Lydia Loveless is the type of female role model mothers should present to their young daughters. The 26-year-old songwriter combines her dry sense of humor, thought-provoking lyrics and an external fortitude that makes it very clear she is worthy of respect and praise.
Loveless is currently touring for her fifth album, “Real.” Some critics have deemed the album her best work yet, claiming her sound is at its purest. Loveless said she is content with the album, but hopes for even greater future success as her style continues to evolve.
“I think when I was younger I was just trying to figure out who I was,” Loveless said. “As a songwriter you have to stay sort of fluid and in motion. … I was actually talking to my guitar player last night about how probably right now is the peak of my songwriting — because I’m, you know, young, but also a little more self-aware than when I was younger — and … he’s like, ‘Well, I don’t know. I feel like I’m writing the best stuff I’ve ever written, and I’m 47.’”
Nashville break-out artist Aaron Lee Tasjan opens for Loveless on tour. The artists, both originally from Columbus, Ohio, are on the same booking label, Bloodshot Records. Tasjan’s sound resonates with his Nashville roots and provides a smooth segue into the main act.
In addition to having a male opener, Loveless is backed by an all-male band. On tour, she said, she can go for long periods of time only interacting with men. Loveless spoke about this strange situation and the overall disparity in male and female treatment in the music industry.
“It’s definitely shaped, you know, my particular brand of enraged feminism to really grow up,” Loveless said. “In bars and in the music scene, which is completely male-dominated — and there’s a lot of harassment and assault that goes on — it’s always been there. … It’s definitely a different experience [as a woman]. You’re judged for completely different reasons than men are in the field, and you have to work 10 times as hard to get like, very little, and when you do do something cool, it’s like a pat on the head and ‘A woman in music did something!’”
While facing entirely different treatment than her male peers, Loveless also struggles as critics incorrectly categorize her music as angsty punk-rock.
“They cram you in the, like, ‘girls’ rock’ section, and I’m 26 years old,” Loveless said. “I’m not a girl, and I don’t rock. I write f—ing music.”
Upon listening to songs on “Real,” or even her earliest singles, it is clear that Loveless is not an angsty artist belting out meaningless lyrics. She is incredibly talented, with lyrics which make deep topics like love and hardship accessible to listeners.
Whether listeners are interested in her music or simply want to support someone who is working for change in the music industry, Charlottesville residents should mark this show on their calendar.
Aaron Lee Tasjan will open for Loveless Saturday at the Southern. Doors will open at 7 p.m.
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