Meg Lui Releases Debut Album INSTANT VALIDATION Produced by Sufjan Stevens

Meg Lui's debut album Instant Validation, produced by Sufjan Stevens, is out now via Asthmatic Kitty Records. In honor of the release, the Hudson Valley-based singer-songwriter has shared the pastoral yet abstract video for the title track, directed by her longtime partner Keenan O'Meara.

'I wrote 'Instant Validation' thinking about our collective obsession with checking social media to make sure we're getting enough likes–and how it feeds the worst part of ourselves. It's about seeking affirmation to make small moments feel special–even when they already are–and curating our lives through pictures and videos for other people,' Lui explains of the song. 'It's not meant to be a judgment on others, it was something I saw in myself and still struggle with. So this song is an attempt to poke fun at my own insecurities around having an online presence.'

Instant Validation and its singles–'Miss Queen Know It All,' 'Elvis Queen,' 'Dreams' (The Cranberries cover), and 'Gone Girl'–have been earning praise and support from The Line Of Best Fit, FLOOD Magazine, Pitchfork ('Selects'), Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, SPIN, Under The Radar, Northern Transmissions, and more.

Lui will also celebrate the album's release with two New York record release shows: tonight in upstate NY at Tempo in Kingston, and the other on Tuesday (9/29) at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn. She is also confirmed for the O+ Festival in Kingston on October 10th. Tickets are on sale now.

On Instant Validation, Northern California-born Lui shares an up-close glimpse into the magnificently curious wonderland of her mind, offering up a batch of songs both rooted in raw emotion and inhabited by a fantastically surreal cast of characters: anthropomorphic flowers, sea monsters, Elvis Presley, the ill-fated lovers of ancient Greek myths. The album marries her intimate songwriting with an extravagantly detailed sound anchored in her warm yet commanding voice—an instrument she's wielded to glorious effect in singing background vocals on acclaimed releases like Stevens' Javelin and John Legend's My Favorite Dream. As Lui's first full-length project after years of musical soul-searching, Instant Validation ultimately presents a beautifully lived-in look at building a meaningful life amid the chaos of the modern era.

Meg Lui Live

09/25 - Kingston, NY - Tempo

09/29 - Brooklyn, NY - The Sultan Room

10/10 - Kingston, NY - O+ Festival