Lily Vakili is, at her core, a storyteller. A lifelong observer, chronicler, and creative force, she has spent decades gathering fragments of the world – memories, landscapes, voices, losses, joys – and transforming them into urgent, electric songs. It was on her most recent solo tour, while driving through the continental US with one of her brothers (a former submariner) as roadie, that Vakili found the inspiration for what would ultimately become a new album and a new era for her artistry, signaled by a return to using her own name, Lily Vakili (rather than Vakili Band), for her musical explorations. On her new album 'OCEANS OF KANSAS', Vakili offers her most intimate, collaborative, and expansive work yet: A collection shaped by lived experience, artistic risk, and restless curiosity. It’s music born not of image or pretense, but of will – a record that embraces improvisation, vulnerability, and the raw pleasure of creation. The album’s title, 'OCEANS OF KANSAS', is both literal and metaphorical – a nod to the prehistoric inland sea that once covered the Great Plains, and to Vakili’s own understanding of life as layered, shifting, and filled with fossils of memory. An overnight stop on tour led Vakili to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas. Standing before the spectacular remnants of that ancient ocean, Vakili felt the weight and wonder of time collapse: “I understood something,” she reflects. “that I am the archivist, the archaeologist, of my own life.” The album draws on that revelation, honoring what’s been unearthed, what’s been lost, and what’s still surfacing. As Vakili puts it, “Everything is fleeting, everything is here.” Sonically, 'OCEANS OF KANSAS' is as sweeping and unpredictable as its namesake: Blues-soaked guitar riffs crash against delicate ballads, fiery rock anthems surge alongside hushed, intimate confessionals and strikingly seductive Bossa Nova rhythms. Vakili’s voice moves effortlessly between grit and grace, roaring with ferocity one moment and whispering with vulnerability the next. The album opens with “Okoboji,” a sly, feel-good, free-spirited celebration of sun, water, and the uninhibited joy of letting your guard down among friends. “It’s open, and it’s worth remembering and honoring that,” Vakili says. The piano-driven “Hold On They Say” finds her singing for dreamers and daydreamers alike, channeling her mother’s advice into a heartfelt chorus filled with timeless truth: “Hold your dreams close, and don’t let them slip away.” Chris St. Hilaire's compelling piano solo adds a special depth to an already powerful track that hits hard and leaves a lasting mark. On “One Human Being,” Vakili reflects on acts of kindness, resilience, and what it means to leave the world a little better than you found it – even when the results of those efforts may never be fully seen. Her voice finds an ideal counterpoint in Dave Mann’s lively flute, his warm notes dancing playfully throughout the sultry, jazz-tinged track. The gently intoxicating “April Fools” poses a deceptively simple but piercing question: Amidst life’s endless obligations, can you still choose happiness? It’s a soft moment of introspection and clarity, a smile-inducing embrace of the present without worry for the past or the future: “So let’s be fools, my April flower, let’s be fools full of desire. You are my old, you are my new, my everlasting April fool,” Vakili sings hot on the mic, basking in a carefree moment of connection. Vakili closes the album with “Tannersville,” a dramatic anthem whose energy is immediately unleashed through a bold and brash guitar solo by Eric Burns. Earnest and unfiltered, the track honors the courage it takes to stay true to yourself, to your friends, to the moments that define who you are. Across these nine songs, Vakili creates a world of nuance and intensity, offering songs that are by turns tender and tenacious, delicate and defiant — each one a testament to the power of presence and the beauty of not backing down. Vakili’s journey to music has been anything but linear – shaped by what she calls “a life lived.” Born in Honduras to a family of six, she was raised across Honduras, Florida, Thailand, Puerto Rico, and Iowa – absorbing pieces of each place, each culture, along the way. This upbringing shaped her voice, her worldview, and her lifelong search for connection. Before she found her footing in music, Vakili built a life as a dancer, an actor, a lawyer, and a mother – gathering stories, learning to listen, and bearing witness to the complicated, often contradictory nature of being human. Over time, music became her creative home: A space where rawness and risk are not just welcome, but essential. The past decade has seen her channel that force through five studio albums – released both as a solo artist and with Vakili Band – each one experimenting with the wide, untamed possibilities of rock. “I love the serendipitous nature of art,” Vakili says. “It’s disruptive, it’s intentional, it’s an exertion of will.” Onstage, she is a force of nature: Radiant, kinetic, and unapologetically present. Each show is a high-voltage exchange of electricity and emotion, made all the more memorable for artist and audience alike thanks to an ever-present spirit of collaboration, experimentation, and connection. That sense of purpose runs through every note of 'OCEANS OF KANSAS', which marks a return to performing as Lily Vakili. These are, as she calls them, her “orphan songs”: Melodies she couldn’t let go of, lyrics that stayed with her long after others faded. “For whatever reason, these songs didn’t stick before, but I would not give up on them because I know they’re compelling,” she shares. 'OCEANS OF KANSAS' was recorded at GRAMMY Award winning recording studio Second Take Sound in New York City, produced by Reed Turchi, who also co-produced 2024’s 'TANNERSVILLE' EP, and mastered by industry veteran Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound. The four songs of the TANNERSVILLE' EP, each recorded in a spare acoustic style, find new life in full band arrangements on the 'OCEANS OF KANSAS' album, an exploration that both Vakili and Turchi were eager to pursue. Turchi also assembled the studio musicians for the album – many of whom have played together for years, and some of whom will now be joining Vakili on tour this fall. Working alongside Joseph Yount (drums), Seth Barden (bass), Eric Burns (guitar), and Reed Turchi (slide guitar), as well as special guests Dave Mann (flute, saxophone) and Chris St. Hilaire (piano, percussion), Vakili follows her last EP by leaning in like never before, creating what she describes as “music that feels like a friend” – tender, imperfect, fragile in the best way. “I felt as if each member of the ensemble brought their artistry to this project, and I think that’s part of what makes it so distinct – It’s not one sound throughout. The ‘glue’ is the storyteller, but the stories are highly varied,” Vakili says. “The approach allowed me to focus on my performance in a way that resulted in (what I think is) my strongest vocal work to date,” Vakili says. “The combination of performing live for diverse audiences in a new town every night and being on the road as a solo performer led me to 'OCEANS OF KANSAS'; and it also allowed me to acknowledge and accept that Vakili Band, as much as I had loved it, no longer existed, but a new path of musical experimentation lay ahead,” she says. At its core, 'OCEANS OF KANSAS' is an ode to resilience, honesty, and human connection – a record that invites listeners to stand in their own truths, to honor their histories, and to keep moving forward with open eyes and open hearts. It’s not about perfection or polish; it’s about showing up fully, embracing the mess, and making something that feels alive. There may no longer be an ocean in Kansas, but with her latest album, Lily Vakili rises with a tidal force – flooding the soul with raw feeling, intimate stories, and uncompromising sound. It’s a soundtrack for living boldly, feeling deeply, and refusing to be anything but yourself.