WEBVTT 00:00:08.199 --> 00:00:11.039 Welcome and thank you for tuning in to Black 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:14.480 Women Amplified, the podcast. Your host Monica 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:17.620 Wisdom Tyson brings you downloadable conversations 00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:21.219 that matter to women around the globe. We discuss 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:24.480 all things black girl magic, amplify our voices 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:29.339 and transform our challenges into triumphs. Monica 00:00:29.339 --> 00:00:32.039 calls on her league of extraordinary women to 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:35.200 push our boundaries, share their expertise and 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:38.700 stories of personal transformation. Welcome your 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:42.539 host of Black Women Amplified, Monica Wisdom 00:00:42.539 --> 00:00:50.840 Tyson. Hello, Black Women Amplified family. It 00:00:50.840 --> 00:00:53.299 is your girl, Monica Wisdom, and I'm so excited 00:00:53.299 --> 00:00:56.399 to be here today. We have a very special guest 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:58.780 in the building. I can't wait for you to meet 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:01.759 her. But first, I want to remind you to visit 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:06.439 www .blackwomenamplified .com. and sign up to 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:10.900 our email list. Not only will you get information 00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:13.219 about our episodes on the Black Women Amplified 00:01:13.219 --> 00:01:16.859 podcast, but the entire Monaco wisdom ecosystem. 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:19.739 So make sure that you sign up and get connected 00:01:19.739 --> 00:01:24.079 today. There is something powerful about a homecoming, 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:28.519 not the kind that is rushed or nostalgic, but 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:31.840 the kind that arrives after years of work experience 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:35.379 and becoming. Today my guest is the extraordinary 00:01:35.379 --> 00:01:39.439 singer Liv Warfield. Many of you know her voice. 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:43.379 It's the kind of voice that stops a room. Over 00:01:43.379 --> 00:01:46.239 a decade, she has carried that voice across some 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:50.480 of the biggest stages in music, performing alongside 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:54.459 legends, while building a remarkable body of 00:01:54.459 --> 00:01:58.159 work on her own. Her journey has taken her from 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:02.859 the Midwest to world stages. She has shared creative 00:02:02.859 --> 00:02:05.959 space with icons like Prince and stood beside 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:09.539 powerhouse women such as Nancy Wilson of the 00:02:09.539 --> 00:02:13.639 legendary rock band Heart. Along the way, she 00:02:13.639 --> 00:02:16.879 developed a reputation not only for her range 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:20.439 and power, but for the depth of soul she brings 00:02:20.439 --> 00:02:24.419 to every performance. But this conversation is 00:02:24.419 --> 00:02:28.080 something deeper than accolades because Liv is 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:31.340 returning home. She is returning home to Peoria, 00:02:31.340 --> 00:02:35.060 Illinois, the city where her story began to perform 00:02:35.060 --> 00:02:37.740 her music with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:42.419 And there's something profoundly beautiful about 00:02:42.419 --> 00:02:45.699 this moment. A daughter leaving home to follow 00:02:45.699 --> 00:02:49.280 her calling, spending decades honing her craft 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:54.879 and returning home with the fullness of an incredible 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:57.750 orchestra behind her. So today we're talking 00:02:57.750 --> 00:03:02.030 about the road that led here, the early dreams, 00:03:02.270 --> 00:03:05.509 the discipline required to work alongside musical 00:03:05.509 --> 00:03:09.830 legends, the resilience it takes to remain true 00:03:09.830 --> 00:03:13.669 to your artistry and an industry that moves very 00:03:13.669 --> 00:03:17.150 quickly, and the quiet moments that shape an 00:03:17.150 --> 00:03:21.509 artist long before the applause arrives. This 00:03:21.509 --> 00:03:24.949 conversation is about vision, endurance, and 00:03:24.949 --> 00:03:29.069 the power of staying faithful to your gift. Hello, 00:03:29.090 --> 00:03:32.229 I am Monica Wisdom, and this is the Black Women 00:03:32.229 --> 00:03:37.129 Amplified podcast. Hello Liv, how are you? Welcome 00:03:37.129 --> 00:03:39.189 to the Black Women Amplified podcast. Welcome 00:03:39.189 --> 00:03:42.009 back, I should say. Thank you. Thank you. I'm 00:03:42.009 --> 00:03:44.629 glad to be back. So thank you. I am loving your 00:03:44.629 --> 00:03:49.189 braids. Oh, thank you. It's time to tie this 00:03:49.189 --> 00:03:51.740 up for a minute. That's the thing about me, I 00:03:51.740 --> 00:03:54.840 can never stay focused on one style. I'm always 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:57.659 like, God. Because you're an artist, darling, 00:03:57.819 --> 00:04:00.039 you're an artist. You have to switch it up, honey. 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:03.759 I always have to do that. I just found a container 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:05.699 that had my locks in and I was like, ooh, how 00:04:05.699 --> 00:04:10.560 can I get these reattached? It's time for a new 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:14.419 look. So you are entering a new season of your 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:18.959 life. Yes, I am. And you are coming home to Peoria. 00:04:19.310 --> 00:04:23.050 with a symphony. When you think about that moment 00:04:23.050 --> 00:04:25.750 as a girl, when you started this journey long 00:04:25.750 --> 00:04:29.209 ago from Peoria, and the woman that you are now, 00:04:29.850 --> 00:04:32.949 what does this time in your life mean to you? 00:04:33.250 --> 00:04:38.310 Wow. This is an important part of actually more 00:04:38.310 --> 00:04:40.730 of an important time in my life. I think I realized 00:04:40.730 --> 00:04:44.069 that within the past year and a half, how important 00:04:44.069 --> 00:04:46.870 this is, because I've gone through quite a bit 00:04:46.870 --> 00:04:49.860 of changes. Like I never would have thought when 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:53.839 I was younger, this would be. You know, on any 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:56.240 capacity, I just wanted to be a performer, okay? 00:04:56.339 --> 00:04:59.439 I just wanted to be on stage somewhere. But I 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:02.220 didn't think this. But a different type of shift 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:05.180 and an awakening has happened in me. Over the 00:05:05.180 --> 00:05:08.939 past, I want to say maybe, yeah, a year, definitely 00:05:08.939 --> 00:05:12.360 a year, to understand, for me, what my purpose 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:15.800 is internally, why this is so significant coming 00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:19.029 home to Bioria. A lot of people understand and 00:05:19.029 --> 00:05:22.629 realize I never started my career, never started 00:05:22.629 --> 00:05:25.490 my singing career in Peoria. Nobody in this town 00:05:25.490 --> 00:05:27.949 really knew, not even really knew, nobody in 00:05:27.949 --> 00:05:30.990 this town knew I was a singer until they probably 00:05:30.990 --> 00:05:33.889 saw me on some maybe some performances or shows 00:05:33.889 --> 00:05:36.350 and stuff. So with the symphony is a different 00:05:36.350 --> 00:05:39.329 thing. It's a different type of energy and something 00:05:39.329 --> 00:05:42.230 I think I'm now ready for before I wasn't. But 00:05:42.230 --> 00:05:44.889 this is a different type of coming home. This 00:05:44.889 --> 00:05:48.529 is. beautiful community. It's more community, 00:05:48.949 --> 00:05:52.089 more love, more love, more understanding of who 00:05:52.089 --> 00:05:54.790 I am as an artist, I think, for the most part, 00:05:54.949 --> 00:05:57.670 and understanding just my gift and my voice. 00:05:57.689 --> 00:06:00.329 Why am I using it? That's what it means for me. 00:06:00.410 --> 00:06:02.769 And I can come home to do that. I can come home 00:06:02.769 --> 00:06:05.949 and feel complete. I feel complete. How has Peoria 00:06:05.949 --> 00:06:09.610 changed since you were a kid living here? Because 00:06:09.610 --> 00:06:11.490 the way that you're speaking about it, not only 00:06:11.490 --> 00:06:14.589 did you grow, but the city must have grown as 00:06:14.589 --> 00:06:18.180 well. You know, it has. In some pockets, in some 00:06:18.180 --> 00:06:20.339 parts, the city has grown, but then the city 00:06:20.339 --> 00:06:22.399 has changed a lot too. It's different. It's different 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:25.060 when I grew up. I grew up, you know, definitely 00:06:25.060 --> 00:06:29.139 a church girl. So I was definitely at church, 00:06:29.139 --> 00:06:31.339 you know, fellowship hall. We talked about that 00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:34.879 before. So my world really wasn't, I really didn't 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.240 get a chance to explore many parts of Peoria 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:40.500 growing up because I wasn't able to go to many 00:06:40.500 --> 00:06:43.120 things, but I feel like the energy shifted because 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:45.939 it's just a new generation. But there has been 00:06:45.939 --> 00:06:47.980 some changes, but I've been home. I'll be home 00:06:47.980 --> 00:06:49.779 now for about a good month and a half, so I'll 00:06:49.779 --> 00:06:52.660 really get to see and feel my city a lot more, 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:54.360 because I've been gone for a long time. I've 00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:57.220 been gone for a while. But all the amazing things 00:06:57.220 --> 00:06:58.860 that are actually happening in this city right 00:06:58.860 --> 00:07:02.180 now are pretty extraordinary. You know, my downtown 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:04.879 has changed a lot. I heard they're building like 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:06.759 an amphitheater in Peoria. I was like, oh my 00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:09.339 God, what a 5 ,000 seat amphitheater. Like, but 00:07:09.339 --> 00:07:12.589 it's so beautiful because You know, arts and 00:07:12.589 --> 00:07:15.370 culture for me here was the thing that I was 00:07:15.370 --> 00:07:17.610 wanting to reach out and have so much more of 00:07:17.610 --> 00:07:20.209 in my city. And they're doing that, you know, 00:07:20.550 --> 00:07:22.750 like Gary Moore has been doing that a lot here. 00:07:22.750 --> 00:07:26.410 So I'm just excited to embrace that more here. 00:07:27.110 --> 00:07:30.009 When did you realize that music was your path? 00:07:30.009 --> 00:07:32.970 Because I know you started off in athletics and 00:07:32.970 --> 00:07:36.750 in sports. When did music shift into your life 00:07:36.750 --> 00:07:38.850 to where this is where I have to go and this 00:07:38.850 --> 00:07:42.670 is my direction? It shifted when I left. Again, 00:07:42.670 --> 00:07:44.810 I always knew that I wanted to be some type of 00:07:44.810 --> 00:07:47.269 entertainer, some type of performer. I always 00:07:47.269 --> 00:07:51.029 knew I could sing. I always felt that there was 00:07:51.029 --> 00:07:55.550 this voice trapped inside, and I just was so 00:07:55.550 --> 00:07:58.350 scared to let anybody hear it, see it, feel it. 00:07:58.490 --> 00:08:01.910 I just wasn't, and it's not a bad thing, I just 00:08:01.910 --> 00:08:04.089 wasn't nurtured in that way to bring it out. 00:08:04.649 --> 00:08:08.220 Nobody really poured into that part of me. because 00:08:08.220 --> 00:08:09.680 I don't think a lot of people in my family could 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:12.139 understand. There weren't a lot of performers, 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:14.319 not even what is there any performers or singers 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:16.800 or anything like that in my family? No, not on 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:20.860 my mom's side or my dad's side. So athletics 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:23.079 was a thing. So they know they could nourish 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:25.459 that part. They could pour into that singing 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:28.040 performance and performance art. They're like, 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:31.980 wait, what in the world is going on? Like violin, 00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:35.279 of course, like I was in that and some piano 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:38.500 or whatever. But being a performing artist is 00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:41.080 different. It was a different thing. Like I wanted 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:43.779 to do show choir. My mom immediately pulled me 00:08:43.779 --> 00:08:46.440 out of that. She was like, you ain't never sang 00:08:46.440 --> 00:08:50.100 in front of us. The world would you like show 00:08:50.100 --> 00:08:53.179 choir. So it was those things right there that 00:08:53.179 --> 00:08:54.960 might have triggered me a little bit. It made 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:59.000 me more shy. And when I left home, it was just, 00:08:59.019 --> 00:09:01.360 I just exploded. Like I was like, oh my God, 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:04.440 I've been holding this in for so long. And that's 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:08.460 why it's so important to me anytime I see anybody 00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:11.000 who has a gift and they're either really shy 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:12.980 or they're quiet ones in the room. And I'm like, 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:15.460 because I see you, I know you because I was her, 00:09:15.460 --> 00:09:19.200 you know, or it doesn't matter. Like, I was you. 00:09:19.500 --> 00:09:22.100 So like, let me help you. Let me bring that out 00:09:22.100 --> 00:09:24.000 of you a little bit. I know it takes baby steps, 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:26.879 but that's what I needed. You know, I wish somebody 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:30.360 did that for me earlier. And, you know, of our 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:32.539 generation, you're much younger than me, but 00:09:32.700 --> 00:09:35.059 Creativity wasn't cultivated in little black 00:09:35.059 --> 00:09:38.299 kids. You know, and that's why a lot of people 00:09:38.299 --> 00:09:40.820 leave their hometowns because they have to find 00:09:40.820 --> 00:09:44.159 that that space. Yeah. Yeah. They could breathe 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:47.320 and being themselves. So was Oregon that space 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:51.419 for you? Oregon was an organ like really. They 00:09:51.419 --> 00:09:53.759 embraced everything about me trying to figure 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:57.340 it out because I felt like I can just be I could 00:09:57.340 --> 00:09:59.789 really be me and. I wasn't going to be judged 00:09:59.789 --> 00:10:01.690 by that, you know, because, Charlotte, I feel 00:10:01.690 --> 00:10:03.850 like I had too many people in my hometown to 00:10:03.850 --> 00:10:06.149 be like, uh -oh, brother and sister Warfield 00:10:06.149 --> 00:10:09.470 daughter out there by the club, honey. I don't 00:10:09.470 --> 00:10:13.809 know what. What is she over there singing? So 00:10:13.809 --> 00:10:16.950 I just felt like I didn't have all these eyes 00:10:16.950 --> 00:10:18.970 and I felt like I could be free. And Portland 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:21.889 allowed me to take those baby steps without feeling 00:10:21.889 --> 00:10:24.549 judged. I was able to try different things. If 00:10:24.549 --> 00:10:26.629 it wasn't right, it was OK. It wasn't right. 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:29.480 Yeah, I think I just really developed myself 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:33.820 creatively and I was really vulnerable, naive, 00:10:34.340 --> 00:10:36.779 but I needed all those things to be the artist 00:10:36.779 --> 00:10:39.200 and figure out who I was. And I love Portland 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:42.879 for that, I really do. So when you, you know, 00:10:42.940 --> 00:10:45.659 you're saying that you didn't have a place at 00:10:45.659 --> 00:10:48.360 home that cultivated your creativity, what was 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:50.360 the conversation like when you told your parents, 00:10:50.580 --> 00:10:54.480 hey, I'm gonna go work with Prince? and just 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:59.700 the perception that people had of him. I didn't 00:10:59.700 --> 00:11:04.519 even know for myself that that was even in the 00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:07.059 realm of my possibility or in my orbit that would 00:11:07.059 --> 00:11:10.340 ever happen. My parents were just like, wait, 00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:14.360 what? You went from us not knowing to then us 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:16.840 figuring out that you got this band in Portland, 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:20.000 and then you're going to make a record, and then 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:23.990 now you're getting to sing background. they're 00:11:23.990 --> 00:11:26.009 kind of like, okay, this is kind of past us. 00:11:26.389 --> 00:11:31.889 So I think even for myself, I just, I know this 00:11:31.889 --> 00:11:34.149 sounds like a simple thing to say about manifestation. 00:11:34.309 --> 00:11:37.490 I think it was just always been in meet, manifest. 00:11:37.549 --> 00:11:40.590 When people say dream big, it's manifestation. 00:11:41.409 --> 00:11:44.289 It's an easy niche thing to say about dreaming. 00:11:44.490 --> 00:11:46.909 It's just like, I was always, my mind was always 00:11:46.909 --> 00:11:51.100 constantly on or, a purpose, a purpose. I felt 00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:52.659 like there was something else bigger than me 00:11:52.659 --> 00:11:54.860 inside. It wasn't like me trying to sound like 00:11:54.860 --> 00:11:58.039 this or this person or this person. I was just, 00:11:58.139 --> 00:12:00.659 there was something else there percolating in 00:12:00.659 --> 00:12:03.960 my system, manifesting in my system that I had 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:06.600 to do it. And being with Prencie was just like, 00:12:06.700 --> 00:12:09.419 oh my God, I can't believe this is part of my 00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:12.440 journey. Like for instance, when I did my first 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:14.960 record, I understood the importance I have in 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:18.230 Bernard Purdy, amazing drummer. drummer for Donny 00:12:18.230 --> 00:12:20.250 Hathaway, anybody who knows the Bernard Purdy 00:12:20.250 --> 00:12:23.669 shuffle will understand. That man was on my record, 00:12:24.129 --> 00:12:27.649 my first album. And like now, I understood then, 00:12:27.730 --> 00:12:31.649 but I understand now, like all the mentors that 00:12:31.649 --> 00:12:36.230 God put in, in my life for a reason from, even 00:12:36.230 --> 00:12:39.409 from athletics on, it was just always been this 00:12:39.409 --> 00:12:41.879 through line. just for them to believe in me 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:43.779 and what I had to say, because I wasn't really 00:12:43.779 --> 00:12:45.220 understanding what I had to say, but I felt like 00:12:45.220 --> 00:12:47.019 I had something. I don't know if that makes any 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:49.740 sense, but again, I just had to answer that feeling, 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:52.480 answer that calling, whatever that was. And I 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:55.559 know what it is now, but yeah. Well, how do you 00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:58.240 tap into it when you're in the moment of discovering 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:00.960 yourself? Are you tapping into your imagination 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:04.700 or you're tapping into your faith? Where do you 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:08.559 go to conjure all of that up for yourself? I 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:10.840 think it's all of it. I think it's imagination. 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:13.480 I think it's faith. I think it's faith foremost. 00:13:14.059 --> 00:13:17.259 I think it's something else, frequency, some 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:19.399 other frequency clearly bigger than me that I'm 00:13:19.399 --> 00:13:21.980 still in a way trying to figure out how to describe. 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:25.259 I think with any artists maybe who they know 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:28.580 that feeling like my safe space is that stage. 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:31.600 My safe place is there. When I'm off the stage, 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.220 I'm as shy as they come. But there I just, it's 00:13:35.220 --> 00:13:38.580 really hard to explain, you know, people who 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:42.100 are faith -based, is spirit -based. It's just 00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:44.899 something that comes over me. It's in my body. 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:50.659 I feel it in my body. Before, people used to 00:13:50.659 --> 00:13:52.279 laugh because I used to like wearing the heels 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:54.840 and stuff and looking cute on the stage with 00:13:54.840 --> 00:13:57.659 the heels, jumping up and down or whatever. But 00:13:57.659 --> 00:14:01.399 I found that every time I put shoes on, it's 00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:03.620 almost like a break in the frequency. So now 00:14:03.620 --> 00:14:05.600 I have to be barefoot because I have to feel 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:07.850 the earth or I have to be grounded. because I'm 00:14:07.850 --> 00:14:10.009 always on my tippy toes. Like, I feel it through 00:14:10.009 --> 00:14:12.730 my body. So it's just all those things. I think 00:14:12.730 --> 00:14:16.629 imagination, feelings, it's just pulsating through 00:14:16.629 --> 00:14:19.850 my body. I can understand that. I've heard Michael 00:14:19.850 --> 00:14:21.690 Jackson talk about that. The most comfortable 00:14:21.690 --> 00:14:24.889 space he is is on that stage. Like, that's his 00:14:24.889 --> 00:14:27.389 space. And that, you know, that's your art gallery. 00:14:27.509 --> 00:14:29.889 That's where you get to play. And you've worked 00:14:29.889 --> 00:14:32.570 with some incredible people. And I think about 00:14:32.570 --> 00:14:35.370 the new power generation. I was the kid who grew 00:14:35.370 --> 00:14:39.950 up on the revolution. Okay, yes. So the revolution 00:14:39.950 --> 00:14:42.590 was everything and then he comes with New Power 00:14:42.590 --> 00:14:45.110 Generation and you spent five years with them. 00:14:45.450 --> 00:14:48.169 What did you learn most about yourself during 00:14:48.169 --> 00:14:51.230 that time period and what emerged during that 00:14:51.230 --> 00:14:55.029 time? I had to learn first to listen. To listen 00:14:55.029 --> 00:14:57.190 to everything that's around me as a musician 00:14:57.190 --> 00:14:59.730 first because Prince was always just teaching 00:14:59.730 --> 00:15:01.990 and I was just there to like really watch. I 00:15:01.990 --> 00:15:04.889 was watching everything. Very timid still but 00:15:04.889 --> 00:15:07.919 just watching and learning and feeling the space 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:11.120 and listening to the musicality of every instrument, 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:14.679 songwriting, placement, song placement, where 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:17.399 to do vibrato, when to not do vibrato, when being 00:15:17.399 --> 00:15:20.059 in big spaces, small spaces, like it was just, 00:15:20.539 --> 00:15:24.399 and also surrender, you know, surrendering to 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:28.240 all the things that make me me. I don't know, 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:30.440 because I think clearly we're just so used to 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:34.500 as artists being judged, figured out. you know, 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:37.379 and being around Prince, care less about any, 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:39.340 you know what I mean? It was just like, you know, 00:15:39.340 --> 00:15:41.879 you just felt what you felt. You went with what 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:45.120 you went with and trust, learning to trust musicians, 00:15:45.299 --> 00:15:48.000 learning to trust yourself, making, you know, 00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:50.039 having the right instinct. I think it was all 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:54.039 of those things and then some. I was seriously 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:57.039 blessed to just have that time. I really was 00:15:57.039 --> 00:16:00.100 because I had to learn fast. I had to learn really 00:16:00.100 --> 00:16:04.230 fast. Oh my God, I had to learn fast. I just 00:16:04.230 --> 00:16:06.690 learned so fast, you know what I mean? And yeah, 00:16:06.789 --> 00:16:09.149 surrendering, trusting my instinct, you know, 00:16:09.190 --> 00:16:11.070 and many, of course, many other things, but. 00:16:11.669 --> 00:16:14.429 Do you think being an athlete, because didn't 00:16:14.429 --> 00:16:16.070 you train, weren't you training for the Olympics? 00:16:16.789 --> 00:16:20.389 Mm -hmm. Yeah. Do you think that level of discipline 00:16:20.389 --> 00:16:23.529 that you already had helped you command the stage 00:16:23.529 --> 00:16:25.409 that you were on or the stages you've been on? 00:16:26.009 --> 00:16:29.710 Of course. I think that has something, there's 00:16:29.710 --> 00:16:33.110 a layer there for sure. About that that's kind 00:16:33.110 --> 00:16:35.990 of always kind of kept me energized for the most 00:16:35.990 --> 00:16:38.149 part. Yeah, I think that's a through layer I 00:16:38.149 --> 00:16:41.490 think that helps it helps for sure. Mm -hmm. 00:16:41.850 --> 00:16:44.289 Now the music industry is all over the place. 00:16:44.330 --> 00:16:49.970 It's shifting and changing One when did you decide? 00:16:50.090 --> 00:16:53.230 I'm just gonna focus on my artistry and do me 00:16:53.230 --> 00:16:57.049 as opposed to trying to navigate the industry 00:16:57.340 --> 00:17:00.000 Because one thing I've noticed about your journey 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:03.620 that I just from observation is that you end 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:07.740 up on these big old stages But they're not they're 00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:11.400 connected to you But you explore so many different 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:15.140 parts of your artistry as opposed to staying 00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:18.220 Condensed which is what the industry wants people 00:17:18.220 --> 00:17:21.339 to do At what point did you say to yourself? 00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:23.440 You know what? I'm just gonna do me. I don't 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:26.460 think there's never been a point I think it's 00:17:26.460 --> 00:17:30.720 just always been, let me try. Let me try this. 00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:32.980 Let me try that. Because I just want to create, 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:35.539 to be honest with you. It's always just been 00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:39.519 about creating the story for me. Or yeah, it's, 00:17:39.579 --> 00:17:41.700 honest to God, it's really just been about creation. 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.880 Like, what can I do? Or what can I do? I want 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:46.980 to work with this artist. And it's not always 00:17:46.980 --> 00:17:50.099 a musician, you know? The last time I worked 00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:53.779 with... another artist was through circus. So, 00:17:53.859 --> 00:17:56.039 you know, it's a hand balancer. It's an aerial 00:17:56.039 --> 00:17:58.579 artist. How can I incorporate that into a live 00:17:58.579 --> 00:18:03.180 show and bring an experience? But it creates 00:18:03.180 --> 00:18:05.900 this picture of storytelling. And it's like, 00:18:06.059 --> 00:18:07.960 you know, I told somebody it was like how I was 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:10.000 inspired by Prince's Sign of the Times, that 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:13.900 live show. I was like, oh, my God, they're actors. 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:18.200 This is theater on a whole nother level, you 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:21.460 know, and musician the sax player is an actor 00:18:21.460 --> 00:18:24.180 too like that's why I was like oh no it's just 00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:26.660 painting the picture with like crazy musicianship 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:29.299 and storytelling and like and that was my thing 00:18:29.299 --> 00:18:31.859 it was how can I paint the picture how can I 00:18:31.859 --> 00:18:34.859 create more art and you know maybe bring in a 00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:37.319 rock and roll song or jazz I'm not jazz I'm not 00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:40.079 I'm not trying to be a style I'm not perfect 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:45.410 I'm nowhere near Amazing peers that I have that 00:18:45.410 --> 00:18:48.349 do that. I'm just trying to tap into a way that 00:18:48.349 --> 00:18:51.549 I feel like I can express it. And what does that 00:18:51.549 --> 00:18:54.509 mean? Am I inspired by? Yes. Am I inspired by 00:18:54.509 --> 00:18:57.549 rock? Am I inspired by country? Am I inspired 00:18:57.549 --> 00:19:01.109 by? Absolutely. But I try to make it into my 00:19:01.109 --> 00:19:05.329 own little world. Yeah. I definitely try to. 00:19:05.970 --> 00:19:09.099 So what does the world of live look like? I know 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:11.460 it's living vibrantly inside of your head and 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:14.299 how are you creating it in the world around you? 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:17.359 Yeah, I think you said it. I think the experience 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:19.359 of it all, because I like to say it's an experience 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:22.740 every time, it's vibrant. It's moody. I'm a moody 00:19:22.740 --> 00:19:25.339 person. I'm very moody. You know, a lot of it 00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:27.980 for me has just been inspired by a space of love. 00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:32.680 I'm a container of that, whether it's been severe 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:39.299 pain, heartache, self -love. relational relationships, 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:43.339 I'm always coming from that place. People, just 00:19:43.339 --> 00:19:46.559 in general, humanity, the love of humanity, I'm 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:49.160 always coming from that place. And I'm trying 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:51.099 to tell the story of what that is, whether it's 00:19:51.099 --> 00:19:54.220 mine or somebody else's, or I think I've always 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:57.339 come from that space and trying to tell the story 00:19:57.339 --> 00:20:00.740 of that or the pain of my heart or the vulnerability 00:20:00.740 --> 00:20:04.259 of not being able to, like, feel like I can get 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:07.359 out of this situation. Like, I'm... on the floor 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:10.579 crying at home. I mean, to be honest with you, 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:14.519 with a big bottle of liquor, whiskey, watching 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:20.619 my old self die away, personality die away, and 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:23.740 then trying to step up out of that to bloom, 00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:27.579 you know, and to accepting who this person is 00:20:27.579 --> 00:20:32.059 now, you know? So I try to sing and create experiences 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:35.700 of all of that. So, yeah. Mm -hmm. I call that 00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:41.400 our unraveling season. Oh, God. And it is tough 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:44.640 and it's challenging. Oh, yeah. You have to go 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:47.839 through it. You have to. You have to. And I feel 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:49.839 like that's the thing. If I can paint all of 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:52.900 those stages and sometimes it's, oh, it's on 00:20:52.900 --> 00:20:56.500 a whole nother. It's party time, honey, you know? 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:59.579 And I love showing all sides of that. As long 00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:01.779 as I can tap into somebody else's heart and their 00:21:01.779 --> 00:21:05.430 frequency in the room. and they get it, and they 00:21:05.430 --> 00:21:07.809 leave inspired, and they leave moved, and they 00:21:07.809 --> 00:21:10.809 leave like, she got it, she understood, you know, 00:21:11.369 --> 00:21:12.869 what I was trying to say, or they were trying 00:21:12.869 --> 00:21:15.029 to, you know, they got it, that's all I want. 00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:17.970 And I saw you do it when you came to St. Louis 00:21:17.970 --> 00:21:21.990 to perform, and the way you shifted the energy 00:21:21.990 --> 00:21:24.509 in that room, I was like, it took my breath away, 00:21:24.509 --> 00:21:29.690 I was like, how is she doing that? They were 00:21:29.690 --> 00:21:31.849 like staring at you, like, who is this lady? 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:34.799 But by the end they were like, are you done already? 00:21:34.940 --> 00:21:37.579 And they were on their feet and you went into 00:21:37.579 --> 00:21:41.420 the audience. It was such a magical experience. 00:21:41.619 --> 00:21:44.779 Blessings. Thank you. And I could tell that you 00:21:44.779 --> 00:21:47.339 were intentional about everything that you were 00:21:47.339 --> 00:21:51.240 doing. Where does that come from? I think that 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:55.140 I'm very sensitive to a room. I just feel like 00:21:55.140 --> 00:21:59.400 I can feel everything sometimes to a fault. So 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:02.809 I feel I try to. Feel the room as much as I possibly 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:05.569 can I think that's honestly where the energy 00:22:05.569 --> 00:22:08.410 comes from from me because I feel it Yeah, that's 00:22:08.410 --> 00:22:11.549 I'm intentional in that way Because I can feel 00:22:11.549 --> 00:22:14.970 automatically when I step out on stage. I'm definitely 00:22:14.970 --> 00:22:20.250 not removed Yeah, so when we met you said something 00:22:20.250 --> 00:22:22.569 very powerful to me, but very simple and you 00:22:22.569 --> 00:22:26.250 just said keep going Who are the people around 00:22:26.250 --> 00:22:30.160 you that fill you up when you feel like? I don't 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:33.299 know if I can take one more step. I have a circle 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:37.940 of close friends, very small. I have myself, 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:41.420 I have God, I have my parents, and that's it. 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.960 Those are the folks that I tap into, honestly. 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:47.079 I mean, of course, you know, if anybody say God 00:22:47.079 --> 00:22:49.859 first, but I just went off in my head exactly 00:22:49.859 --> 00:22:52.559 who I, the ones that can understand. Cause you 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:55.160 know, real friends, we'll go quiet. I'll go quiet, 00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:56.799 honey, and heartbeat. They'll be like, okay, 00:22:56.960 --> 00:23:00.319 Liv is, she's quiet. I would text her like five 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:03.720 or six, seven times. She hasn't returned my... 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:07.240 They already know what's up, but they're there. 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:09.680 They're the ones that understand that they're 00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:12.779 there. They're always there, you know? And it's 00:23:12.779 --> 00:23:15.039 your tribe. It's the small pocket. It's that 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:18.240 small tribe that they get it, you know? And I 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:22.500 have to, honestly, my faith, my faith, my unwavering 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:25.299 faith, and I thank my parents. I thank my great 00:23:25.299 --> 00:23:28.480 aunt Lena for just always just... my ancestral 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:30.900 faith for knowing that's just something that's 00:23:30.900 --> 00:23:33.599 built. I feel like it's built in in us to be 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:37.579 like, no, that's not you. You know, you got it. 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:39.660 It's going to hurt tomorrow. It's going to hurt 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:46.539 next week and next month. But you got it, though. 00:23:46.680 --> 00:23:49.940 You got it. You got this. You do. There's something 00:23:49.940 --> 00:23:54.980 else. There's a reason, you know, so. What did 00:23:54.980 --> 00:23:57.920 working with Nancy Wilson teach you about being 00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:01.119 a woman in this industry and building longevity? 00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:04.339 Nancy's amazing. Nancy never back down. Like 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:08.039 the one thing I love about Nancy is her, man, 00:24:08.740 --> 00:24:11.660 she just, I don't know, just her stance, just 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:16.000 who she is, just her walking in a room, just 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:18.380 no one really knowing who she is really working 00:24:18.380 --> 00:24:21.650 with her, as well as a songwriter. Just as a 00:24:21.650 --> 00:24:24.150 woman. She's really dynamic. I love I love watching 00:24:24.150 --> 00:24:25.750 her and I love spending time with her because 00:24:25.750 --> 00:24:30.490 she always is champion other women always and 00:24:30.490 --> 00:24:32.549 She's been that way since day one when I met 00:24:32.549 --> 00:24:35.470 her Yeah, she just always she knew that because 00:24:35.470 --> 00:24:38.130 there was always a side of me and I think I was 00:24:38.130 --> 00:24:41.950 working with Nancy maybe months after Prince 00:24:41.950 --> 00:24:46.670 had passed and she was like a a beautiful angel 00:24:46.670 --> 00:24:49.210 soft landing space for my energy in my heart 00:24:49.210 --> 00:24:51.960 to be vulnerable and be comfortable around because 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:53.839 that was a really hard thing for me to deal with 00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:55.519 because I had to feel like, you know, I still 00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:59.240 needed to create. And being in that world allowed 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:01.599 me to her also saying like, you know, you got 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:04.559 to stop like cowering. You know, why are you 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:08.019 always making yourself small in a room? There 00:25:08.019 --> 00:25:10.920 it is. Why are you shrinking? You know, and I 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:13.859 just, you know, but she was very much there for 00:25:13.859 --> 00:25:17.380 me very much. Yeah. And you know what? We're 00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:21.140 so conditioned to be humble. We're not conditioned 00:25:21.140 --> 00:25:25.460 to brag about ourselves. Yeah But you you're 00:25:25.460 --> 00:25:28.079 like that girl. I told you I said the only difference 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:31.240 between you and Madonna is a ten million dollar 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:37.920 check. Oh, bless You only difference I mean, 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:40.420 I can't imagine if somebody said live here's 00:25:40.420 --> 00:25:42.059 ten million dollars create the show you want 00:25:42.059 --> 00:25:44.940 and let's take it around the world So let's manifest 00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:50.240 that Can we get this a soundbite, please? You 00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:56.119 are aerialing through the sky. Oh, I love that. 00:25:56.359 --> 00:25:59.140 You are doing all the things, and there's nothing, 00:25:59.660 --> 00:26:02.099 there's no, to me, in my opinion, there's no 00:26:02.099 --> 00:26:04.000 difference between you than the ones we see on 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:08.339 TV, except that $10 million check. So, check 00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:11.640 that on the symphony stage. Me, Catherine Battle, 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:15.849 and Diana Ross. Do all the things. Thank you 00:26:15.849 --> 00:26:18.029 for manifesting that because yeah, that's what 00:26:18.029 --> 00:26:21.250 I dream about and think about all the time. Not 00:26:21.250 --> 00:26:23.130 from a just like, oh, I want to be this. I want 00:26:23.130 --> 00:26:26.730 to be this big. No, it's just the experience. 00:26:26.869 --> 00:26:29.109 I want everybody to feel the experience with 00:26:29.109 --> 00:26:31.289 all these amazing musicians and creators and 00:26:31.289 --> 00:26:33.569 artists I get to work with. Like, do you feel 00:26:33.569 --> 00:26:35.609 what I feel on this stage? I want y 'all to feel 00:26:35.609 --> 00:26:38.210 it. That's the way I felt like with Prince working 00:26:38.210 --> 00:26:41.109 with him. Like, oh my God, I can't even concentrate 00:26:41.109 --> 00:26:43.990 on singing these background parts because I'm. 00:26:44.250 --> 00:26:46.750 I'm trying to be watching him take this solo. 00:26:47.329 --> 00:26:50.230 I don't want to go down and go off stage and 00:26:50.230 --> 00:26:53.109 like, I'm going to watch this. It's the energy 00:26:53.109 --> 00:26:57.930 is crazy, you know, and you just want people 00:26:57.930 --> 00:27:00.910 to feel that, you know, and it's I just want 00:27:00.910 --> 00:27:03.789 people to feel it. What I feel, what I feel from 00:27:03.789 --> 00:27:08.089 everybody on this stage. Now, it's been 10 years 00:27:08.089 --> 00:27:12.569 since beloved has passed. What do you cherish? 00:27:12.970 --> 00:27:18.150 most about that time with him. I cherish the 00:27:18.150 --> 00:27:21.990 creativity, always talking about making music, 00:27:22.349 --> 00:27:25.390 always wanting to go in the living room and me, 00:27:25.529 --> 00:27:28.670 Shelby and Alisa singing with the girls and like 00:27:28.670 --> 00:27:31.069 coming up with harmony parts and sitting at the 00:27:31.069 --> 00:27:34.730 piano and, you know, him getting excited about 00:27:34.730 --> 00:27:38.589 talking about going on tour. I miss that. I miss 00:27:38.589 --> 00:27:42.500 the after shows. I miss Him giving us the look 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:47.700 if I didn't hit the right part. I miss that energy. 00:27:47.940 --> 00:27:50.640 I miss being on our toes. I miss the conversations. 00:27:50.759 --> 00:27:54.859 I miss us trying to figure out how we could be 00:27:54.859 --> 00:27:58.099 better as artists, what we could do differently. 00:27:58.599 --> 00:28:02.420 Think outside the box. I miss that. And I try 00:28:02.420 --> 00:28:04.680 to, you know, in my mind, I have my own separate 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:07.900 thinking space when I'm talking to him in my 00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:09.950 heart, you know. being like, man, what would 00:28:09.950 --> 00:28:13.269 you do in this situation? And sometimes I would, 00:28:13.670 --> 00:28:15.750 and you know, I could just picture him kind of 00:28:15.750 --> 00:28:17.910 like walking off, maybe rolling his eyes. If 00:28:17.910 --> 00:28:19.849 it wasn't right, I could just be like, oh no, 00:28:20.029 --> 00:28:23.930 he'd be like, do that Mark Jefferson walk out 00:28:23.930 --> 00:28:35.569 the door. Like, that ain't it. No, no. I miss 00:28:35.569 --> 00:28:38.420 that, you know, and We've been getting to celebrate 00:28:38.420 --> 00:28:40.039 them. We celebrate them all the time. I know 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:43.579 I do. I try to mostly all my shows in my way. 00:28:43.740 --> 00:28:45.720 But this year, especially, I know they're doing 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:49.339 some amazing things. But yeah, always. His energy 00:28:49.339 --> 00:28:52.460 is always, always around. Always. I remember 00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:54.359 the night he passed, the sky literally turned 00:28:54.359 --> 00:28:56.299 purple. I couldn't catch it on my phone, but 00:28:56.299 --> 00:29:00.400 it literally turned purple. That frequency. That 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:02.559 frequency. I'm like, he wasn't meant here to 00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:05.460 be here. That frequency is everything. Yeah. 00:29:06.019 --> 00:29:08.980 He was here, he was here. But you have put out 00:29:08.980 --> 00:29:12.779 incredible music yourself. Two of my favorite 00:29:12.779 --> 00:29:14.579 albums, when people say, what are your top 10? 00:29:14.700 --> 00:29:17.819 These two albums are on it, The Unexpected and 00:29:17.819 --> 00:29:21.460 Edge. Oh, wow. Your music is like, it speaks 00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:27.059 to my grown woman self. And that self of becoming 00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:30.200 and just giving word to some time. You know, 00:29:30.299 --> 00:29:32.319 sometimes you think about things, you can't quite 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:34.599 put the words. It's like, just put this song 00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:38.220 on. It says all the things I need to say. But 00:29:38.220 --> 00:29:41.220 you took a nice little break in between both 00:29:41.220 --> 00:29:44.880 albums. When do you know that it's time, okay, 00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:47.599 it's time for new music? For me, I don't think 00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:50.640 there's any time to know. I just think that I 00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:53.019 know in my spirit when, you know, because I had, 00:29:53.539 --> 00:29:56.940 even now I've stopped maybe the past two and 00:29:56.940 --> 00:29:59.240 a half, three years, maybe it's probably even 00:29:59.240 --> 00:30:01.859 longer. I just didn't know what to say anymore. 00:30:02.339 --> 00:30:05.380 And I knew I knew my heart space. I was like, 00:30:05.380 --> 00:30:07.519 I don't know what to say. I enjoy singing. I 00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:10.119 enjoy doing shows. But right now, I'm not going 00:30:10.119 --> 00:30:12.720 to force it. When I need to say something and 00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:14.420 when I'm ready, I know when I'm ready. I know 00:30:14.420 --> 00:30:17.240 now. You know, before I, oh my God, I have to 00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:19.299 force it. I have to write. And some people are 00:30:19.299 --> 00:30:22.420 gifted that they can sit down at the guitar or 00:30:22.420 --> 00:30:24.819 whatever, and they can just come up with it, 00:30:24.819 --> 00:30:27.440 you know? And that's a serious gift. Me, I'm 00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:29.900 so attached to my music. I'm so attached to the 00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:32.640 story that it has to, I don't know, feel like 00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:35.759 I... have to be married to the sensibilities 00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:38.740 of it, you know? So it takes a minute for me. 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:41.779 And you've worked with a great songwriter, Ryan. 00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:45.079 I mean, great musician, but all the things. Yes, 00:30:45.079 --> 00:30:48.980 yes. How are you able to move those songs into 00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:53.700 being yours? Because you literally make like 00:30:53.700 --> 00:30:56.319 Blackbird. That is your song. I can't imagine 00:30:56.319 --> 00:31:02.539 anybody else singing it. OK. Oh. Ryan is an incredible 00:31:02.539 --> 00:31:05.920 songwriter. He always gives me the liberty to, 00:31:06.039 --> 00:31:09.259 he'll say, sis, whatever you feel. What's your 00:31:09.259 --> 00:31:11.180 take on it? What's your vision? Like he has the 00:31:11.180 --> 00:31:12.900 melody and stuff that's there because Ryan is 00:31:12.900 --> 00:31:15.579 an amazing singer, singer himself, performer 00:31:15.579 --> 00:31:19.920 for real. But I always try to put myself inside 00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:22.539 the story. And I think that's what helps me with 00:31:22.539 --> 00:31:24.640 his songs. It's like, I need to put myself like 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:28.660 saviors, like becoming one of my most right now. 00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:31.059 one of the favorite songs of mine off an edge 00:31:31.059 --> 00:31:34.480 that he wrote. It's like, man, these words, Ryan. 00:31:34.680 --> 00:31:38.500 Like now, I used to sing the song, but now I 00:31:38.500 --> 00:31:40.519 approach it differently now. Now I'm kind of 00:31:40.519 --> 00:31:42.279 like, man, can I go back in the studio and re 00:31:42.279 --> 00:31:45.920 -record it now? Because something else has shifted 00:31:45.920 --> 00:31:49.220 in my life to where that frequency of that song 00:31:49.220 --> 00:31:54.380 hits different now. So yeah, Ryan is... he's 00:31:54.380 --> 00:31:56.640 been sending me some other stuff too and and 00:31:56.640 --> 00:31:58.779 j mac a bass player too that like i feel like 00:31:58.779 --> 00:32:01.160 now i'm getting i'm bubbling up to do something 00:32:01.160 --> 00:32:06.200 now i am i feel like waiting yeah yeah yeah okay 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:12.019 yeah okay waiting yes you've had a career over 00:32:12.019 --> 00:32:15.920 20 years and you're taking all of that music 00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:18.859 all of those experiences back home to peoria 00:32:18.859 --> 00:32:22.759 and this time there will be a full symphony behind 00:32:22.759 --> 00:32:26.920 you What does that feel like and what can audiences 00:32:26.920 --> 00:32:34.920 expect? Ooh, that feels like, ah, okay, I'm sorry. 00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:37.940 Those are all these emotions. It feels like I 00:32:37.940 --> 00:32:40.700 just had a piece of my mom's chocolate velvet 00:32:40.700 --> 00:32:45.619 cake. It feels like me leaving home when I went 00:32:45.619 --> 00:32:49.140 to Portland. It was a certain type of freedom 00:32:49.140 --> 00:32:55.759 and sweetness and... love right now for that 00:32:55.759 --> 00:32:58.220 moment, this moment that I'm getting, and hopefully 00:32:58.220 --> 00:33:00.299 there's more moments. It's the Peoria Symphony. 00:33:00.579 --> 00:33:03.480 It's the Peoria Symphony. It's like a 60 -piece 00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:07.299 orchestra. It's mind -blowing to me, and it's 00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:11.059 all of my original pieces with my band. They're 00:33:11.059 --> 00:33:14.099 going to be there with my people, Saida and Red, 00:33:14.759 --> 00:33:17.480 another emerging artist, amazing. It's all the 00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:20.559 pieces that have... landed at the right time 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:22.599 in my life. I don't think I would have been ready 00:33:22.599 --> 00:33:26.299 to do this maybe five or six years ago. Maybe, 00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:29.900 yeah, in a, I don't know, maybe, yeah, in a way, 00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:33.660 in a performative way, meaning just performative, 00:33:33.740 --> 00:33:35.900 because this thing is deeper than that for me. 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:39.140 This is more community. This is more love. This 00:33:39.140 --> 00:33:42.299 is more what's going on around in the world today 00:33:42.299 --> 00:33:45.259 type energy for me, that it's an experience that 00:33:45.259 --> 00:33:48.279 I hope that is life changing, because it changed 00:33:48.279 --> 00:33:51.710 my life. Like I went to the auditorium or the 00:33:51.710 --> 00:33:53.609 Prairie Center by the Civic Center in Peoria 00:33:53.609 --> 00:33:56.970 and I stood on that stage. And normally something 00:33:56.970 --> 00:33:58.950 like that gives me a little bit of anxiety. Like, 00:33:58.990 --> 00:34:02.450 oh my God, I'm just getting nervous. But I felt 00:34:02.450 --> 00:34:07.470 this feeling of like, I was energized. I never 00:34:07.470 --> 00:34:09.849 usually ever feel like that. I'm more like putting 00:34:09.849 --> 00:34:12.869 all this anxious energy on me. But no, I feel 00:34:12.869 --> 00:34:16.349 like, oh God, I'm so ready to let people feel 00:34:16.349 --> 00:34:19.349 what I feel in my heart. Because I feel like 00:34:19.349 --> 00:34:21.989 I've been on this heavy healing journey and I 00:34:21.989 --> 00:34:25.030 just want people to feel what I feel. You know, 00:34:25.030 --> 00:34:27.690 it's changed for me. A lot has changed for me 00:34:27.690 --> 00:34:30.469 and it's heavy in the most beautiful way. So 00:34:30.469 --> 00:34:33.190 I felt like, oh God, I'm ready for this frequency 00:34:33.190 --> 00:34:36.010 to hit everybody. I don't want to give away some 00:34:36.010 --> 00:34:39.389 things. I want to know all the things. Tell all 00:34:39.389 --> 00:34:43.869 of them. This is what I have to know. What are 00:34:43.869 --> 00:34:48.179 you wearing? Oh God. I'm trying to get this thing 00:34:48.179 --> 00:34:50.760 approved. A good friend of mine, Courtney Bateo, 00:34:50.940 --> 00:34:52.559 she's been designing some stuff. I mean, she's 00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:54.719 a young designer. She's amazing. We've been working 00:34:54.719 --> 00:34:59.900 on this long cape, this excessively stupid long 00:34:59.900 --> 00:35:05.559 cape over the orchestra. So, I mean, it's a dream 00:35:05.559 --> 00:35:08.119 and I want it to feel like a dream, but a dream 00:35:08.119 --> 00:35:11.639 that inspires, a dream that is truth, a dream 00:35:11.639 --> 00:35:14.840 that is love, frequency all over that room and 00:35:14.840 --> 00:35:17.989 all over that space. like Phoenix energy, you 00:35:17.989 --> 00:35:20.570 know? Yeah, so it's little bitty pieces like 00:35:20.570 --> 00:35:22.449 that I'm hoping to get. I'm not going to give 00:35:22.449 --> 00:35:24.670 it away. I can't give this other stuff away. 00:35:24.989 --> 00:35:29.630 I know. Are you archiving the whole experience? 00:35:29.809 --> 00:35:33.590 Yeah, I am. I am. I definitely am. It's an experience. 00:35:33.630 --> 00:35:36.130 Like I keep saying to people, I want it to be 00:35:36.130 --> 00:35:38.789 an experience. I don't want it to be like typical. 00:35:39.230 --> 00:35:41.670 Well, I don't think you can be typical Liv. I 00:35:41.670 --> 00:35:45.130 mean, I don't care if you're sitting in a jazz 00:35:45.130 --> 00:35:49.599 club. on a stool or on a big stage like America's 00:35:49.599 --> 00:35:52.619 Got Talent. There's nothing typical about you. 00:35:54.039 --> 00:35:56.199 No, I mean, I'm not trying to say it in a way 00:35:56.199 --> 00:35:57.840 that I hope doesn't sound bad, doesn't sound 00:35:57.840 --> 00:36:00.820 bad, but I just don't want people to expect something 00:36:00.820 --> 00:36:03.599 from me. I don't want them to expect. Please 00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:07.199 just come with an open mind. Come with an open 00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:11.480 heart. Just be present. I don't even want, hopefully 00:36:11.480 --> 00:36:14.570 there's no phones. You know, I just... just be 00:36:14.570 --> 00:36:18.510 present for a moment, you know, and just take 00:36:18.510 --> 00:36:21.889 it in because it's not just me. It's this whole 00:36:21.889 --> 00:36:24.369 work of musicianships, the people who have taken 00:36:24.369 --> 00:36:27.710 the time out to actually see this vision through. 00:36:28.309 --> 00:36:32.849 So, yeah. That's the best thing. I mean, I remember 00:36:32.849 --> 00:36:35.369 going to concerts when there were no phones and 00:36:35.369 --> 00:36:37.929 no recording and no pictures. And you just got 00:36:37.929 --> 00:36:42.389 into the music. It was such a different experience. 00:36:42.699 --> 00:36:44.639 I don't want to overuse that word, but it was 00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:50.559 cathartic. It was healing. It was magical. And 00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:53.420 those have always been the best experiences when 00:36:53.420 --> 00:36:58.019 the phones were down. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And for 00:36:58.019 --> 00:37:01.480 people just to absorb the feeling, like the arranger 00:37:01.480 --> 00:37:04.059 wrote some Stevie Black wrote some amazing arrangements 00:37:04.059 --> 00:37:07.679 for these, for these songs. We're doing a Stevie 00:37:07.679 --> 00:37:13.590 Wonder cover. Ooh, thing is beautiful. I won't 00:37:13.590 --> 00:37:17.190 ask which one, but okay. Don't ask. I gave that 00:37:17.190 --> 00:37:18.949 away and I was like, I didn't want to do that. 00:37:20.070 --> 00:37:22.570 But yeah, it's going to be very, it's going to 00:37:22.570 --> 00:37:26.190 be moving, very moving. Are you designing the 00:37:26.190 --> 00:37:28.409 show yourself or do you have a designer working 00:37:28.409 --> 00:37:31.230 with you? No, I'm designing the show myself. 00:37:31.889 --> 00:37:34.309 So it's undertaking. I mean, we've been doing 00:37:34.309 --> 00:37:39.710 this for over a year, you know, trying to really 00:37:39.710 --> 00:37:41.670 map it out in a way, you know, it's the first 00:37:41.670 --> 00:37:44.630 time. So, you know, of course I want it to go, 00:37:44.809 --> 00:37:47.969 you want things to be great, not perfect, but 00:37:47.969 --> 00:37:51.389 you want it to go great. So, yeah. Oh, it'll 00:37:51.389 --> 00:37:54.949 be beautiful. The one thing I know about people 00:37:54.949 --> 00:37:57.769 who play in the symphony, they're serious. Yeah, 00:37:57.829 --> 00:37:59.730 they're serious. And they will have it right. 00:38:01.010 --> 00:38:06.489 They believe in practicing at home and then rehearsing. 00:38:07.389 --> 00:38:10.400 The pure symphonies. Gorgeous. They're a beautiful 00:38:10.400 --> 00:38:13.360 sound. Beautiful, beautiful sound. It's like 00:38:13.360 --> 00:38:15.760 a serious honor to be able to work with them 00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:18.380 because George Stiludo, who is the maestro, hit 00:38:18.380 --> 00:38:20.440 me up about doing it. And that's when I was like, 00:38:20.440 --> 00:38:23.699 wait, what? Are you serious? Oh, how would you 00:38:23.699 --> 00:38:28.599 like to do a show of your original? It just that's 00:38:28.599 --> 00:38:31.559 when I say God is so good, you know, because 00:38:31.559 --> 00:38:33.380 it was just that's just something that was just 00:38:33.380 --> 00:38:37.039 a dream just sitting on the shelf only one day. 00:38:37.059 --> 00:38:39.610 But I just feel like when all things and when 00:38:39.610 --> 00:38:43.090 God in the universe says possibly that you're 00:38:43.090 --> 00:38:44.650 ready and you feel that in your heart that you're 00:38:44.650 --> 00:38:48.510 ready to do that, it's always in alignment, you 00:38:48.510 --> 00:38:50.710 know? And I feel like this is a really good alignment 00:38:50.710 --> 00:38:54.769 for me. So, mm -hmm. So, before we get out of 00:38:54.769 --> 00:38:59.210 here, this is a moment, and I'm so excited for 00:38:59.210 --> 00:39:02.010 you. Like, when I saw it on your social media, 00:39:02.030 --> 00:39:04.750 I was like, oh, my God. I'm so excited for her. 00:39:04.929 --> 00:39:09.630 Thank you. Because that's like the epitome is 00:39:09.630 --> 00:39:12.829 to have these incredible musicians who are studied, 00:39:13.510 --> 00:39:16.230 who are experienced to play. You're not singing 00:39:16.230 --> 00:39:18.889 other people's music specifically. You're doing 00:39:18.889 --> 00:39:22.449 you. That's a grace. That's a beautiful honor. 00:39:22.949 --> 00:39:26.369 But what is your vision for your artistry, your 00:39:26.369 --> 00:39:31.730 music and your life beyond this moment? I think 00:39:31.730 --> 00:39:35.489 the thing that keeps my heart pumping and my 00:39:35.489 --> 00:39:39.210 mind steady is to just constantly create and 00:39:39.210 --> 00:39:47.210 be truthful to myself. Whether it hurts or I'm 00:39:47.210 --> 00:39:49.510 happy, that's what I want. And I want to be able 00:39:49.510 --> 00:39:53.590 to do it in a creative space without fear and 00:39:53.590 --> 00:39:57.159 to be also able to inspire people. to be there. 00:39:57.179 --> 00:39:59.699 People need me to be there. I'm there in whatever 00:39:59.699 --> 00:40:02.420 capacity I can be. I want to be there because 00:40:02.420 --> 00:40:05.239 I, what I feel more than ever is that we just 00:40:05.239 --> 00:40:08.239 need each other more than ever. We need each 00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:14.059 other and not judge so much. I tear each other 00:40:14.059 --> 00:40:18.659 down so much and not even at all, not even so 00:40:18.659 --> 00:40:21.659 much, just not at all. You know, that's what 00:40:21.659 --> 00:40:24.760 I want. And I want to be able to have a world 00:40:25.190 --> 00:40:29.230 And in my world, just to have the creative freedom 00:40:29.230 --> 00:40:32.289 to do so. That's what I see for myself. There's 00:40:32.289 --> 00:40:38.929 no like, God knows my heart. There's no really 00:40:38.929 --> 00:40:42.030 end game for me as long as my heart is right. 00:40:42.210 --> 00:40:44.550 And just give me the tools to create a beautiful 00:40:44.550 --> 00:40:46.750 story, tell a beautiful story, work with more 00:40:46.750 --> 00:40:50.190 circus artists, go overseas, tour, all the things. 00:40:51.449 --> 00:40:54.150 All the things, but as long as my heart is good. 00:40:55.099 --> 00:40:59.539 I'm from a good place because words are spells. 00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:02.940 Words, frequency changes people's lives. Music 00:41:02.940 --> 00:41:06.460 has and will throughout time. Ancestors with 00:41:06.460 --> 00:41:09.179 the drums, the energy moves and it has moved 00:41:09.179 --> 00:41:11.539 throughout time. That's one thing that will never 00:41:11.539 --> 00:41:14.219 change is that. That's from your heart, your 00:41:14.219 --> 00:41:16.039 heartbeat. You already got to beat your heart. 00:41:16.380 --> 00:41:18.380 So I just want to be truthful to myself all the 00:41:18.380 --> 00:41:22.780 time. So that's it. There's no path or anything 00:41:22.780 --> 00:41:26.250 like that. I know God got me. So wherever I'm 00:41:26.250 --> 00:41:30.170 in alignment, that's where I'm at. And I know 00:41:30.170 --> 00:41:37.409 it. I know it now. Because he pulled me down. 00:41:37.449 --> 00:41:42.329 He was just like, you're going down. I need you 00:41:42.329 --> 00:41:45.949 to go down so you can understand. I'm playing 00:41:45.949 --> 00:41:49.969 with you right now. I feel you on that 100%. 00:41:49.969 --> 00:41:52.630 I know that moment. I know those feelings. I 00:41:52.630 --> 00:41:55.909 know those years. Well, you're like, Lord, you 00:41:55.909 --> 00:41:57.969 said you were going to be here. What is going 00:41:57.969 --> 00:42:03.489 on around here? Like, you know, like, it's so 00:42:03.489 --> 00:42:05.809 funny, like, Solange, every time she says that, 00:42:05.869 --> 00:42:08.489 I try to pray it away. I try to drink it away. 00:42:08.650 --> 00:42:13.489 I try to. Yeah, I got it. And I dealt with that. 00:42:13.650 --> 00:42:17.269 And I was like, you know what? Mm hmm. I hear 00:42:17.269 --> 00:42:22.829 you. Straighten up and fly right. Got you. I 00:42:22.829 --> 00:42:26.190 got it. And I don't need any more lessons. I'm 00:42:26.190 --> 00:42:32.710 good. Let's fly. We tweet. Let's go. And I do 00:42:32.710 --> 00:42:34.710 need the lessons. And that's the thing is I do 00:42:34.710 --> 00:42:37.289 need, I do need the lessons. I want to be open. 00:42:37.829 --> 00:42:40.510 I want to be tapped open that you keep giving 00:42:40.510 --> 00:42:42.989 me the lessons. Please keep giving it to me. 00:42:43.389 --> 00:42:46.309 Because what I did is what I blocked you off. 00:42:46.869 --> 00:42:48.969 And when I blocked you off, you shut me down. 00:42:49.150 --> 00:42:52.239 And I needed it. And that's cool. And when I 00:42:52.239 --> 00:42:54.440 opened and I got to that part in that space where 00:42:54.440 --> 00:42:58.340 I opened my heart up, when I opened up, that's 00:42:58.340 --> 00:43:00.260 when things started to be in alignment. Slowly 00:43:00.260 --> 00:43:03.860 but surely, it got me back in alignment, you 00:43:03.860 --> 00:43:07.400 know? And now you are preparing for the symphony 00:43:07.400 --> 00:43:11.059 stage, honey. One of many. We're going to manifest 00:43:11.059 --> 00:43:16.719 that. One of many. Please, oh my goodness. One 00:43:16.719 --> 00:43:20.179 of many stages you will be on with the symphony. 00:43:20.409 --> 00:43:26.469 And the beauty is they match your energy. You 00:43:26.469 --> 00:43:31.190 need 60 pieces. Blessings. To fill up the space 00:43:31.190 --> 00:43:34.530 that's inside of your heart. So I am happy for 00:43:34.530 --> 00:43:37.170 you. Thank you. And I know the show will be a 00:43:37.170 --> 00:43:40.170 great success on many levels. Thank you. And 00:43:40.170 --> 00:43:43.130 you are walking through the door of Liv's world 00:43:43.130 --> 00:43:45.630 and everybody's going to go with you. I hope 00:43:45.630 --> 00:43:49.219 so. I just want to just share the frequency that 00:43:49.219 --> 00:43:52.239 I'm feeling right now, and it's a good one. I 00:43:52.239 --> 00:43:54.960 just want to share and it's good. So thank you, 00:43:55.239 --> 00:43:58.539 Monica. So how can people follow your journey 00:43:58.539 --> 00:44:03.199 and be inside of Liv's world? Mostly through 00:44:03.199 --> 00:44:06.119 Instagram. I try to do a little bit on Facebook. 00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:12.400 She's a work in progress there. Instagram, I'm 00:44:12.400 --> 00:44:15.570 a lot better. Sometimes the socials are really 00:44:15.570 --> 00:44:18.329 hard for me to keep up with. But on Instagram, 00:44:18.590 --> 00:44:22.530 yeah, I'm being better about sharing that portion. 00:44:22.789 --> 00:44:25.489 And also on my website so people can stay in 00:44:25.489 --> 00:44:27.010 touch with my tours and stuff, because I'm going 00:44:27.010 --> 00:44:29.309 to be doing a lot more shows, a lot of things 00:44:29.309 --> 00:44:31.429 coming up lately and in these next couple months. 00:44:32.110 --> 00:44:35.969 So yeah. And what's your website? LiveWarfieldOfficial 00:44:35.969 --> 00:44:41.329 .com. So L -I -E. W -A -R -F -I -E -L -D. So 00:44:41.329 --> 00:44:43.789 live, not a Z, and I'm not mad if people say 00:44:43.789 --> 00:44:49.429 Liz, I understand. Sometimes those, sometimes 00:44:49.429 --> 00:44:53.750 those slide together. Oh yeah. So yeah, so please 00:44:53.750 --> 00:44:56.550 message me anytime, anybody. Message me anytime. 00:44:57.369 --> 00:44:59.650 All the things. I try to stay connected as much 00:44:59.650 --> 00:45:02.530 as I can, as much as I can. Well, thank you so 00:45:02.530 --> 00:45:04.670 much for your time. I know you have a busy schedule 00:45:04.670 --> 00:45:07.389 preparing for life and all the things. And the 00:45:07.389 --> 00:45:09.730 gowns, and the music, and the rehearsal. Oh, 00:45:09.769 --> 00:45:13.750 bless me. I'm crying, but yes, thank you. Thank 00:45:13.750 --> 00:45:16.530 you so much. So thank you, and I'll talk to you 00:45:16.530 --> 00:45:20.489 soon. Yes. Thank you, Anka. Thank you for listening 00:45:20.489 --> 00:45:23.070 to Black Women Amplified. We hope you enjoyed 00:45:23.070 --> 00:45:26.050 the show. Be sure to subscribe and log on to 00:45:26.050 --> 00:45:29.130 blackwomenamplified .com for more information. 00:45:29.690 --> 00:45:30.489 Keep shining.