Born in Norway and set to light the world on fire with her infectious country-pop talents, Liv Austen is a woman who draws from a number of different outlets for her gift, whilst remaining incredibly unique throughout.
Liv Austen is back with new single 'The Next Time'
We got the opportunity to put some questions to Liv about her career to-date, her upcoming releases and more. Read on to find out what she had to say…
For those who may be new to your music, how best would you describe your sound?
I think I am part Scandi pop, part UK singer/songwriter and part Nashville country. Something like that! I think if Carly Rae Jepsen, Sheryl Crow and Shania Twain got together, they'd write the perfect Liv Austen song. That's my best way of describing it!
What challenges have you faced in the music industry so far?
I think one of the biggest challenges has been with people's view of what «country» is. There are a lot of weird misconceptions about it. I used to have them myself, so I do understand it! Another challenge for me was getting comfortable with cowrites. I am so glad I pushed myself to do it now, because some great songs have come out of it for me. I still love writing on my own too, though. My greatest challenge has maybe been to coproduce my own music. I have had a hand in the production of my music from the start, but I always felt like the people I worked with decided a lot of things for me, assuming that I didn't quite know what I wanted from production and arrangement. When I signed my record deal and started working on my new music however, I vowed that I would not let anyone tell me what to do. Coproducing these new tracks with two male producers/engineers has been a challenge at times, but I have learned so much about how to express myself in the studio to get what I want and to be heard – it's been a fantastic experience and a huge learning curve.
How difficult would you say this career path is in terms of making a name for yourself?
In some ways it feels easy, because some amazing fans took note of me very early and have supported me ever since, in everything I do. Which is very humbling. In other ways it feels difficult. There are so many artists out there. Some are extremely talented, and some are very good at promoting themselves and making a big splash with everything they do. Fighting through all of that other noise and just get people to actually listen to your stuff can feel challenging at times. What I've learned is that you can only control so much – but you can go out and play tons of gigs and if you do well you will always gain at least one new fan every night.
How important is it for you to have creative control over the work you produce?
It is massively important. I am more involved than ever. When I write a song it is so much more to me than just the words and the melody. With a new song comes all this new information to me about structure, feel, sound... The reason why I love music is because I listen to these fantastic artists who give you songs that are complete listening experiences, not “just” songs. I want to give other listeners that same experience. I believe no one can have the same visions for my music as I do, so it is my duty to work hard to bring those visions to life!
Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?
It is a good mix of songwriters and performers, and of course more than anything, people who do both. Maren Morris who is a fantastic songwriter, but also has a really unique voice and delivery, really inspires me. She was totally unapologetic in releasing a debut album categorised as country which was so strongly inspired by pop and urban music. Hillary Lindsey is a fantastic songwriter, so incredibly versatile. I love when I come across one of her demos for big artists, and hear how close her demo is to the finished product. She clearly has a vision beyond lyrics/music. Carrie Underwood is my greatest inspiration as far as performing goes. She has a fantastic presence, calm and energised at the same time. She always tells a story, no matter how many times she performs the same song she never forgets what the story is.
If you could collaborate with anybody going forward, who would you choose and why?
There are so many songwriters I would love to work with. Hillary Lindsey is definitely one. Max Martin, one day. I would love to do a duet with Tyler Hilton. And I'd love to hear other acts sing my songs. Little Big Town recording one of my songs would be a highlight!
Tell us a random, funny fact about you that not many people know.
In my teens I was in a vocal group, where everyone was Swedish apart from me (I'm Norwegian). We travelled all over, to Cuba and Washington D.C. for instance, and performed. Cubans love ABBA, so we were a big hit over there when we did our ABBA medley! Who knew!
Do you have definitive aims or goals for your career?
I want to travel the whole world with my music. I want to release albums I am super proud of. And I want to write songs for other artists to perform.
What should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months?
As I’ve just released my new single The Next Time, I will be doing some live performances that I am very excited about. You can also expect a music video very soon! And in the next few months there will be more music – which I am incredibly excited to share.