Photo courtesy of artist
The best advice for anyone deciding to be a professional musician is to believe in yourself, but mostly make sure you are very talented. That especially helps. Toronto R&B singer Liza put this strategy into practice for a four-song EP called February 29. Noisey spoke to Liza after she premiered her first three songs last year, and they were glorious. Early into her career, the 22-year-old artist already makes rich and emotional music. The new EP features production by CVRE, Juda, Nahum, and Vincent Basil to compliment Liza's luxurious voice.The EP's title— February 29—is the day Liza publicly released music for the first time. Her songs deal with themes of love and unease. On the track "You," Liza sings, "Know that you go me, but you don't see/ I want you."We wanted to find out more about Liza, so we interviewed her. Read our conversation with Liza and listen to February 29 EP below:
Liza: I was born and raised in downtown Toronto… I just graduated from school and that was a huge accomplishment. I'm able to fully focus my energy towards music now. It's the only passion I have, really. I've been singing since I was kid. Education is so important in my household, but I was always writing poems and songs. During my second year of university, I decided to do both. I doubled the amount of effort; I got little sleep. I wanted to do what I love, and when I finished school I wanted to have my feet wet [in the music industry]. I started writing and going to the studio.Your music seems to touch on themes of anxiety and desire a lot. Am I right here?
Yes, when I write songs I try to reflect on my life experiences in a way that other people can take something from them. I don't like giving too much. Some songs will be pretty explicit, like in "You," but other songs like "Ride" are more intricate. I want people to have their own interpretation. The songs on this EP describe aspects of my personality and life and things I'm still discovering.You mentioned "Ride," which deals with confronting naïveté. Is it about becoming an adult?
In relationships. When I meet someone new I always give them the benefit of the doubt. A lot of the time, people may think of me as naive because of that. Some relationships—not only with guys or a partner but with family and friends—it's not you being stupid, it's trying to be genuine. It's not naive.Devin Pacholik enjoys this music very much. Follow him on Twitter.
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Noisey: What's your story?
Liza: I was born and raised in downtown Toronto… I just graduated from school and that was a huge accomplishment. I'm able to fully focus my energy towards music now. It's the only passion I have, really. I've been singing since I was kid. Education is so important in my household, but I was always writing poems and songs. During my second year of university, I decided to do both. I doubled the amount of effort; I got little sleep. I wanted to do what I love, and when I finished school I wanted to have my feet wet [in the music industry]. I started writing and going to the studio.Your music seems to touch on themes of anxiety and desire a lot. Am I right here?
Yes, when I write songs I try to reflect on my life experiences in a way that other people can take something from them. I don't like giving too much. Some songs will be pretty explicit, like in "You," but other songs like "Ride" are more intricate. I want people to have their own interpretation. The songs on this EP describe aspects of my personality and life and things I'm still discovering.You mentioned "Ride," which deals with confronting naïveté. Is it about becoming an adult?
In relationships. When I meet someone new I always give them the benefit of the doubt. A lot of the time, people may think of me as naive because of that. Some relationships—not only with guys or a partner but with family and friends—it's not you being stupid, it's trying to be genuine. It's not naive.Devin Pacholik enjoys this music very much. Follow him on Twitter.