Liv Austen is currently making major waves in the Country Music world and on Tuesday, November 6th she will be celebrating the release of her stunning debut LP ‘A Moment Of Your Time’ with a launch show at Islington Metal Works.
Here we speak exclusively to Liv to discuss all things ‘A Moment Of Your Time’:
How does it feel to have your debut album out in the world?
Absolutely unbelievable. It’s been a dream of mine for so many years, and I have to keep checking to see if I didn’t just dream the whole thing up!
How excited have you been by the response so far?
I’ve been blown away. Every single review has been overwhelmingly positive, I have had so many people tell me it’s surpassed their expectations and that they don’t want to skip a single song on the album. That’s just the best thing a songwriter and artist can hear. The fact that it’s already made so many new people aware of my music too, is incredible.
The UK is very much a part of your musical journey, where do you feel you fit into the scene?
Great question! I think I am getting less and less concerned with fitting in to any scene – I think for those who have heard my new music, it’s pretty clear that I’m not that easy to pigeon-hole. And that’s a great thing for me, it means that I am doing something that’s different, that is unique to me. I am so grateful for how welcoming the country music fans in the UK have been of me, that has been a huge part of my success so far. But I think it’s slightly deceptive of me to present all of my music as country, as I flirt with so many different styles in my various songs. I am hoping that this album will enable me to not have to explain my music in a neat little phrase, but that people will know what kind of music someone is referring to when they mention my name.
Can you tell us a little about the writing process for this record?
I have constantly been writing over the last few years, the last 3-4 years especially, and very regularly I write about the stuff that is going on in my own life. I knew that when I finally went on to do an album, the majority of the songs on there would be autobiographical. When I signed my record deal in early 2017 I started writing much more, and with the album in mind. I got together with some of my favourite co-writers who are also close friends, and just wrote tons of stuff – after a while, the style and what I wanted to say became clearer and clearer. But I wrote so much that didn’t make it to the album, I even recorded 8 tracks (and demoed even more) that didn’t make it. It was a pretty hectic time!
Who exactly have you worked with on this LP?
I co-produced it with Jon Wright, my main producer, and LOFT, who produced some of the tracks with us. Jon played all of the guitars and most of the bass, he also added tons of other instruments like programmed drums, vocoder, programmed strings, tambourine and tons more. I also had Tom Loffman, Adam Falkner and Stuart Pringle on drums, Tom Loffman also played bass, piano and mandolin on some songs. Laura Allen, Kaity Rae and Jon Wright did the backing vocals. Mike Prince played bass on ‘Window Shopping’. Jon Wright did most of the mixes and the mastering, and Ash Howes mixed a few of the tracks.
When you were writing the LP, where did you look to for inspiration?
I definitely always use my own life as inspiration. Sometimes, some tracks end up being fictional stories, but the writing session always starts with an idea or a conversation around something real that’s on my mind. It can be a specific situation, a feeling, a relationship of any kind, whatever is on my mind that day, really!
What song was the easiest to write and which was the hardest?
To be fair, they were all pretty easy to write. And I think that’s telling – the songs that came the easiest to me were the ones that ended up on the album. I think there’s a reason for that! The easiest was probably ‘But I Know I Love Him’, the last song on the album. That one just came out in one go, and suddenly I had the song in front of me, and I was playing it on the piano. It’s an amazing feeling. The title track, ‘A Moment Of Your Time’, is probably the one that went through the most changes before it was done, so that may have been the hardest one!
Is there one song on the LP that you’re most proud of?
I’m very proud of ‘Detour’. The reception that song has had is just beyond anything I’d ever expect of a song that is so personal to me. And I still sing the lyrics and think “yeah, I really hit the spot with this one!”.
How would you describe the overall vibe of the album?
Another great question! I think I’d say it’s got the vibe of mature pop. It’s feminine, but very strong. It has modern writing but with some production elements that remind you of past records, but with some really current bits in there too. I feel like it just culminates all of the music that made up my childhood and teenage years, mixed with the modern Nashville country that I got in to as an adult. It has a bit of a Scandi vibe to it as well, I can’t get away from that!
Will you be touring this album?
I certainly hope so! If I have anything to do with it, there will definitely be a tour. Stay tuned!
Make sure you follow Liv Austen on Twitter @LivAusten to keep up to date with all her latest music and tour news!
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