Country artist Lilly Moss will unveil a new single Friday, the same day she opens for Russell Dickerson at Musikfest, on the Wind Creek Steel Stage at PNC Plaza, East First Street, Bethlehem.

Moss, a Bethlehem native/resident, will release “Somebody Should,” the follow-up to “Death of Me.” The singer, a 2024 Unsigned Only Music Competition semifinalist, recently signed to country duo LoCash and partners’ Music City Power Company, an artist development and music marketing hub.

Fans seeing her Steel Stage show, Moss said, should expect a lot of energy, as she loves “feeding off the crowd. I know everyone there is going to be having a great time, so I can only expect insanity.”

Moss will play duo Musikfest gigs Aug. 2 and 6 on the Main Street and Lagerplatz stages, respectively. Guitarist Kevin Alamanza joins her for duo shows, with band The Steel Ponies backing her elsewhere.

In 2025, Moss, who frequently travels to Nashville, Tennessee, made her first Musikfest appearance with her full band. She played a duo show the year prior.

The entertainer’s schedule also includes: Saturday’s Das Awkscht Fest in Macungie; three August dates, starting Sunday, at Signature Brewery & Saloon in Stroudsburg; and the Aug. 15 Wine Country Music Festival at Blue Ridge Estate Vineyard & Winery in Saylorsburg.

Moss, who in high school participated in the school choir and theater programs, grew up on country music. She credits the genre with hitting her the hardest, emotionally, compared to other types of music. Moss’ youth included vocal lessons, learning piano and, by age 16, writing songs.

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter’s four 2024 singles preceded her debut album “Heartbreak Summer,” released in May.

Grammy nominee Dan Malsch, a mixer and audio engineer, produced the set, which includes cuts such as the title track, “Cupid’s a Hell of a Shot” and “Love Me Not.”

Moss hopes listeners feel the emotion in her songs, as “not one time did I say it was just OK; these are all songs that gave me chills. I hope listeners receive the same chills when they listen to them.”

Prior to Musikfest, Moss — a childhood cancer survivor and advocate for pediatric cancer awareness and families facing similar battles — discussed her challenging younger years and her music career.

Q: At age 3, you were diagnosed with leukemia, finishing your treatment protocol at 5. Do you have memories of that time, and how has the experience impacted you?

A: I think sometimes I am lucky not to remember those times. There are some “weird” memories, like getting up in the middle of the night to cuddle with my parents on the hospital cot. I accidentally got out of bed on the wrong side of the bed as my IV pole and my IV tugged my arm. I remember crawling over the bed and grabbing the pole to roll with me as I found my way to my parents.

Overall, the experience, not just for me but for my family, made us not take a single moment for granted. We go into every moment head-on and soak it all in.

Q: Did writing poems and reading books help you to make sense of life at the time?

A: Yes. I’ve always loved to write, whether it was creative writing or poetry. To this day, I use that in ways that transpire into my music. I always read as a little girl and I would say even more so now.

Writing songs, stories or singing all serve as outlets to express emotion. I think as my dream, and my talent even, developed, those emotions began to sound like songs.

Q: Your influences include Jason Isbell, Adele, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Kassi Ashton and Ella Langley. Has one of them influenced you most?

A: I am not sure any stand out over the other. I keep adding influences. I aim for more of a tone, a certain emotion, vibe, grit and honesty that all these artists offer. I would love to be all of them.

Q: You started prep work years before your first performance. When was your first live gig?

A: I think it was a matter of finding the confidence to get up in front of a crowd for the first time. At my first show, at 17 in 32-degree December weather at Easton Winter Village, all I remember is not wanting to get off the stage. I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Q: How did you land the gig opening for Russell Dickerson at Musikfest?

A: We have been applying pressure to the team at ArtsQuest, tagging them in all my monumental posts, hoping they give a homegrown girl an opportunity to take the big stage.

Q: What would you consider your career highlights thus far?

A: Opening for Russell Dickerson, being the keynote speaker at the Grant Thornton Invitational, signing with Music City Power Company, playing Barefoot Country Music Fest, creating hits with For the Record, and “Death of Me” hitting 350,000 Spotify streams — my biggest streaming song to date.

Q: Do you have more music on the way?

A: “Diggin’ in My Heels” is coming out Sept. 11, closing out my summer show run, but leaving everyone with the message that Lilly Moss is here to stay.