Dubbed “Toronto’s next breakout songwriter,” Lia captures the ache of ignoring warning signs in love
TORONTO (August 29, 2025) – Today, Lia Pappas-Kemps releases her new single, "Reservations," a wistful rumination on relationships, longing and the willful blindness that comes with desire. Out now on all streaming platforms via Coalition Music Records, the track finds Pappas-Kemps vulnerably bridging the grit of ’90s alt-rock with the intimacy of contemporary indie folk.
'Reservations' is about misconstruing warning signs and choosing to be blissfully ignorant in a relationship, rather than confronting it. I wrote it by myself in my apartment in Montreal and recorded most of it live off the floor with a group of some of my favourite musicians in Toronto."
- Lia Pappas-Kemps
"Reservations" Cover Art.
The recording of "Reservations" captures a live immediacy that keeps Lia’s voice and songwriting at its core. The track is anchored by her distinct vocal phrasing, creating a tremble that’s both intimate and arresting.
Lush yet restrained instrumentation from Dylan Burchell (guitar), Julian Psihogios (drums), Melissa Paju (bass), and Lia herself (guitar) underpins Pappas-Kemps’ spectral vocal delivery, where she stretches words into shimmering, aching turns of phrase. Her performance lends the song an otherworldly beauty, evoking influences ranging from Mitski and Phoebe Bridgers to Alanis Morissette and Luna Li, while remaining distinctly her own.
The single continues Pappas-Kemps’ trajectory as one of Toronto’s most promising young songwriters with a growing reputation for atmospheric soundscapes and inventive guitar tunings. Her debut EP, "Gleam," received praise from outlets including Atwood Magazine, Exclaim, Northern Transmissions and The Toronto Star, which called her “Toronto’s next breakout songwriter.” Atwood described it as “a bold and brash introduction that aches with the weight of life lessons learned the hard way,” while Complete Music Update noted she “blends alt-pop and alt-rock [on single 'Switchblade'], crafting a sound that could perfectly soundtrack a coming-of-age film.”
Early singles such as "Sad in Toronto" and "Object at Best" showcased Lia's versatility, while her 2021 track "Jinx" has since surpassed 4.4 million streams on Spotify. Also an actor, Lia made her professional debut in the 2014 short film "The Deceased," and is best known for her role as Jane in Netflix’s "Anne with an E."
Recorded in Taurus Studios and produced by Elia Pappas, engineered by Thomas D’Arcy, mixed by Howie Beck, and mastered by Kristian Montano, "Reservations" further solidifies Pappas-Kemps’ evolution as an artist tracing a compelling coming-of-age journey through song.
(p) & (c) 2025 Lia Pappas-Kemps, under exclusive license to Coalition Music Records
About Lia Pappas-Kemps
For Lia Pappas-Kemps, expressing herself through art has always been second-nature. This is evident in the confident, natural presence the Toronto-born singer brings every time she steps on stage, stemming all the way back to the beginning of her career in music.
In 2021 and 2022, she launched her music career through a series of singles, including the grunge-inflected “Jinx” and the gorgeous, swooning ballads “Sad in Toronto” and “Object at Best". In her emotionally unsparing, sensuous and critically acclaimed debut EP, "Gleam," her intricate sound comes across, demonstrating influences from throwback alt-rock to ’70s troubadours to modern indie rock, but never truly resembling anyone but herself.
As Tom Power said of the project, "Lia Pappas-Kemps perfectly captures teen angst on her debut EP". Back again with her latest release, "Reservations," Pappas-Kemps continues to trace her progress while finding her songwriting voice. But nothing about her music is underdeveloped. Instead, every new track plots a crystalline moment in an engaging coming-of-age story—one that will feel compelling for anyone whose desire has felt as heavy as the weight of the world.