Welcome and thank you for tuning in to Black
Women Amplified, the podcast. Your host Monica
Wisdom Tyson brings you downloadable conversations
that matter to women around the globe. We discuss
all things black girl magic, amplify our voices
and transform our challenges into triumphs. Monica
calls on her league of extraordinary women to
push our boundaries, share their expertise and
stories of personal transformation. Welcome your
host of Black Women Amplified, Monica Wisdom
Tyson. Hello, Black Women Amplified family. It
is your girl, Monica Wisdom, and I'm so excited
to be here today. We have a very special guest
in the building. I can't wait for you to meet
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today. There is something powerful about a homecoming,
not the kind that is rushed or nostalgic, but
the kind that arrives after years of work experience
and becoming. Today my guest is the extraordinary
singer Liv Warfield. Many of you know her voice.
It's the kind of voice that stops a room. Over
a decade, she has carried that voice across some
of the biggest stages in music, performing alongside
legends, while building a remarkable body of
work on her own. Her journey has taken her from
the Midwest to world stages. She has shared creative
space with icons like Prince and stood beside
powerhouse women such as Nancy Wilson of the
legendary rock band Heart. Along the way, she
developed a reputation not only for her range
and power, but for the depth of soul she brings
to every performance. But this conversation is
something deeper than accolades because Liv is
returning home. She is returning home to Peoria,
Illinois, the city where her story began to perform
her music with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra.
And there's something profoundly beautiful about
this moment. A daughter leaving home to follow
her calling, spending decades honing her craft
and returning home with the fullness of an incredible
orchestra behind her. So today we're talking
about the road that led here, the early dreams,
the discipline required to work alongside musical
legends, the resilience it takes to remain true
to your artistry and an industry that moves very
quickly, and the quiet moments that shape an
artist long before the applause arrives. This
conversation is about vision, endurance, and
the power of staying faithful to your gift. Hello,
I am Monica Wisdom, and this is the Black Women
Amplified podcast. Hello Liv, how are you? Welcome
to the Black Women Amplified podcast. Welcome
back, I should say. Thank you. Thank you. I'm
glad to be back. So thank you. I am loving your
braids. Oh, thank you. It's time to tie this
up for a minute. That's the thing about me, I
can never stay focused on one style. I'm always
like, God. Because you're an artist, darling,
you're an artist. You have to switch it up, honey.
I always have to do that. I just found a container
that had my locks in and I was like, ooh, how
can I get these reattached? It's time for a new
look. So you are entering a new season of your
life. Yes, I am. And you are coming home to Peoria.
with a symphony. When you think about that moment
as a girl, when you started this journey long
ago from Peoria, and the woman that you are now,
what does this time in your life mean to you?
Wow. This is an important part of actually more
of an important time in my life. I think I realized
that within the past year and a half, how important
this is, because I've gone through quite a bit
of changes. Like I never would have thought when
I was younger, this would be. You know, on any
capacity, I just wanted to be a performer, okay?
I just wanted to be on stage somewhere. But I
didn't think this. But a different type of shift
and an awakening has happened in me. Over the
past, I want to say maybe, yeah, a year, definitely
a year, to understand, for me, what my purpose
is internally, why this is so significant coming
home to Bioria. A lot of people understand and
realize I never started my career, never started
my singing career in Peoria. Nobody in this town
really knew, not even really knew, nobody in
this town knew I was a singer until they probably
saw me on some maybe some performances or shows
and stuff. So with the symphony is a different
thing. It's a different type of energy and something
I think I'm now ready for before I wasn't. But
this is a different type of coming home. This
is. beautiful community. It's more community,
more love, more love, more understanding of who
I am as an artist, I think, for the most part,
and understanding just my gift and my voice.
Why am I using it? That's what it means for me.
And I can come home to do that. I can come home
and feel complete. I feel complete. How has Peoria
changed since you were a kid living here? Because
the way that you're speaking about it, not only
did you grow, but the city must have grown as
well. You know, it has. In some pockets, in some
parts, the city has grown, but then the city
has changed a lot too. It's different. It's different
when I grew up. I grew up, you know, definitely
a church girl. So I was definitely at church,
you know, fellowship hall. We talked about that
before. So my world really wasn't, I really didn't
get a chance to explore many parts of Peoria
growing up because I wasn't able to go to many
things, but I feel like the energy shifted because
it's just a new generation. But there has been
some changes, but I've been home. I'll be home
now for about a good month and a half, so I'll
really get to see and feel my city a lot more,
because I've been gone for a long time. I've
been gone for a while. But all the amazing things
that are actually happening in this city right
now are pretty extraordinary. You know, my downtown
has changed a lot. I heard they're building like
an amphitheater in Peoria. I was like, oh my
God, what a 5 ,000 seat amphitheater. Like, but
it's so beautiful because You know, arts and
culture for me here was the thing that I was
wanting to reach out and have so much more of
in my city. And they're doing that, you know,
like Gary Moore has been doing that a lot here.
So I'm just excited to embrace that more here.
When did you realize that music was your path?
Because I know you started off in athletics and
in sports. When did music shift into your life
to where this is where I have to go and this
is my direction? It shifted when I left. Again,
I always knew that I wanted to be some type of
entertainer, some type of performer. I always
knew I could sing. I always felt that there was
this voice trapped inside, and I just was so
scared to let anybody hear it, see it, feel it.
I just wasn't, and it's not a bad thing, I just
wasn't nurtured in that way to bring it out.
Nobody really poured into that part of me. because
I don't think a lot of people in my family could
understand. There weren't a lot of performers,
not even what is there any performers or singers
or anything like that in my family? No, not on
my mom's side or my dad's side. So athletics
was a thing. So they know they could nourish
that part. They could pour into that singing
performance and performance art. They're like,
wait, what in the world is going on? Like violin,
of course, like I was in that and some piano
or whatever. But being a performing artist is
different. It was a different thing. Like I wanted
to do show choir. My mom immediately pulled me
out of that. She was like, you ain't never sang
in front of us. The world would you like show
choir. So it was those things right there that
might have triggered me a little bit. It made
me more shy. And when I left home, it was just,
I just exploded. Like I was like, oh my God,
I've been holding this in for so long. And that's
why it's so important to me anytime I see anybody
who has a gift and they're either really shy
or they're quiet ones in the room. And I'm like,
because I see you, I know you because I was her,
you know, or it doesn't matter. Like, I was you.
So like, let me help you. Let me bring that out
of you a little bit. I know it takes baby steps,
but that's what I needed. You know, I wish somebody
did that for me earlier. And, you know, of our
generation, you're much younger than me, but
Creativity wasn't cultivated in little black
kids. You know, and that's why a lot of people
leave their hometowns because they have to find
that that space. Yeah. Yeah. They could breathe
and being themselves. So was Oregon that space
for you? Oregon was an organ like really. They
embraced everything about me trying to figure
it out because I felt like I can just be I could
really be me and. I wasn't going to be judged
by that, you know, because, Charlotte, I feel
like I had too many people in my hometown to
be like, uh -oh, brother and sister Warfield
daughter out there by the club, honey. I don't
know what. What is she over there singing? So
I just felt like I didn't have all these eyes
and I felt like I could be free. And Portland
allowed me to take those baby steps without feeling
judged. I was able to try different things. If
it wasn't right, it was OK. It wasn't right.
Yeah, I think I just really developed myself
creatively and I was really vulnerable, naive,
but I needed all those things to be the artist
and figure out who I was. And I love Portland
for that, I really do. So when you, you know,
you're saying that you didn't have a place at
home that cultivated your creativity, what was
the conversation like when you told your parents,
hey, I'm gonna go work with Prince? and just
the perception that people had of him. I didn't
even know for myself that that was even in the
realm of my possibility or in my orbit that would
ever happen. My parents were just like, wait,
what? You went from us not knowing to then us
figuring out that you got this band in Portland,
and then you're going to make a record, and then
now you're getting to sing background. they're
kind of like, okay, this is kind of past us.
So I think even for myself, I just, I know this
sounds like a simple thing to say about manifestation.
I think it was just always been in meet, manifest.
When people say dream big, it's manifestation.
It's an easy niche thing to say about dreaming.
It's just like, I was always, my mind was always
constantly on or, a purpose, a purpose. I felt
like there was something else bigger than me
inside. It wasn't like me trying to sound like
this or this person or this person. I was just,
there was something else there percolating in
my system, manifesting in my system that I had
to do it. And being with Prencie was just like,
oh my God, I can't believe this is part of my
journey. Like for instance, when I did my first
record, I understood the importance I have in
Bernard Purdy, amazing drummer. drummer for Donny
Hathaway, anybody who knows the Bernard Purdy
shuffle will understand. That man was on my record,
my first album. And like now, I understood then,
but I understand now, like all the mentors that
God put in, in my life for a reason from, even
from athletics on, it was just always been this
through line. just for them to believe in me
and what I had to say, because I wasn't really
understanding what I had to say, but I felt like
I had something. I don't know if that makes any
sense, but again, I just had to answer that feeling,
answer that calling, whatever that was. And I
know what it is now, but yeah. Well, how do you
tap into it when you're in the moment of discovering
yourself? Are you tapping into your imagination
or you're tapping into your faith? Where do you
go to conjure all of that up for yourself? I
think it's all of it. I think it's imagination.
I think it's faith. I think it's faith foremost.
I think it's something else, frequency, some
other frequency clearly bigger than me that I'm
still in a way trying to figure out how to describe.
I think with any artists maybe who they know
that feeling like my safe space is that stage.
My safe place is there. When I'm off the stage,
I'm as shy as they come. But there I just, it's
really hard to explain, you know, people who
are faith -based, is spirit -based. It's just
something that comes over me. It's in my body.
I feel it in my body. Before, people used to
laugh because I used to like wearing the heels
and stuff and looking cute on the stage with
the heels, jumping up and down or whatever. But
I found that every time I put shoes on, it's
almost like a break in the frequency. So now
I have to be barefoot because I have to feel
the earth or I have to be grounded. because I'm
always on my tippy toes. Like, I feel it through
my body. So it's just all those things. I think
imagination, feelings, it's just pulsating through
my body. I can understand that. I've heard Michael
Jackson talk about that. The most comfortable
space he is is on that stage. Like, that's his
space. And that, you know, that's your art gallery.
That's where you get to play. And you've worked
with some incredible people. And I think about
the new power generation. I was the kid who grew
up on the revolution. Okay, yes. So the revolution
was everything and then he comes with New Power
Generation and you spent five years with them.
What did you learn most about yourself during
that time period and what emerged during that
time? I had to learn first to listen. To listen
to everything that's around me as a musician
first because Prince was always just teaching
and I was just there to like really watch. I
was watching everything. Very timid still but
just watching and learning and feeling the space
and listening to the musicality of every instrument,
songwriting, placement, song placement, where
to do vibrato, when to not do vibrato, when being
in big spaces, small spaces, like it was just,
and also surrender, you know, surrendering to
all the things that make me me. I don't know,
because I think clearly we're just so used to
as artists being judged, figured out. you know,
and being around Prince, care less about any,
you know what I mean? It was just like, you know,
you just felt what you felt. You went with what
you went with and trust, learning to trust musicians,
learning to trust yourself, making, you know,
having the right instinct. I think it was all
of those things and then some. I was seriously
blessed to just have that time. I really was
because I had to learn fast. I had to learn really
fast. Oh my God, I had to learn fast. I just
learned so fast, you know what I mean? And yeah,
surrendering, trusting my instinct, you know,
and many, of course, many other things, but.
Do you think being an athlete, because didn't
you train, weren't you training for the Olympics?
Mm -hmm. Yeah. Do you think that level of discipline
that you already had helped you command the stage
that you were on or the stages you've been on?
Of course. I think that has something, there's
a layer there for sure. About that that's kind
of always kind of kept me energized for the most
part. Yeah, I think that's a through layer I
think that helps it helps for sure. Mm -hmm.
Now the music industry is all over the place.
It's shifting and changing One when did you decide?
I'm just gonna focus on my artistry and do me
as opposed to trying to navigate the industry
Because one thing I've noticed about your journey
that I just from observation is that you end
up on these big old stages But they're not they're
connected to you But you explore so many different
parts of your artistry as opposed to staying
Condensed which is what the industry wants people
to do At what point did you say to yourself?
You know what? I'm just gonna do me. I don't
think there's never been a point I think it's
just always been, let me try. Let me try this.
Let me try that. Because I just want to create,
to be honest with you. It's always just been
about creating the story for me. Or yeah, it's,
honest to God, it's really just been about creation.
Like, what can I do? Or what can I do? I want
to work with this artist. And it's not always
a musician, you know? The last time I worked
with... another artist was through circus. So,
you know, it's a hand balancer. It's an aerial
artist. How can I incorporate that into a live
show and bring an experience? But it creates
this picture of storytelling. And it's like,
you know, I told somebody it was like how I was
inspired by Prince's Sign of the Times, that
live show. I was like, oh, my God, they're actors.
This is theater on a whole nother level, you
know, and musician the sax player is an actor
too like that's why I was like oh no it's just
painting the picture with like crazy musicianship
and storytelling and like and that was my thing
it was how can I paint the picture how can I
create more art and you know maybe bring in a
rock and roll song or jazz I'm not jazz I'm not
I'm not trying to be a style I'm not perfect
I'm nowhere near Amazing peers that I have that
do that. I'm just trying to tap into a way that
I feel like I can express it. And what does that
mean? Am I inspired by? Yes. Am I inspired by
rock? Am I inspired by country? Am I inspired
by? Absolutely. But I try to make it into my
own little world. Yeah. I definitely try to.
So what does the world of live look like? I know
it's living vibrantly inside of your head and
how are you creating it in the world around you?
Yeah, I think you said it. I think the experience
of it all, because I like to say it's an experience
every time, it's vibrant. It's moody. I'm a moody
person. I'm very moody. You know, a lot of it
for me has just been inspired by a space of love.
I'm a container of that, whether it's been severe
pain, heartache, self -love. relational relationships,
I'm always coming from that place. People, just
in general, humanity, the love of humanity, I'm
always coming from that place. And I'm trying
to tell the story of what that is, whether it's
mine or somebody else's, or I think I've always
come from that space and trying to tell the story
of that or the pain of my heart or the vulnerability
of not being able to, like, feel like I can get
out of this situation. Like, I'm... on the floor
crying at home. I mean, to be honest with you,
with a big bottle of liquor, whiskey, watching
my old self die away, personality die away, and
then trying to step up out of that to bloom,
you know, and to accepting who this person is
now, you know? So I try to sing and create experiences
of all of that. So, yeah. Mm -hmm. I call that
our unraveling season. Oh, God. And it is tough
and it's challenging. Oh, yeah. You have to go
through it. You have to. You have to. And I feel
like that's the thing. If I can paint all of
those stages and sometimes it's, oh, it's on
a whole nother. It's party time, honey, you know?
And I love showing all sides of that. As long
as I can tap into somebody else's heart and their
frequency in the room. and they get it, and they
leave inspired, and they leave moved, and they
leave like, she got it, she understood, you know,
what I was trying to say, or they were trying
to, you know, they got it, that's all I want.
And I saw you do it when you came to St. Louis
to perform, and the way you shifted the energy
in that room, I was like, it took my breath away,
I was like, how is she doing that? They were
like staring at you, like, who is this lady?
But by the end they were like, are you done already?
And they were on their feet and you went into
the audience. It was such a magical experience.
Blessings. Thank you. And I could tell that you
were intentional about everything that you were
doing. Where does that come from? I think that
I'm very sensitive to a room. I just feel like
I can feel everything sometimes to a fault. So
I feel I try to. Feel the room as much as I possibly
can I think that's honestly where the energy
comes from from me because I feel it Yeah, that's
I'm intentional in that way Because I can feel
automatically when I step out on stage. I'm definitely
not removed Yeah, so when we met you said something
very powerful to me, but very simple and you
just said keep going Who are the people around
you that fill you up when you feel like? I don't
know if I can take one more step. I have a circle
of close friends, very small. I have myself,
I have God, I have my parents, and that's it.
Those are the folks that I tap into, honestly.
I mean, of course, you know, if anybody say God
first, but I just went off in my head exactly
who I, the ones that can understand. Cause you
know, real friends, we'll go quiet. I'll go quiet,
honey, and heartbeat. They'll be like, okay,
Liv is, she's quiet. I would text her like five
or six, seven times. She hasn't returned my...
They already know what's up, but they're there.
They're the ones that understand that they're
there. They're always there, you know? And it's
your tribe. It's the small pocket. It's that
small tribe that they get it, you know? And I
have to, honestly, my faith, my faith, my unwavering
faith, and I thank my parents. I thank my great
aunt Lena for just always just... my ancestral
faith for knowing that's just something that's
built. I feel like it's built in in us to be
like, no, that's not you. You know, you got it.
It's going to hurt tomorrow. It's going to hurt
next week and next month. But you got it, though.
You got it. You got this. You do. There's something
else. There's a reason, you know, so. What did
working with Nancy Wilson teach you about being
a woman in this industry and building longevity?
Nancy's amazing. Nancy never back down. Like
the one thing I love about Nancy is her, man,
she just, I don't know, just her stance, just
who she is, just her walking in a room, just
no one really knowing who she is really working
with her, as well as a songwriter. Just as a
woman. She's really dynamic. I love I love watching
her and I love spending time with her because
she always is champion other women always and
She's been that way since day one when I met
her Yeah, she just always she knew that because
there was always a side of me and I think I was
working with Nancy maybe months after Prince
had passed and she was like a a beautiful angel
soft landing space for my energy in my heart
to be vulnerable and be comfortable around because
that was a really hard thing for me to deal with
because I had to feel like, you know, I still
needed to create. And being in that world allowed
me to her also saying like, you know, you got
to stop like cowering. You know, why are you
always making yourself small in a room? There
it is. Why are you shrinking? You know, and I
just, you know, but she was very much there for
me very much. Yeah. And you know what? We're
so conditioned to be humble. We're not conditioned
to brag about ourselves. Yeah But you you're
like that girl. I told you I said the only difference
between you and Madonna is a ten million dollar
check. Oh, bless You only difference I mean,
I can't imagine if somebody said live here's
ten million dollars create the show you want
and let's take it around the world So let's manifest
that Can we get this a soundbite, please? You
are aerialing through the sky. Oh, I love that.
You are doing all the things, and there's nothing,
there's no, to me, in my opinion, there's no
difference between you than the ones we see on
TV, except that $10 million check. So, check
that on the symphony stage. Me, Catherine Battle,
and Diana Ross. Do all the things. Thank you
for manifesting that because yeah, that's what
I dream about and think about all the time. Not
from a just like, oh, I want to be this. I want
to be this big. No, it's just the experience.
I want everybody to feel the experience with
all these amazing musicians and creators and
artists I get to work with. Like, do you feel
what I feel on this stage? I want y 'all to feel
it. That's the way I felt like with Prince working
with him. Like, oh my God, I can't even concentrate
on singing these background parts because I'm.
I'm trying to be watching him take this solo.
I don't want to go down and go off stage and
like, I'm going to watch this. It's the energy
is crazy, you know, and you just want people
to feel that, you know, and it's I just want
people to feel it. What I feel, what I feel from
everybody on this stage. Now, it's been 10 years
since beloved has passed. What do you cherish?
most about that time with him. I cherish the
creativity, always talking about making music,
always wanting to go in the living room and me,
Shelby and Alisa singing with the girls and like
coming up with harmony parts and sitting at the
piano and, you know, him getting excited about
talking about going on tour. I miss that. I miss
the after shows. I miss Him giving us the look
if I didn't hit the right part. I miss that energy.
I miss being on our toes. I miss the conversations.
I miss us trying to figure out how we could be
better as artists, what we could do differently.
Think outside the box. I miss that. And I try
to, you know, in my mind, I have my own separate
thinking space when I'm talking to him in my
heart, you know. being like, man, what would
you do in this situation? And sometimes I would,
and you know, I could just picture him kind of
like walking off, maybe rolling his eyes. If
it wasn't right, I could just be like, oh no,
he'd be like, do that Mark Jefferson walk out
the door. Like, that ain't it. No, no. I miss
that, you know, and We've been getting to celebrate
them. We celebrate them all the time. I know
I do. I try to mostly all my shows in my way.
But this year, especially, I know they're doing
some amazing things. But yeah, always. His energy
is always, always around. Always. I remember
the night he passed, the sky literally turned
purple. I couldn't catch it on my phone, but
it literally turned purple. That frequency. That
frequency. I'm like, he wasn't meant here to
be here. That frequency is everything. Yeah.
He was here, he was here. But you have put out
incredible music yourself. Two of my favorite
albums, when people say, what are your top 10?
These two albums are on it, The Unexpected and
Edge. Oh, wow. Your music is like, it speaks
to my grown woman self. And that self of becoming
and just giving word to some time. You know,
sometimes you think about things, you can't quite
put the words. It's like, just put this song
on. It says all the things I need to say. But
you took a nice little break in between both
albums. When do you know that it's time, okay,
it's time for new music? For me, I don't think
there's any time to know. I just think that I
know in my spirit when, you know, because I had,
even now I've stopped maybe the past two and
a half, three years, maybe it's probably even
longer. I just didn't know what to say anymore.
And I knew I knew my heart space. I was like,
I don't know what to say. I enjoy singing. I
enjoy doing shows. But right now, I'm not going
to force it. When I need to say something and
when I'm ready, I know when I'm ready. I know
now. You know, before I, oh my God, I have to
force it. I have to write. And some people are
gifted that they can sit down at the guitar or
whatever, and they can just come up with it,
you know? And that's a serious gift. Me, I'm
so attached to my music. I'm so attached to the
story that it has to, I don't know, feel like
I... have to be married to the sensibilities
of it, you know? So it takes a minute for me.
And you've worked with a great songwriter, Ryan.
I mean, great musician, but all the things. Yes,
yes. How are you able to move those songs into
being yours? Because you literally make like
Blackbird. That is your song. I can't imagine
anybody else singing it. OK. Oh. Ryan is an incredible
songwriter. He always gives me the liberty to,
he'll say, sis, whatever you feel. What's your
take on it? What's your vision? Like he has the
melody and stuff that's there because Ryan is
an amazing singer, singer himself, performer
for real. But I always try to put myself inside
the story. And I think that's what helps me with
his songs. It's like, I need to put myself like
saviors, like becoming one of my most right now.
one of the favorite songs of mine off an edge
that he wrote. It's like, man, these words, Ryan.
Like now, I used to sing the song, but now I
approach it differently now. Now I'm kind of
like, man, can I go back in the studio and re
-record it now? Because something else has shifted
in my life to where that frequency of that song
hits different now. So yeah, Ryan is... he's
been sending me some other stuff too and and
j mac a bass player too that like i feel like
now i'm getting i'm bubbling up to do something
now i am i feel like waiting yeah yeah yeah okay
yeah okay waiting yes you've had a career over
20 years and you're taking all of that music
all of those experiences back home to peoria
and this time there will be a full symphony behind
you What does that feel like and what can audiences
expect? Ooh, that feels like, ah, okay, I'm sorry.
Those are all these emotions. It feels like I
just had a piece of my mom's chocolate velvet
cake. It feels like me leaving home when I went
to Portland. It was a certain type of freedom
and sweetness and... love right now for that
moment, this moment that I'm getting, and hopefully
there's more moments. It's the Peoria Symphony.
It's the Peoria Symphony. It's like a 60 -piece
orchestra. It's mind -blowing to me, and it's
all of my original pieces with my band. They're
going to be there with my people, Saida and Red,
another emerging artist, amazing. It's all the
pieces that have... landed at the right time
in my life. I don't think I would have been ready
to do this maybe five or six years ago. Maybe,
yeah, in a, I don't know, maybe, yeah, in a way,
in a performative way, meaning just performative,
because this thing is deeper than that for me.
This is more community. This is more love. This
is more what's going on around in the world today
type energy for me, that it's an experience that
I hope that is life changing, because it changed
my life. Like I went to the auditorium or the
Prairie Center by the Civic Center in Peoria
and I stood on that stage. And normally something
like that gives me a little bit of anxiety. Like,
oh my God, I'm just getting nervous. But I felt
this feeling of like, I was energized. I never
usually ever feel like that. I'm more like putting
all this anxious energy on me. But no, I feel
like, oh God, I'm so ready to let people feel
what I feel in my heart. Because I feel like
I've been on this heavy healing journey and I
just want people to feel what I feel. You know,
it's changed for me. A lot has changed for me
and it's heavy in the most beautiful way. So
I felt like, oh God, I'm ready for this frequency
to hit everybody. I don't want to give away some
things. I want to know all the things. Tell all
of them. This is what I have to know. What are
you wearing? Oh God. I'm trying to get this thing
approved. A good friend of mine, Courtney Bateo,
she's been designing some stuff. I mean, she's
a young designer. She's amazing. We've been working
on this long cape, this excessively stupid long
cape over the orchestra. So, I mean, it's a dream
and I want it to feel like a dream, but a dream
that inspires, a dream that is truth, a dream
that is love, frequency all over that room and
all over that space. like Phoenix energy, you
know? Yeah, so it's little bitty pieces like
that I'm hoping to get. I'm not going to give
it away. I can't give this other stuff away.
I know. Are you archiving the whole experience?
Yeah, I am. I am. I definitely am. It's an experience.
Like I keep saying to people, I want it to be
an experience. I don't want it to be like typical.
Well, I don't think you can be typical Liv. I
mean, I don't care if you're sitting in a jazz
club. on a stool or on a big stage like America's
Got Talent. There's nothing typical about you.
No, I mean, I'm not trying to say it in a way
that I hope doesn't sound bad, doesn't sound
bad, but I just don't want people to expect something
from me. I don't want them to expect. Please
just come with an open mind. Come with an open
heart. Just be present. I don't even want, hopefully
there's no phones. You know, I just... just be
present for a moment, you know, and just take
it in because it's not just me. It's this whole
work of musicianships, the people who have taken
the time out to actually see this vision through.
So, yeah. That's the best thing. I mean, I remember
going to concerts when there were no phones and
no recording and no pictures. And you just got
into the music. It was such a different experience.
I don't want to overuse that word, but it was
cathartic. It was healing. It was magical. And
those have always been the best experiences when
the phones were down. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And for
people just to absorb the feeling, like the arranger
wrote some Stevie Black wrote some amazing arrangements
for these, for these songs. We're doing a Stevie
Wonder cover. Ooh, thing is beautiful. I won't
ask which one, but okay. Don't ask. I gave that
away and I was like, I didn't want to do that.
But yeah, it's going to be very, it's going to
be moving, very moving. Are you designing the
show yourself or do you have a designer working
with you? No, I'm designing the show myself.
So it's undertaking. I mean, we've been doing
this for over a year, you know, trying to really
map it out in a way, you know, it's the first
time. So, you know, of course I want it to go,
you want things to be great, not perfect, but
you want it to go great. So, yeah. Oh, it'll
be beautiful. The one thing I know about people
who play in the symphony, they're serious. Yeah,
they're serious. And they will have it right.
They believe in practicing at home and then rehearsing.
The pure symphonies. Gorgeous. They're a beautiful
sound. Beautiful, beautiful sound. It's like
a serious honor to be able to work with them
because George Stiludo, who is the maestro, hit
me up about doing it. And that's when I was like,
wait, what? Are you serious? Oh, how would you
like to do a show of your original? It just that's
when I say God is so good, you know, because
it was just that's just something that was just
a dream just sitting on the shelf only one day.
But I just feel like when all things and when
God in the universe says possibly that you're
ready and you feel that in your heart that you're
ready to do that, it's always in alignment, you
know? And I feel like this is a really good alignment
for me. So, mm -hmm. So, before we get out of
here, this is a moment, and I'm so excited for
you. Like, when I saw it on your social media,
I was like, oh, my God. I'm so excited for her.
Thank you. Because that's like the epitome is
to have these incredible musicians who are studied,
who are experienced to play. You're not singing
other people's music specifically. You're doing
you. That's a grace. That's a beautiful honor.
But what is your vision for your artistry, your
music and your life beyond this moment? I think
the thing that keeps my heart pumping and my
mind steady is to just constantly create and
be truthful to myself. Whether it hurts or I'm
happy, that's what I want. And I want to be able
to do it in a creative space without fear and
to be also able to inspire people. to be there.
People need me to be there. I'm there in whatever
capacity I can be. I want to be there because
I, what I feel more than ever is that we just
need each other more than ever. We need each
other and not judge so much. I tear each other
down so much and not even at all, not even so
much, just not at all. You know, that's what
I want. And I want to be able to have a world
And in my world, just to have the creative freedom
to do so. That's what I see for myself. There's
no like, God knows my heart. There's no really
end game for me as long as my heart is right.
And just give me the tools to create a beautiful
story, tell a beautiful story, work with more
circus artists, go overseas, tour, all the things.
All the things, but as long as my heart is good.
I'm from a good place because words are spells.
Words, frequency changes people's lives. Music
has and will throughout time. Ancestors with
the drums, the energy moves and it has moved
throughout time. That's one thing that will never
change is that. That's from your heart, your
heartbeat. You already got to beat your heart.
So I just want to be truthful to myself all the
time. So that's it. There's no path or anything
like that. I know God got me. So wherever I'm
in alignment, that's where I'm at. And I know
it. I know it now. Because he pulled me down.
He was just like, you're going down. I need you
to go down so you can understand. I'm playing
with you right now. I feel you on that 100%.
I know that moment. I know those feelings. I
know those years. Well, you're like, Lord, you
said you were going to be here. What is going
on around here? Like, you know, like, it's so
funny, like, Solange, every time she says that,
I try to pray it away. I try to drink it away.
I try to. Yeah, I got it. And I dealt with that.
And I was like, you know what? Mm hmm. I hear
you. Straighten up and fly right. Got you. I
got it. And I don't need any more lessons. I'm
good. Let's fly. We tweet. Let's go. And I do
need the lessons. And that's the thing is I do
need, I do need the lessons. I want to be open.
I want to be tapped open that you keep giving
me the lessons. Please keep giving it to me.
Because what I did is what I blocked you off.
And when I blocked you off, you shut me down.
And I needed it. And that's cool. And when I
opened and I got to that part in that space where
I opened my heart up, when I opened up, that's
when things started to be in alignment. Slowly
but surely, it got me back in alignment, you
know? And now you are preparing for the symphony
stage, honey. One of many. We're going to manifest
that. One of many. Please, oh my goodness. One
of many stages you will be on with the symphony.
And the beauty is they match your energy. You
need 60 pieces. Blessings. To fill up the space
that's inside of your heart. So I am happy for
you. Thank you. And I know the show will be a
great success on many levels. Thank you. And
you are walking through the door of Liv's world
and everybody's going to go with you. I hope
so. I just want to just share the frequency that
I'm feeling right now, and it's a good one. I
just want to share and it's good. So thank you,
Monica. So how can people follow your journey
and be inside of Liv's world? Mostly through
Instagram. I try to do a little bit on Facebook.
She's a work in progress there. Instagram, I'm
a lot better. Sometimes the socials are really
hard for me to keep up with. But on Instagram,
yeah, I'm being better about sharing that portion.
And also on my website so people can stay in
touch with my tours and stuff, because I'm going
to be doing a lot more shows, a lot of things
coming up lately and in these next couple months.
So yeah. And what's your website? LiveWarfieldOfficial
.com. So L -I -E. W -A -R -F -I -E -L -D. So
live, not a Z, and I'm not mad if people say
Liz, I understand. Sometimes those, sometimes
those slide together. Oh yeah. So yeah, so please
message me anytime, anybody. Message me anytime.
All the things. I try to stay connected as much
as I can, as much as I can. Well, thank you so
much for your time. I know you have a busy schedule
preparing for life and all the things. And the
gowns, and the music, and the rehearsal. Oh,
bless me. I'm crying, but yes, thank you. Thank
you so much. So thank you, and I'll talk to you
soon. Yes. Thank you, Anka. Thank you for listening
to Black Women Amplified. We hope you enjoyed
the show. Be sure to subscribe and log on to
blackwomenamplified .com for more information.
Keep shining.