Every week, the Milwaukee Music Premiere sponsored by Density Studios connects the city’s artists with our listening audience. If you’re an artist with a track you’d like us to debut exclusively on Radio Milwaukee, head over to our Music Submission page to learn how.
We’re starting the new year strong by doubling up on Milwaukee Music Premieres today — and it turns out both are fitting selections for the flipping of the calendar.
The honors for the very first premiere of 2026 goes to the Steph Lippert Project, who coincidentally delivered a song that fits very nicely with one from centuries ago: a little diddy many of us belted out recently titled “Auld Lang Syne.”
Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote the words to that classic track in 1788 (inspired by an even older folk song), opining about the passage of time and how relationships evolve. Steph Lippert’s message on “Somebody Else” jives pretty closely with that of her fellow lyricist, as she ponders the ebbs and flows of life without getting swept away herself.
From a strictly musical perspective, the new single — a collaboration between Lippert and her partner, fellow Milwaukee musician Vincent Kircher — is a bouncy affair propelled by upbeat, dare I say groovy keys. You just might find your head bobbing a bit from side to side as Lippert takes a matter-of-fact approach to how things can change:
Oh, you
You did something for me
Now you go along doing something
For somebody else
Oh, you
You did something for me
Now I’m going home
To somebody else
Relationship subject matter like this tends to carry a flavor of wistfulness or longing or regret. There isn’t much of that here. Lippert explained that the song is “about working through the juxtaposition of feelings about people and times, past and present. It’s not really intended to feel sad, per se, but is more or less an acknowledgement that the beat moves on — and this is mostly good!”
I feel like there isn’t a lot of music out there for fans of Stoicism, but Lippert has come through with a track that’ll make you feel pretty solid about accepting the things you can’t change and moving forward with purpose.
Listen to “Somebody Else” from the Steph Lippert Project via the player at the top of the page or on 88Nine throughout today (6:30 and 10:30 a.m.; 2:30 and 6:30 p.m.). The song will get its official release Jan. 17 as the companion to its predecessor single, “Here Again,” that came out last November.
