INTRO BY KAT VISTI
INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZZIE WEBER
Lizzie Weber is a singer-songwriter who just released a music video for her song Love Again which was in collaboration with Grammy Award winner Sheldon Gomberg. Lizzie has preformed with other artists such as Marketa Irglova, Gill Landry, Tiny Ruins, and John Gorka. Lizzie is currently working on her second album, and we sat down with Lizzie to learn some more about her and her music!
Who or what inspired you to start writing music?
LIZZIE: "My eldest brother is a composer and classical pianist. Hearing him play growing up sort of ignited my desire to learn to play. I started to compose my own pieces on piano at a young age, but never took songwriting seriously until college. I saw the movie Once and was so moved by the lead performers. Both Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova became enormous inspirations to me. I decided to learn guitar at 18, and from there went on to fall in love with songwriting legends like Joni Mitchell and Carole King. I decided to momentarily pause my studies at 20 and move to LA, where I wrote more and performed for a few years, at which point I knew I wouldn't be satisfied doing anything else."
In your own words, how would you describe your music?
LIZZIE: "I'm influenced by so many genres, it's hard for me to place myself in a category. On guitar, my songs feel more folk-driven. On piano, I'm much more influenced by classical, jazz, and pop."
Do you find that you have the same exact process every time you write a song or does it change often?
LIZZIE: "Surprisingly my process does not really fluctuate. I always seem to find myself writing melody, lyrics, and chords simultaneously. Whenever I try to write without my instruments, I feel like I'm almost trying to a bit more clever or something, like it's not as natural. So I've always found that writing with my instrument in hand is the best process."
You recently released the music video for your song Love Again. Can you tell us a little about the song and video?
LIZZIE: "The song is about a woman remembering her self-worth, and that she is lovable. I saw a quote after writing the lyrics that said 'The bravest thing you'll ever do is love again,' and I couldn't find that to be more true. The ability to love is life's most precious gift, but I don't think we often think about the importance of self-love in that context. That said, with the video we wanted to capture a woman finding that self-love again: seeing herself, acknowledging pain, happiness, loss, re-discovery of her worth and all the emotions that come with that process after experiencing heartache. We wanted to convey the intensity of all of it."
What was it like working with Grammy award winning producer Sheldon Gomberg on the song?
LIZZIE: "Collaborating with Sheldon on this was an amazing experience. Both he and my brother (who composed the arrangements) brought this song to life in ways I couldn't have possibly imagined back when it was just a demo on my iPhone. Sheldon hand-picked each of our session players for the track, and produced the song in such a way that it sounds so raw but still stands as a powerful ensemble piece. Every time I listen to the recording I'm transported, and that's all you can ask for when you entrust your music with someone."
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
LIZZIE: "This is really tough. There are so many amazing artists that inspire me that I'd love to work with. If I had to choose one, I think I'd love to work with Marketa Irglova. I had the opportunity to join her band onstage in LA a few years ago while she was touring her last record. It would be so wonderful to do a track with her."
Is there anything that we can expect from you in the near future?
LIZZIE: "Yes! I'm currently working on producing a 4-track EP of songs that I've been meaning to record for a few years now. Hopefully it will be out in early 2018."