Tony Lio is an American solo singer-songwriter who has been playing, recording and performing original music for over a decade. Starting out as nothing more than a guitar player, Tony Lio slowly transitioned into becoming a songwriter through circumstance and eventually began writing and recording his own material guided by a feeling that the music was unique. He specializes in a hybrid musical style that has led him to create a series of songs that range from hard-driven rock to introspective melody-inspired indie. Throughout the years, Tony Lio has managed to perfect this style and now aims to step out of his previous limitations and experiment with themes that he was previously hesitant to dive into it. That includes his new single, “Better to Sleep,” featured on his recent EP titled Mirage Masquerade, which is part of his Emotion Trilogy that includes the EPs Chaotic Desire and Euphoric Illusions.
With “Better to Sleep” out now, we took some time to hear from Tony Lio. Read below to learn more about Tony Lio, the story behind “Better to Sleep,” and what’s to come.
Hi Tony Lio! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
Pleasure to be here. I conceptualized the name “Tony Lio” in 2017 through a certain set of influences. I was in my college apartment at the time watching a live performance of Genesis featuring Peter Gabriel who utilized costumes and masks to add a visual layer to their music; watching the performance gave me the idea of creating an alter-ego that would serve as a visual representation of my own music. Name-wise I wanted something simple yet effective and eventually came across “Lio,” which was one of the Italian translations for “lion”; I figured it was easy to slip off the tongue and would pay homage to my Italian heritage. A friend of mine eventually helped me create a war-paint masquerade inspired makeup design and with that Tony Lio was born.
What city are you from, and where are you based now?
I’m from and currently live in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, which is about twenty minutes from Princeton. It’s a cool, quiet town with a lot of parks and forest lands, which have no doubt influenced my indie-inspired music.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
My music journey had an interesting start to say the least. I’ve always been drawn to music since I was kid; especially since my parents had very contrasting musical tastes with my father being into straight-forward rock and my mom more into pop and new-wave. I eventually picked up the trumpet and played in the school and marching band for many years before deciding to change course and focus on learning guitar. I’ll be the first to admit that I was a punk-inspired guitarist when starting out as I focused more on rhythm inspired power playing and it was only when I was in my later teens that I started to seriously experiment with songwriting. My original intention was to be the songwriter in whatever project I found myself in, but when I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to sing, I had no choice but to sing myself, which was a learning curve I had to get use to. Ironically, it’s been ten years since I recorded my first collection of original songs (under my real name and not “Tony Lio”) and listening back now I had a lot to learn; however despite how rough I was on those first recordings I was definitely on the right track of finding my sound and the feeling of recording something that I created made me realize that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
I would describe my sound as a fusion of high energy grunge rock based around powerful riffs and chord patterns and slow melodic indie patterns. I try to offer a different musical experience through certain songs so if you want an in-your-face rocker you can bang your head to or a slow calm piece to help you relax and get lost in, I’m the artist you go to.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
Outside of music, I try to experiment with several different artistic hobbies ranging from writing original short stories to photography (my favorite subject to capture being nature landscapes). I find that focusing on these different hobbies helps in re-charging my music drive whenever I find myself stuck in a creative drought; better to step away for a moment to focus on something else than to keep banging your head against the wall and getting nowhere.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
My main musical influences range from the Beatles (who inspired me to play music overall), Van Halen and the Ramones (both inspired me to pick up the guitar), Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots (the bands whose music I was most drawn to), and Chris Cornell and Hozier (singers-songwriters who taught me that you don’t have to stay in one lane to be unique).
What is the craziest live performance moment that you’ve experienced?
I was playing a bar show with my friend’s band, and I saw out the corner of my eye a guy swaying back and forth against the bar. When we launched into the next song in our set, the guy leaned back and fell over right in front of us. We all glanced at each other if we should stop playing, but the guy was helped to his feet, he wasn’t hurt and was taken outside. Definitely one for the books.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
There’s a vocal exercise that I do that I picked up from a musician when I was part of a musical in college. I’m not going to lay out the whole exercise here, but it’s basically singing up a major scale while repeating chocolate cookie over and over.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
One of the proudest moments that I’ve experienced in my career so far would have to be the release show for the Euphoric Illusions EP in December 2023. Not only did I put on a great show playing songs that I’m incredibly proud of, but I was also surrounded by family, friends and fellow musicians who I was proud to share the moment with and that’s something I’ll never forget.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
Sounds cliché, but some of the best lessons that I’ve learned have been the ones where I’ve experienced failure. Whether it was releasing a song I was super proud of, but didn’t receive the recognition that I thought it would deserve or a project that I invested a lot of time and energy in that wasn’t the result I thought it would be, I find that those experiences teach you of what can work and what cannot, but you can take those experiences to make sure your next move will be smarter and more successful.
Now onto your release, “Better to Sleep.” What inspired this song? What is “Better to Sleep” about?
“Better to Sleep” first came around as a title I found one day out of the blue and kept in my journal of ideas for some time until I found the inspiration to build something around it which eventually came around mid 2025. The song’s theme is centered on escapism and in this case being an escape into one’s dreams to take a break from reality. Especially in the modern times we currently live in I’m not surprised if we could all take a deep breath, lay down and just escape to our deepest dreams for a few minutes.
What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for “Better to Sleep?”
The artwork was inspired by one of my own dreams in which I found myself in a weird landscape and was drawn by a figure that was unlike anything I’ve seen. I knew the idea was good but it had to be simplified so that the song’s themes could also be shown, which eventually led to the idea of reaching out to be near a beautiful siren in a crystal forest.
What was the creative process like when making “Better to Sleep?”
“Better to Sleep” was one of those songs that I took my time in writing and crafting. For me some song ideas have this special kind of connection that make you want to put your all in and ensure that it comes out as something you’re proud of.
How long did it take to complete “Better to Sleep?”
It took about three to five months for “Better to Sleep” to be fully written from start to finish. The song started in two previous drafts in different styles before I decided to scrap each one and start over when I found that the ideas weren’t working. It’s only when I decided to go in a slower simpler direction with a better idea of what to write about that the song finally came together and I was able to complete it.
What is your favorite lyric in “Better to Sleep” and why?
My favorite lyric in “Better to Sleep” would have to be “But remember they always say careful what you find.” To me that line speaks to both fantasy and reality; it’s good to get lost in your dreams but remember not to confuse them when you think you’ve found them in real life.
What do you hope fans take away from “Better to Sleep” and your music in general?
I hope that when people hear “Better to Sleep” they can take the message that it’s okay to slow down to heart and learn to take it easy. As for my music overall, I hope that people will look at my catalogue and find songs that you can relate to on all levels whether you want to scream at the top of your lungs or just want to turn your brain off.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
As of right now, I currently have two projects that are in pre-production that will eventually be announced soon, but for now, stayed tuned and watch out. Performing wise, I’m currently taking things slow, but come the spring and summer season, I’m hoping to have some shows lined up; once again, stay tuned and watch out.
Where can we follow you on social media?
You can follow me on these social media links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redtonyliomusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redtonyliomusic
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@redtonyliomusic
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
