From the studio to the stage, Lily Sturges is on a mission to prove women are the future of music.

The first-year music industry student said her peers at UCLA have inspired her to take music more seriously. The Los Angeles native’s latest single, “Want You Back,” was awarded in the instrumentalist category in the 2024 SoCal Beat Battle. She said the song, however, was not released until this year after signing with the student-run label Cherry Pop Records last summer. Inspired to return to the track, redo the instrumentals and record vocals, Sturges released her song in February 2026 – marking her first single since starting at UCLA. Hoping her music speaks for itself and feels great to listen to, Sturges added that she always aims to make someone’s favorite song.

“If I can make someone feel a little bit more in love with themselves, or a little bit more understood for three minutes, I feel like I did my job,” Sturges said.

Having attended a Waldorf education school growing up, Sturges said she has always been surrounded by art and music. She said learning the guitar made her realize how much she loved rock music and inspired her to form a band as a high school freshman. Sturges also said she briefly experimented with an R&B sound in her solo music before starting to DJ in her senior year. This inspired her to make music people could dance to. The experience, she said, drew her to the electronic dance music she writes, produces and performs now. Still discovering new techniques, Sturges said “Want You Back” is the first song she ever made using the music software Ableton. She added that, while she is still trying to land on her niche and greatly enjoys blending genres, her biggest musical inspirations include Bladee, Charli xcx and 2hollis.

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First-year music industry student Julia Freed – who has plans to manage Sturges’s career in the future – said Sturges’s confidence and drive are what make her such a special artist to watch. Sturges has transitioned into making the kind of music she enjoys, and Freed said this excitement and energy is reflected in her latest release.

“I feel really connected to what she makes, and I really understand it,” Freed said. “I’m so excited for people who like different genres that maybe don’t connect to house and EDM to like it – to find this new area of music that they also like.”

First-year music industry student Leilene Hernandez got to be part of Sturges’s “Want You Back” music video. She said Sturges is a breath of fresh air in the industry, because no matter how much she has on her plate, she always makes time to uplift female artists. Hernandez added that she was recently encouraged by Sturges to release a single on SoundCloud – a leap she said she would not have taken without that support.

“She doesn’t see it as competition. We’re never competing against each other,” Hernandez said. “She’s like, ‘How can I help you? How can you help me? How can we help each other to both get to a place where we want to go?’”

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Sturges said the music industry classes she has taken at UCLA, as well as her current internship – which she landed thanks to a guest speaker in one of those courses – have helped her realize that working in music is a possibility she wants. She added that she enjoys collaborating with fellow music industry students. She said she feels grateful they are all eager to spend time in the studio together, as they are the future executives and artists of the music industry.

The “Want You Back” music video was released Feb. 18, and her debut album is set to come out in May, Sturges said. While her biggest dreams include headlining The Roxy, playing Coachella and collaborating with Lady Gaga, Sturges said she is also passionate about showing women in music they can be producers too. She added that, although the music industry remains male-dominated, women have proven to be great producers when given the opportunity – and she wants to be part of the push for more women in music.

“I finally have a vision of who I think I want to be and what I want my artist brand to be,” Sturges said. “I’m really excited to keep working towards that vision and enjoying it.”