Get to know Livia

How did you get your initial start in music?

I’ve been singing since I was a child, listening to my dad’s record collection and creating dance routines for anybody who would watch! But professionally, I got my first real chance to record my own music 6 years ago, when I was picked for an Artist Development Program run by a recording studio and music company in London, which helped singer-songwriters to develop their skills and have studio time. It completely changed my life.

What would be your ultimate aim in the industry?

As a songwriter, to have my music listened to and identified with, is one of the best feelings there is. I played a gig last week and people were actually singing my lyrics back to me – that is what it’s really about. Yes, of course, I would love as many people as possible to hear my music and be hugely successful, but I’m not starry-eyed. Fame comes at a cost and I believe that things happen for a reason – everything unfolds as it should, even if it’s not always clear why. If something is meant to be, it will be and there have been enough times on mywayward musical path where I felt that my life was over and disaster was around the corner, but it would always turn out to benefit the music in some way and make me a stronger artist. I’ve learned to have faith in that and stay true to who I am. So maybe, my aim is to prove that you can make it, despite all the crap that happens, even if you are not perfect and don’t fit all the silly boxes and labels that people seem to think are important and still achieve your dreams, whatever they may be.

How long have you been writing your own music?

I wrote my first proper song when I was 16. It was called ‘Alone’. Teenage angst anyone? 😉

Who are your top three influences and why?

A tricky one, there are way more than three, but I guess the main ones would be Kate Bush for teaching me to be a visual artist, Madonna for teaching me to be a chameleon and Emilie Autumn for teaching me to make an art-form out of my tragedies!

Is there anything you would like people to know about your current release?

I have just released the video for ‘Natural High’, a hopefully uplifting song about the search for inner strength and the universal law of attraction. The song is taken from my debut album ‘Journey of an Empath’, and was produced by a wonderful artist/musician calledWiggzaro. Born in South Africa, he draws on many genres including world and new age music, which fitted my writing style perfectly. Other collaborators on my album included Simon Ellis, who may need no introduction to pop music fans!

My album is about my journey and if my journey somehow helps you on yours, then job done J

Where are you based and what’s your local scene like? Any favourite venues?

I’m based in SE London, but because of the fantasy element to my music, we play some weird and wonderful festivals all over the country, as well as in London itself. The most amazing one recently was in an enormous boat hangar at Chatham Dockyard, as part of the Festival of Steam and Transport. We were suspended on a platform maybe 30 feet in the air under a big domed ceiling, while hurricane force winds raged outside – that was a stunning but slightly terrifying experience!

I’m lucky to be working with some very dedicated, hard-working promoters and festival organisers at the moment, who really care about giving new artists and bands a platform for their music.

Who else can you recommend from your local scene for people to have a listen to?

It depends on your taste of course, but on the magical/folk side of things, there’s a band called Serpentine that I really like, who play some fascinating medieval instruments. One of the festival organisers I work with, Matthew Callow, is also an artist who does cool and ethereal things with a variety of unusual instruments and a Boss effects pedal. My album track ‘Dark Side of Love’features a local metal band called Brutai, who are really talented and gaining a lot of attention in their field; they played some wicked guitar riffs on the track.