Livia, is a British singer-songwriter, who started releasing music in 2023, who has just released her debut EP,’making a racket’. With her incredible ability to story tell, alongside her strong vocals, it is a strong body of work and Amplify was able to talk with livia briefly about her journey until now and her creative process for this EP.

For Livia, her music journey started from a young age, singing from a very early age and it stemmed from ‘attending dance competitions’ and that being very dance adjacent. ‘It was about 11 when I first realised that singing was a separate thing for me, because I was used to the competition environment, instead of trying singing lessons, I auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent’ as the first singing thing I did.” This definitely plays into the overall drive she has a musician and how her music reflects an almost cinematic and performance environment. ‘A couple of years later, I got a free guitar from Facebook marketplace and taught myself and started to write…ended up meeting my boyfriend who is also a producer’. The track, ‘A Final Thought’ off this EP was actually one of the first tracks she recorded.

After a few singles being released, it leads us here to, ‘making a racket’. For what aspects come first in the creative process of creating the songs, Livia explains that, ‘lyrics are first for me as songs are therapy’ but explains it is interesting to ‘have those conversations’ with her producer as music is so collaborative yet so personal. I see those lyrics being evident first as when I started listening to the body of work, I immediately acknowledge her talent of putting her vocal range first to exemplify her lyricism and it is so clear, and production never overshadowing that, in songs like ‘daughter’ specifically in the lyrics,’I haven’t been a daughter in so long’ – focusing on a parental situation, although she is always physically a daughter it does not feel she is treated at one at times. She acknowledges those that do end up doing those aspects independently, admiring artists such as Erin LeCount as well. In terms of how she leads her creative process on this EP compared to previous singles released, she explains, ‘For this EP, quite a few songs, I thought of a lyric, and sang into my phone, and then went from there, and that created a completely new process.’ Alongside that, Livia further explains that she ‘stepped back’ in the process and she was ‘able to have a life to write about again’ and it was less about what do people want to hear or what is popular, with less deadlines to it. Further songs such as ‘understudy’, focusing on that feeling of jealousy within partners/ex-partners using the metaphor of being overshadowed in acting which I love,’I’m working overtime learning her lines’ are topics she has ‘written about repeatedly’ and found ‘multiple times across the EP, it made itself’ as she knew these songs would be written again but be the right fit. I find this track so personable and relatable to many with its’ authenticity but clear view on topcis that listeners would gravitate towards and relate to.

‘I Told Ya’ (ep version) is another stand-out song on the EP for me, with the use of noises in production that sound like you are playing tennis, with tennis balls dropping and a heightened, fastened tempo, linking back to her whole EP title, being called,’making a racket’ and the cover focuses on Livia in a tennis court with a top that reads,’I told ya’. However, this song goes beyond her inspiration from the show,’challengers’ and her personal experiences as Livia divulges further into the ‘Easter Egg’ within the track and what fans can find out about how it references earlier work. ‘A song I’ve been playing live called,’Boyfriend Material’ and I’ve always liked the song…there is a lyric,”you’re looking for a life and tennis partner, I’m more for making a racket”, which is the name of the EP so the tennis thing has been there longer.’ Although coincidental, she explains that the idea to then put ‘boyfriend material’ at the end of ‘I told ya’ (EP version) came from always liking ‘a secret song on a cassette tape, there would be a few minutes of silence and there was another whole song’. In how this links in the track for her, is a slight production drop with just a noise of a tennis ball bouncing slowly, to perhaps signify the transition into a different song but all links very well.

In terms of artists that inspire her, and that she would want to support in the future, or collaborate with, it was Maisie Peters. ‘I’ve always felt like she’s released music that perfectly links with my life, and so inspired by her’. I can definitely see both their wonderful ability in using lyricism as a superpower, to fit each other’s style extremely well. If you are a fan of Maisie, I highly recommend checking Livia’s music out.

As for what she hopes existing and new listeners take away from this record, is that ‘I hope they get to see a fun side of me’, as this EP is ‘more produced’, than perhaps the more melancholic previous singer/songwriter tracks but still grabbing the elements of those songs that make it so special. As for Livia as an artist, she expresses how she is already writing things she loves and wants people to hear, and is excited for what is to come, as am I. You can listen to Livia’s new EP, ‘making a racket’ below and be sure to check out all of her work.