Lizzie Reynolds left Tesco to sing full-time. Her EP about postnatal depression has passed 2.2 million TikTok views, and in September TikTok flew her to Madrid.
A song Lizzie Reynolds wrote as a letter to her two sons has passed 2.2 million listens and views on TikTok. The Wyboston singer, who spent five years working at Tesco before going full-time as a vocalist, wrote it and three other songs out of her own experience of postnatal depression.
The four tracks make up her EP, My Baby Blues Era. She says the depression followed the birth of her second son, and that being able to talk about it openly now matters more to her than the numbers.
“If talking openly about it helps another mum realise she isn’t alone, then that means an enormous amount to me,” she told The Bedford Times.
From the shop floor to full-time singing
Lizzie worked for Tesco for five years, two of them as a Community Champion.
“Music had always been a huge part of my life, but eventually I decided to take the leap, leave Tesco and pursue singing full-time,” she said. “Since then, things have gone in a direction I never expected.”
She built the business singing at weddings, pubs, restaurants and events across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, and she still does. Her website lists wedding packages from £350. Only more recently did she start releasing her own songs.
“It’s quite surreal considering that only a few years ago I was going into Tesco every day,” she said. “I’m still a working singer and mum of two from Wyboston, but I’m now trying to see how far I can take my own music independently.”
Four songs, one story
Lizzie describes each track on My Baby Blues Era like this:
- Baby Blues: about postnatal depression.
- Talk To Me: about communication and reaching out.
- I Won’t Let You Down: written as a letter to her two boys.
- Tomorrow Is a Brand New Day: about hope and recovery.
On her music page she writes that Baby Blues is about “the loneliness, sadness and confusion that can sit behind what is supposed to be one of the happiest times of your life”, and that I Won’t Let You Down is about “staying, fighting through the exhaustion and reminding them that she will always be there”.
All four songs are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music, according to her website.
2.2 million views, and a trip to Madrid
Lizzie says I Won’t Let You Down has now had more than 2.2 million listens and views on TikTok, and that three of her original songs have been supported by BBC Introducing. She has more than 30,000 followers on TikTok (@lizziereynoldsvocalist), and says thousands regularly join her live singing streams. Her website puts a regular stream at more than 15,000 individual viewers over its length, and says she is live most evenings from around 8pm.
This September TikTok invited her to the Coca-Cola Music Experience in Madrid and flew her out for it. Her website says she performed there on TikTok’s behalf.
Talking about it on air
On Monday 28 September she went on The Full English Breakfast Show on Black Cat Radio to talk about her experience of postnatal depression and the story behind Baby Blues. Her website says Black Cat Radio had already featured the song.
“The part of the story that matters most to me is being able to speak openly about postnatal depression,” she said.
What it means for you
- To hear the songs: My Baby Blues Era is on the main streaming services. Links are on lizziereynolds.co.uk/mymusic.
- To catch her live: she streams on TikTok most evenings from around 8pm, and still plays weddings, pubs and events across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Bookings are through her website.
- If her story sounds like yours: the NHS has information on postnatal depression, and a GP, midwife or health visitor is the place to start.
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