Liv Dawson is an up and coming neo-soul artist whose talent is sure to make waves in the music scene. I managed to catch her before she supported HONNE at the Rescue Rooms, Nottingham.
So how are you?
I’m good! how are you?
Yeah I’m good, is this your first time in Nottingham?
Yeah, this is my first time.
What do you think of so far?
I love it, I walked down the road earlier, it’s nice.
Haha! Getting the full picture of Nottingham, then?
Haha, its nice. My manager is from Notts so he has been showing me round.
So how long is the tour?
It’s been like 9 or 10 days, 8 shows.
What’s the experience been like?
It’s been sick, like so good. I played the Roundhouse which was my biggest show so far, but yeah it’s been so fun.
So Roundhouse was the highlight?
Yeah it was so good. It was the whole experience of being able to go backstage, meet the crew and everything. Was really cool.
So is this your first tour?
No, actually it’s my second. My first was with Frances. She’s really good and that was really fun.
Ah, so good! I’ve got a list of questions here, the first few are semi serious, and the rest are a bit less serious.
So first of all, how would you describe your music in one word?
I think it’s quite comforting; I think that’d be one word to describe it. I’ve had this question before and I’ve just thought that if you’ve had a really bad day and you just feel a bit crap, and like, if you listen to my music its quite soothing. Yeah, comforting.
Who would you say are your biggest influences in creating your sound?
I don’t think I have many influences that makes my music the way it is. It’s just what I like. But in terms of song writing, I listen to a lot of Lauryn Hill, loads of old school stuff. Kind of singing based, but with my music I like to do it how I want it to hear.
In that case, what is your creative process in writing your lyrics?
I write with other people, we’ll come in with an idea or a subject, and we’ll do the lyrics first, but it doesn’t really matter. We can start with the song first and then the melody, or lyrics; or whatever. I write a lot with Jimmy Nates as well who’s like really sick, so we always start with the piano with him. So it depends really.
Do you ever have times where a melody will randomly just come to you?
Yea really random times! You’ll wake up in the middle of the night, at like 3am, and be like, “Argh, I’ve got to go and record it now!”
Is there any particular lyrics you’re proud of?
It was probably from ‘Tapestry’, “you’ll always be a part of my tapestry”. It’s quite different, I’ve never heard of it before. I wrote with a guy called Bruno Major, who is sick, and I write a lot of stuff with him and we both came in and it kind of came from your mum saying to you, ‘its fine, everything is part of your tapestry.’ Like, it’s more like words of wisdom. It’s not so much a love song, it’s about everything. It’s kind of deep.
If there was one place in the world you’d like to gig at, where would it be?
Probably somewhere cool, like Japan. I’ve heard great things about Japan. The goal.
So here’s some less serious questions:
What’s your favourite childhood cartoon?
SpongeBob Square Pants.
What’s your favourite character?
SpongeBob, obviously!
So after the gig, you’re chilling and you get hungry. What’s your favourite takeaway?
Erm, the best thing I’ve had on this tour is Burger King. And I hate Burger King! But it was the best thing I’d ever eaten. I don’t know why, it was just a chicken burger. But it was so nice. But in general, probably Domino’s.
What’s the go-to order for Domino’s?
Margarita, so basic.
So basic! So you have the day off, how do you rest?
I’m really lazy when I do rest. So I’ll be in bed watching Netflix with loads of food and my dogs.
I’m watching American Horror Story at the minute and I love that; it kind of creeps me out, but I like that. And Prison Break. It’s so good, so underrated! Everyone talks about Breaking Bad but it’s all about Prison Break!
Kind of similar question, if you had day off, what would you like to do?
I really like theme parks. Maybe just go to Thorpe Park. It’s the OG.
How do you feel about the gig tonight?
I’m excited. When I was walking around Nottingham earlier, everyone seems to be young and cool, and they’d love HONNE as well.
Lastly, are you working on a full project at the minute?
Yeah, I’m writing loads. I’m releasing another song in a few days. It’s called ‘Open Your Eyes’, but I’m not going to say too much!
Liv, thank you so much for taking the time to hang out! I’m looking forward to seeing you perform tonight!
No problem, hope you enjoy tonight!
Liv Dawson went onto kill her performance that night. Despite being ill, her intimate and deep lyrical ability combined with her flawless vocals captivated the audience. Go check out some of her music, I’m sure you will not regret the listen.
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