Meet Lyric Raven

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lyric Raven. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lyric below.

Lyric, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I am one of the lucky one that found my purpose young. My parents named me Lyric when I was a week old, and it seemed to be a prophecy. Before I could talk, I was singing. by the time I was 10 years old I already had written many songs, and formed my first “girl band”. Listening to the radio the songs stuck in my head, I memorized songs effortlessly. My mom, Vicki always supported me, bringing me to theater auditions and rehearsals and to dance class. I started playing the flute and learning to read music in 4th grade. When I was 14 I picked up the guitar and wrote my first original song on the guitar. My dad is an incredible guitar player and musician, and I grew up seeing rock stars perform from backstage and attending the NAMM show, an international music convention. I am a multi-instrumentalist and have always been fascinated with learning new instruments and playing with sound. I feel blessed to have had many amazing music teachers, and to be inspired by so many amazing artists and bands that have helped form me as an artist.

I studied Environmental Science in college, but took as many music classes I could. It seemed I thought I should do something more “practical” with my life, but it always came back to music. I come from a long line of peace activists and loved how music can be used as a tool of the revolution. I wrote songs in college about alternative education and corporate personhood, and ended up minoring in Social Justice. I was a music teacher for many years, teaching piano to children as well as baby music class. I still teach baby music class to this day!

I realized as I have traveled the world just how healing the power of music can be, and realized how essential it is as a stepping stone towards world peace. I started facilitating Sacred Healing Concerts back in 2021, which are song circle interactive performances which include sound healing, mantras and meditation. I led these concerts in Baja, Mexico, in the jungle of Costa Rica, in snowy Minnesota, in Santa Cruz and here where I live now in Sonoma County.

I had a band in Santa Cruz and we rehearsed for 2 years, but it was during the pandemic and we only played a few shows. This is the band that will be on my upcoming album, plus a few others.
I recently formed a new band and am really excited to start playing shows and recording a new album later this spring.

This last year has been a really tough year for me and my family, as my Grandmother had cancer, and was in hospice for most of the year, ultimately passing away at home in October at the age of 96. My Grandmother was Deborah LeSueur, a feminist potter and artist who was always one of my biggest fans. My grandmother always had me sing and play guitar for her and at every family event. I even turned a poem she had written in the 70s into a song, a collaboration between her and I, called “Mighty Strong River”. As my Grandma was declining I sang to her softly. I remember her saying to a few of us in one of her lucid moments, “Lyric knows all the lyrics”. My father, Woody, flew from Minnesota to visit her 10 times in 10 months. It truly was a miracle getting to sing with her with my family on her 96th birthday, a day weren’t sure she would make it to, but against all odds she did. Music and certain vibrations are literally scientifically proven to heal, reduce pain and create a sense of peace and calm. And music is also used to help guide spirits into the afterlife in many cultures.

My purpose is to share musical healing through my voice and through my music. Many times I have strayed from this purpose, being someone who has multiple interests, and who has been thrust into survival mode multiple times throughout my life. I also suffer from a chronic illness and my health has been a hurdle at times. But like a unstoppable magnet, I have always been led back to my true purpose, what I am best at, what brings me the most joy, and how I am best of service to the world. Which, is music. Even though it has always come naturally to me, music is a never ending journey of growth and learning, just like life. I feel your purpose is something that you cannot escape from, and ultimately will be shown to you, as it is your destiny. The timing just won’t always be known.

I recently released my first single, Play, on all streaming platforms. I was able to play my grandma the final master before she passed. It has really changed me, losing my paternal grandma, and having to find all that love she gave me inside myself. This experience of loss has opened me up to dive into my creativity again, believe in myself more than ever, and an acute awareness of how short and precious this life really is. I am so inspired to release my unreleased music so I can record the new songs I have written and am writing. I have so many I have yet to write. Whenever I play with my band or perform live I get goosebumps, and it feels like literal magic.

Recently I shared my grandma’s collaborative art piece, “The Remember Me Wall” on my Tik Tok. The Remember Me Wall is a giant mosaic monument created by my Grandma and several other artists featuring tiles made by people honoring their lost loved ones, as well as masks of my grandma and great-grandma, and other art made by me and other artists. This video has gone viral, and been reposted many times. So many people have been moved by my Grandma’s art, and have sent sweet words and condolences. I really think this was my Grandma’s doing, as she was a Leo and always wanted to be as famous as her mother, the author and poet Meridel LeSueur. Thank you Grandma, it’s all for you. Inspired to do my best work to honor my Grandmother, a woman who’s purpose was deeply rooted in her art, just like mine.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I recently released a single on all streaming platforms called Play, and it is the first song in a 7 track album I have been working on for almost 4 years. I am really excited to release the next song called Child of the Sun, and finish the surprise bonus track I am adding with new flavors! You can purchase the track directly on my bandcamp.

I have some new songs I’m working on with my new band that I am looking forward to recording this spring. I also will have some music videos coming out, so stay tuned!

My Music & Movement class (baby music class) is for ages 0-7 and is monthly at a private residence in Bodega Bay, and is always an adorable time!

Keep an eye out for Lyric Raven & Friends playing in the Bay Area and beyond in 2026, as well as my solo shows and song circles.

I also occasionally host a femme-led Open Mic at the Arlene Francis Center in Santa Rosa, complete with a clothing swap and kava bar. My partner Falcón produces a monthly radio show there as well, called Radio Cafe, which features musicians and bands both locally and from throughout California.

Additionally, I have a Patreon, where I share unreleased music, writings, and behind the scenes photos. Looking to share more story telling there! And more of my visual art.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Trust in yourself, your intuition, your gut, your inner knowing. and in your excitement. Only you know what is best for you, and what your highest purpose is. Your body will tell you what feels right for you. somatic practices also help with this a lot, such as yoga, breath work & journaling. Some of my best songs were wisdom that came out of me stream of consciousness, completely improvised, messages to myself from source that I need to hear.

Practice, practice, practice! Anything you practice, you will get better at. Keep practicing and someday you will be a master. Practice is also a meditation, a ritual that you can return to again and again, a lighthouse in the storms of life. Finding a routine for practice as a musician is still something I struggle with, but is super important! The more experience you have and the more you play, the better you become at your craft.

Love is the answer. love is the way. There are more love songs than any other kind of song. Love heals, love motivates. Find what you love and do that. Find the people you love and who love you and be with them, care for each other. We are all in this together. Love in the end will conquer fear, and rule over hate. A simple act of kindness can bring you back to why life is worth living. I love love, and my music is made to spread love, and heal the ones I love. It has healed my own heart so many times. Love and Grief go together, but the love lives on. Always returning to love. I wish love and healing for the world.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The number one obstacle I am currently facing is navigating capitalism in the most expensive state in the country, in a country in a scary state of transition and tension. As a chronic illness warrior it has been difficult at times for me to receive a steady income, and it has been a barrier to healing and to progressing my music career. I have dealt with housing insecurity multiple times, and actually moved out of the country for awhile, which is part of why my album completion was postponed. I have done many jobs and utilized my college degree, but at this point and at the age of 35, much of the work I do utilizes my creativity and my gifts, and allows me essential time to recharge. I also am a professional pet and house sitter. It’s a nervous system friendly job where I can practice my music, plus I really love animals. I took a lot of time off when my Grandma was sick from everything so I could be available at all times. Somehow through trust and good vibes I was able to attract the clients I needed and get enough work to get by. I am building back up my career after returning to California and am finally ready to come out of my cocoon and share myself and my music more fully than ever. I know that how I resolve these financial obstacles is through sharing my music and art widely, creating resources for others, and bravely asking for the funding I need. I look forward to applying to more grants, artist residencies and festivals in the next year, and teaching more classes. The sky is the limit, and I trust this is just the beginning. I plan on growing my patreon, monthly subscribers and youtube channel. More music coming soon!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Twangwell
Anna Bergman

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