Lizzy McAlpine

Lizzy McAlpine Artistfacts

  • September 21, 1999
  • Elizabeth Catherine McAlpine was born in Narberth, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. She started writing songs around age 12 and later studied songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston before dropping out during her junior year to pursue music full time.
  • McAlpine doesn't know where her artistic side originated because neither of her parents are musical. "My sister is a dancer and visual artist, but I can't see it anywhere in my immediate family," she told Hot Press.
  • In 2020, McAlpine released her debut album, Give Me a Minute, which she wrote while studying abroad in Spain in the fall of 2019 and released independently. The Dallas Observer named it one of the best albums of 2020.
  • McAlpine's father died on March 13, 2020, just months before her debut arrived. She noticed a haunting pattern shortly after. "He passed on the 13th and Give Me a Minute came out on the 13th, and the 13th song is about him," she told The Boston Globe. "Now every 13th track on every album that I ever make will be about my dad."

    True to her word, the 13th tracks on her first three albums – "Headstones and Land Mines," "Chemtrails," and "March" - are all dedicated to her late father.
  • McAlpine has been a devoted theater fan since childhood, a passion sparked when her grandmother began taking her to Broadway shows annually starting at age 8. In 2025, McAlpine made her Broadway debut as Nellie Collins in Floyd Collins at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater, performing alongside Jeremy Jordan. She felt a strong connection to the role, telling Lincoln Center Theater, "I'm in the music industry, surrounded by men, so I know what it's like not to be taken seriously. I have been able to bring some of that real life experience into this assignment."
  • In 2026, McAlpine made her television acting debut in a flashback scene on the supernatural teen drama School Spirits. The show had previously featured her songs "Doomsday" and "The Elevator" in earlier seasons, and castmate Milo Manheim advocated for her to get an on-screen role after hearing those tracks.
  • McAlpine pushes back against being labeled a "TikTok star," even though her hit song "Ceilings" went viral on the platform and earned reposts from celebrities like Jimmy Fallon and Kylie Jenner. She told Hot Press the title feels "patronizing" and fails to capture how her career truly developed.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian OrchestraSongwriter Interviews

Writing great prog metal isn't easy, especially when it's for 60 musicians.

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."