new or as being back to square one, I wanted it to serve as a full-circle moment. I tried this, and here I am back where I started. On to the next thing. You’ll never get to stop making choices, and that was the main theme for these EPs.
Before we wrap, we have to talk about your songwriting credit on Michael Clifford and Waterparks’ ‘give me a break!’ What was it like watching that song come to life—and to be part of something outside your own project?
I am so glad ‘give me a break!’ gets to see the light of day. I had originally written that song about a year and a half ago, and it was called ‘In My Bones’ and my manager loved it. He really wanted me to use that one for my stuff, but I don’t think the sound was a fit for the lane I was heading towards. I still thought the song was super sick, though, and I’d always be walking around my house listening to the demo. When I heard Michael liked the song and wanted to know if he could use it, I was stoked and told him I’d love for him to. Getting to see and hear how the song changed and grew to fit him as an artist is so sick to see. It’s cool to watch a song develop and grow wings and evolve into what it’s going to be. I was really happy that record made it out there.
Adrian’s story keeps unfolding with his next EP—out now! Tell us your favorite lyrics, the moments that wrecked you (in the best way), and the ones you’ve already got on repeat. Tweet us @thehoneypop or hit us up on Instagram and Facebook.
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