In Conversation with LYVIA
- Valentina Reynolds
- 19 hours ago
- 6 min read
"For the girls who like girls n the ones that don’t know it yet"
I spoke to LYVIA last year for another piece, and from that conversation it became clear what her actual superpower is. It's not virality, though she's got that. It's not talent, though she obviously has it. It's the fact that she hasn't changed. She's still the girl in the tracksuit on the corner with a mug of tea, still the one who texts fans just to say thank you, still the one visiting people, sitting in their living room sharing tracks before they drop so they can help her pick what gets released.
It's been beautiful watching her move from that viral corner in Nottingham to releasing Bangers and M.A.S.H, an EP that dropped 29 July on her own label, LIV THE LABEL. The project's been doing incredibly. The songs came from the same place the corner videos came from. They're personal. They're direct. They are LYVIA.
But what makes her interesting to talk to right now isn't just the music. It's what she's saying to other women trying to figure out how to survive in an industry that can be beautiful and dark in equal measure. She's got real advice. The kind that comes from walking out of sessions that made her uncomfortable, from learning that music is supposed to be fun, from building something with people who really care and support her. What I got from our conversation and you'll learn this from our chat below is she's become a blueprint for how to do this without losing yourself.
Congratulations on 'Bangers and M.A.S.H' ! This is your first project under LIV THE LABEL. What made you decide that now was the time to own it completely?
"It was my first independent release in a long time. My early stuff was independent, but then there was a big chunk where I was signed. I decided to just stay independent. It was a long time coming and I was ready to have all the control back."
Was it nerve-wracking stepping away from that label structure?
"To be honest, not really, because it's what I'm used to. Growing up in Nottingham, I was never around labels. So being with a label was actually more foreign to me. That was more difficult because it wasn't what I was used to. There are positives and negatives to both, but I wasn't as nervous as people might assume. It just felt fun."
Eight Billion Faces is such a standout. Where did that title come from?
"I was scrolling on Pinterest looking for inspiration, and I found this picture depicting the concept of Sonder-one person with thousands of people stood behind them, each with a label above their head describing what they'd done that day or what they're going through.
Someone just lost their job. Someone's on their way to a hospital appointment. Someone's gone into labour. All these stories you don't see. It made me think about how many people there actually are in the world. I Googled it and then thought, okay, let me write a song about this: there's eight billion people, but yours is my favourite one."
The whole project has this softer, more vulnerable feel which we've also seen in some of your previous releases such as ''Little white Lie". You've talked before about how some days you're more masculine and some days you want to wear heels and play dress up. How much of this EP was you tapping into that softer side?
"Yeah, probably. It's quite an emotional, raw and honest, vulnerable tape. I tapped into it a lot lyrically. It's definitely a more gentle project compared to my other stuff. It feels like my first project's older sister."
What really stands out is how involved you are with your community. You did those phone calls with listeners from all around the world. How did that go?
"It was amazing. I can't believe I didn't do that before. I had people calling me from all over the US, Australia, Europe. It was so good. I was on the phone for 15 minutes each time, then I'd have to go, but my phone would go crazy with more people ringing. It was so fun. I'm going to do it again for sure."
Did anyone stand out from those calls?
"There was this girl from Australia. When she called and I heard her accent, I was like, there's no way you're calling me from Australia right now. That's crazy. When it was coming from Australia and America, it was mad. It was amazing speaking to everyone in the UK, but what blew my mind was people ringing from places where they're supposed to be asleep because it's really late where they are."
You've always removed that invisible wall between you and your listeners. People find your music and immediately realize, oh, this is someone I can actually be in touch with. How intentional was that for this project?
"I recorded all the songs in my bedroom. I really wanted it to feel personal. I wanted the listeners to understand me and hear that I'm just recording this music in my bedroom. I want them to feel close to me and connected to me. I want to bring them on the journey with me. I'm glad that came across because that was my intention."
You've been really thoughtful about how you move through this industry. What's your advice for younger women trying to figure it out?
"Number one: don't be afraid to walk out of a session. I've left sessions before because I didn't feel comfortable in the room. I've sat through seven-hour sessions where I felt uncomfortable the entire time. Last year, I had a session where I didn't like how I was spoken to. I just left. And it felt so free. I was upset, crying, but I just got out. I'm not doing this."
"Number two: have fun. I spent a lot of time trying to write stuff that was weighing heavily on me, which actually made it harder. Then I started writing those heavier things on my own, and when I've been in sessions just having fun, we make something fun. That's made it so much more enjoyable. I forgot that it was supposed to be fun for a long time."
"Number three: when you find great people, keep them and really nurture those relationships. I have a girl I write with a lot called Florence Arman. From the day we were introduced, I was like, whenever I need a writer, can you come? Can you come to this session? I invest in those relationships."
"Number four: You don't need to move to London to make it "There's a stigma that you have to move to London and make it work there. But honestly, if you've got a community of people wherever you're comfortable, that feels good, then that's fine. Stay there, go to London for the odd work thing, but you don't have to be there full-time. If you've got people at home who inspire you and make you feel good, that's enough."
So what's coming next? Are you working on anything new?
"I've actually accidentally written my whole next project. Four weeks ago I was like, shit, I've got no music. What am I going to put out next? I hit up a few friends and said I need to make some music. I've been making with a couple of guys in Nottingham and a guy in London called Liam. I came home and I've got 20 songs. I love them. It's so fun. I don't want to say the word album because it always scares me, but maybe it's time for an album. I do love the music I've made."
I think we are all ready for an album, and who know's we might get this some time soon...
When I sit here and write this piece and reflect on our conversations through the past year the thing that keeps coming back is that LYVIA through all of this, from the corner to the project, from the street to her own label, is that she's not trying to be untouchable, it's quite the opposite.
She's wants to be seen, she wants to share her journey with people. And the people showing up aren't fans, they're friends. They're people who've been in the room when she was working on songs, who've helped her decide what to release, who know she's a real person with days where she gets stressed about things she's never read or watched or experienced. And other days when she is on top of the world. Like us all.
"Eight Billion Faces" is doing so well because it's honest. Bangers and M.A.S.H works because it's hers, completely. But the real win is that she's built something where the success of the music doesn't require her to become someone else. She can be exactly who she is.