There’s an unmistakable urgency you can feel when a song is written and performed from a place of complete honesty. That feeling permeates Carnival, the new album from Juliet Lloyd. “I’ve become someone who writes because they have to,” she says. “These songs helped me confront truths I’d been afraid to say out loud.”

Hailing from Rochester, NY (by way of Washington, DC, where she lives now), Lloyd first broke through in 2005 with All Dressed Up, drawing comparisons to Norah Jones. Her 2007 follow‑up Leave the Light On placed several tracks on MTV and VH1, yet by the end of that decade she had stepped away from music altogether, disillusioned with the industry.

A divorce in 2019 and the global pandemic reawakened her creative drive. “Even though it’s the second time around, it feels like a huge leap of faith,” she says. The result is Carnival—a deeply personal collection shaped by reflection and emotional honesty. 

Listen to “Call Your Wife”, a moving track from Carnival that captures Juliet Lloyd’s gift for honest, emotionally layered songwriting.

Lloyd has never shied away from vulnerability in her music. Her 2007 single “Come Tomorrow” revealed her doubts about a musical path, and 2012’s “Let Me Be the One” ended a five‑year writing drought. With Carnival, she leans fully into themes of heartbreak, healing, and the complicated emotions in between. “This is definitely a confrontational album. And I love it.”

Drawing on influences from Laurel Canyon folk to Lilith Fair rock, Carnival explores how we remember—or choose to remember—the past. “The carnival leaves town,” she sings, “and you’re left with an empty parking lot.”

Alongside the album, Lloyd releases a new single, “Reno Cure,” inspired by 1950s Nevada divorce ranches and her own separation. Originally more literal, the song evolved into something abstract and resonant. “It exists in both the past and the present,” she says.

For Juliet Lloyd, music is both catharsis and connection. “My favourite performances are when someone says, ‘That song really speaks to me.’ That’s why I do this.”

Catch Juliet Lloyd on her first UK tour this July

1 July: The Folklore Rooms / Brighton
2 July: The Hyde Tavern / Winchester
3 July: Hen and Chicken / Bristol (CRH Music promotions)
4 July: Artisan Tap / Stoke‑on‑Trent
5 July: Waggon & Horses / Nottingham
6 July: Café #9 / Sheffield
7 July: Hyde Park Book Club / Leeds
10 July: FortyFive Vinyl Café / York
11 July: The Muddy Puddle / London
13 July: The Wrotham Arms / Broadstairs 

☞ Get your ticket today ☜

www.julietlloyd.com