ZIRAN MUSE: LIV.E

Liv.e is a captivating artist and musician from Dallas, Texas. She is a force of duality: both grounded and eccentric. She’s Earth mixed with a whole lot of whimsical air. She’s constantly cracking jokes and laughing but at the same time can flip to contemplation and deep thought. Liv.e’s music has a sonic edge to it and she puts in the time, the emotions, and the work that’s required to produce music that connects deeper than surface level. We chose her as our Muse because we believe in honoring those who make us think and feel beyond what’s expected. Her music and presence gets under your skin and dives into your blood stream. You feel powerful vibrations beyond a hard 808. The natural and free space that she embodies inspires us beyond this reality. Let’s enter into Liv.e’s world.

What inspires you the most, in any facet?

Being uncomfortable, pursuing my love interest, and being in places where no one knows me. That’s honestly when I feel more like a superstar. Because nobody knows me, I feel like I can do some crazy shit.

I feel that. Sometimes I feel like when I’m in a place where nobody knows me I am more free to do whatever I want.

Yeah, it’s definitely inspiring.

What does your creative process look like?

Probably binge eating a bunch of shit and then trying to perfect the idea of whatever I’m doing in the moment. It really comes fast when you have an idea of what you want to do. But, definitely binge eating while simultaneously being hyper focused on what I’m doing.

Sort of like stimulating - or overstimulating - yourself.

Yeah! Maybe that’s why I poop myself out so much so that I can’t create afterwards. But feeling through that process and feeling satisfied, then doing it all over again, is what my creative process usually looks like.

Knowing how healing music is for us all, is there a particular time that you can pinpoint where music specifically healed a certain matter in your life?

For sure, all the time. Music is my go-to in order to get myself out of a headspace or get something off my chest. Sometimes I have to be careful with using music for healing because you also manifest with your words. I’ve been having a problem with a song on my new project because it’s really dark and I don’t know if I want to continuously put that energy out there. I mean I could just not release it or change the lyrics.

It could also be a realistic moment in the set, where you perform the song and you give solution to the emotion or feeling by following up with something more positive.

[Laughs] That’s true, thank you for giving me some comfort in that.

*A quick chime in from Kelly* 

I have a question! This is random, but what was the inspiration for Powaline and that album?

I made that album because I had to pay my rent in Chicago but I was in Brooklyn and wanted to stay in New York. I thought, “okay what am I going to do?” You can lowkey be broke in New York, so I said I’ll make this lil’ piece of bread I need to make and put this on Bandcamp. I made comfort music for myself! I just heard the beat and I said, “oh okay! I can go here!”

Do you want to keep going in that direction? Or are you thinking about exploring more? Did you get what you needed out?

I don’t know. Lowkey, yeah. If I were to revisit that moment I’d probably visit it differently. I don’t want to do the same thing over- it doesn’t feel progressive.

Are you working on anything right now?

Yeah, I just finished this album about a year ago and was going to put it out, but I got signed to this lil’ label so I want them to push it more. Right now it’s been a year of pushing replays, but yeah! That’s what’s next! I have been a little fragmented but I think that’s just where my headspace is.

I think it’s cool that you have this confidence that you’re not so stressed with an endless need to be creating and putting stuff out.

At a point I was stressed because I am surrounded by people constantly making things, and I know they have tracks on tracks on tracks, and I get in my head about that. But lowkey, I do too! I guess in retrospect I am pretty comfortable where I am. 

Speaking on being comfortable in yourself, Ziran means natural, spontaneous, and free. It’s pushing away outside influence and embracing yourself authentically. How do you feel that relates to you?

For me this means just being a human being. I think realizing how many human flaws I have, and not having to hide those flaws, is what embracing that way of life looks like. I’m just as stressed as the person in front of me. Letting go of this notion of being something outside of myself allows me to be natural, spontaneous and free.