Jill Loryn introduces her heartfelt folk storytelling with debut single “It’s Not Right.”
Ontario-based singer-songwriter Jill Loryn is stepping into the spotlight with the release of her debut single, “It’s Not Right,” arriving February 20. A folk artist with deep roots in small-town life, Loryn has spent most of her life writing and performing, quietly building a catalogue of honest, story-driven songs that she’s only now beginning to share with the world. Intimate and lyric-driven, “It’s Not Right” is an Americana-leaning folk track that captures the quiet realization that a relationship has ended long before anyone else notices. Grounded in the realities of small-town expectations and the courage it takes to choose honesty over comfort, the single marks the first release from a focused five-song project, with more music set to follow throughout the year.
Review
“It’s Not Right” is a heartfelt country track built on honest storytelling and small-town reality. The song opens with the weight of community expectations — “This whole town thinks we are something / Your mama wants us to get married in spring” — immediately setting the scene for a relationship everyone believes in except the person living it. As the story unfolds, the narrator quietly realizes the truth about a love that was never fully there.
What makes the song resonate is its understated honesty. Instead of dramatic heartbreak, the lyrics focus on the uncomfortable moments of discovery, like learning the truth secondhand: “I heard the news from your sister at school / It’s not right just because it makes sense to you.” By the time the narrator reflects on “I wasted a year of my life on false hope,” the song lands with a sense of clarity and resolve. “It’s Not Right” ultimately captures the courage it takes to walk away from something that may make sense to everyone else — but never truly felt right.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi! My name is Jill Loryn, and I just released a song called “It’s Not Right”
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
It’s Not Right is a story about setting yourself up for disappointment. I think we all have had moments in our lives when we create expectations that are so out of this world, they are destined for failure. Writing this song was my response to going through one of those moments.
Walk us through your creative progress when creating music.
When I am in the zone of creating music, I am feeling some big emotions. It may begin with feelings of frustration, desperation, longing, or joy, but soon enough it melts into an overwhelming motivation. I’ll sit there with my guitar or at the piano and problem-solve my way into a new song. It’s the most enticing adventure there is. Figuring out how new chords and lyrics fit into the story is by far my favorite pastime.
Now that the music is out, what does the ‘road ahead’ look like? Beyond tours and videos, what’s one ‘bucket list’ goal you hope to achieve with this release?
Honestly, I am a very day-by-day person. I am still coming to fully understand that I actually made it this far, and I am extremely grateful. That being said, if someone asked me to play at a rodeo, I would be over the moon excited!
Every artist has a ‘lightbulb moment’ where things just clicked. Looking back, what’s the one performance or milestone that made you realize, ‘Okay, this is what I was meant to do’?
My light-bulb moment was during a performance I did in my hometown. I participated in vocal lessons for most of my childhood, and part of that was performing for judges at the end of the school year. If you did well on that part, you got to be part of a highlight show. The first year I got to perform in highlights, I sang this song from Hairspray, and I was very nervous because it was not my normal kind of song. It was silly and, honestly, quite sassy. So I got up on this stage in front of 600 people, and I sang my song, and at the very end, there was a really funny one-liner. I gave it my all, and the entire auditorium erupted in laughter. In that moment, I thought to myself this is what I want to do. I brought 600 strangers together in unity through one song. That was the most amazing feeling.
We love championing Canadian talent. If you were curated a ‘Must-Listen’ playlist of emerging artists right now, who is the first person you’d add?
If I were in charge of making the playlist for Canadian Talent, the first person getting added would be Mitch Gorman. He’s a folk artist from Alberta who writes perfect songs for having a bonfire with your friends on a warm summer evening.
There’s nothing like the energy of a live room. Where can fans catch you on stage next, and for someone seeing you for the first time, what should they expect from your live experience?”
Being that I am a brand new artist, I don’t currently have any shows lined up; however, in the future, you can expect a grand old time. My personal goal is for anyone watching to feel like their worries have melted away by the time they head out for the night.