There is a particular vulnerability in discovering that love does not have to hurt in the ways you once expected it to. On ‘Not a Want’, Dublin-born singer-songwriter Lily McMahon turns that realisation into a tender piece of soulful pop, reflecting on the difficult work of unlearning patterns that once felt almost inevitable. Written about her boyfriend Angelo, the song is not simply a declaration of affection. It is an acknowledgement that healthy love can require its own kind of courage, particularly when your understanding of intimacy has been shaped by relationships that taught you to expect something different.
What makes the song compelling is the honesty at its centre. Lily does not romanticise the process of changing. Instead, she explores the uncomfortable recognition that entering a healthier relationship can expose the habits and expectations carried forward from the past. There is something deeply human in that tension. To be loved well is one thing. To believe that you deserve to be loved well can be something else entirely. ‘Not a Want’ lives inside that distinction, finding its emotional power in the space between old instincts and new possibilities.
The musical arrangement mirrors that emotional openness. Beginning with the piano introduction written by Angelo Presta, the song establishes an atmosphere of intimacy before Lily’s vocal takes centre stage. Warm instrumentation surrounds the foundation without crowding it, allowing the performance to retain a sense of closeness. Her voice carries both fragility and strength, moving through the song with the kind of soulful phrasing that makes every line feel lived rather than merely performed. The production leaves room for breath, reflection and emotional detail.
Lily’s wider musical identity makes the track particularly interesting. Drawing from pop, soul, jazz, R&B and indie, she has developed a sound that feels contemporary while carrying the warmth of classic soul songwriting. Her influences, including Imelda May, Billie Eilish and Amy Winehouse, can be felt less as direct imitation than as a shared understanding of the voice as an instrument of personality. Lily has the ability to make intimacy sound expansive. Even when the subject is intensely personal, the emotion remains open enough for listeners to recognise themselves inside it.
Ultimately, ‘Not a Want’ is a song about more than finding the right person. It is about becoming someone capable of accepting a different kind of love. That makes its central sentiment quietly powerful. Lily McMahon takes a personal story about Angelo and transforms it into something wider, a meditation on self-worth, emotional growth and the courage required to abandon familiar patterns. In doing so, she creates a soulful pop song that does not simply ask to be heard. It asks to be felt.
PR: Danielle Holian | Decent Music PR
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