Introducing #131 - Liza Jane
Let us introduce you to Liza Jane, the anti-pop artist from Milwaukee Wisconsin - who has just released her single ‘Vitamins’ - the latest track to be taken from her debut EP. Liza Jane mixes her own blend of r&b, jazz and hip hop to create something unconventional but beautiful at the same time.
So you new track is out now, how does it feel?
I’ve been holding onto this track for a few months now , it was the first thing I had created after releasing my EP that I really liked. To be finally able to share it is so exciting because it’s the first glimpse people are getting to see of how my sound has grown in the past year.
Can you tell us what ‘Vitamins’ is about?
The song Vitamins is a lot about self reflection. I was really interested in the idea of creating a song that still sounds and feels like a bop while tackling some of the more hard hitting content that I usually like to explore. The lyrics were almost directly inspired by the immediate anxieties and pressures I was feeling at the time it was written but as I kept listening to it and working on it over the months none of those feelings changed or felt misplaced. In a way it’s meant to serve as an anthem for the young women out there who don't necessarily have their shit together but are still working their asses off and aspiring to find more for themselves at the end of the day.
It is the newest track taken from your debut EP, how is that coming along? And what can we expect from it?
This is actually the newest track **following** my debut ep titled “Internet Girl No1”. That project was a lot about stepping out as a solo artist and creating a sound that was uniquely mine. Similar to Vitamins, Internet Girl No1 explores personal themes through a mix of styles and genres. From carefree love songs to the final track holding a clip of a voicemail from my therapist, I wanted the project to have a range of highs and lows the same way life does. For the moment I’m waiting to release another body of work because I really love this project and I want to continue sharing it with people while continuing to grow and learn about my sound.
You are based in Milwaukee Wisconsin, what is it famous for? Where do you go for musical adventures?
Milwaukee is Wisconsin's biggest city sitting right on Lake Michigan. While probably most famous for its beer and sports teams, it also has an up and coming local music scene I’m currently a part of. While a lot of times it can feel like a small city the diverse community of artists and makers is truly inspiring. Of course gathering for the moment have stopped however, on a normal weekend night you would be hard pressed not to live music whether it be in the bar circuit, at one of the cities main stage venues, or one of the countless festival I really believe this to be a city and a music scene overlooked by too many. NileXNile, J-Lamo, Neely, ThatguyEli, The Phat Nerds, and countless other names play a role in this community of creators ready to hang with the pros.
Your sound is seen as anti-pop, what is that?
I struggled for a long time to place myself within a specific genre which is why I believe I found my home within Anti-Pop. While I’m unsure of the official definition to me Anti-Pop is music made for the masses without subscribing into the overused and sometimes almost formulaic sounds of traditional Pop music. I aspire to create music that perhaps people haven't heard before while still being something that they want to hear again. Genres are just made up constructs to help us market and understand what music should be but to disrupt that through fusion and play and exploration of sound can be just as if not sometimes more successful than pigeonholing yourself into a single sound.
Who would you say are your key musical influences?
I take a lot of my musical inspiration from whatever artists I’m really vibing at the time I’m creating. Some pretty consistent picks for me are SZA, Deb Never, Tierra Whack, Lauryn Hill, Joji, Mac Miller, Billie Ellish, Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator and the list goes on and on really. I think what I’m most drawn to most about these artists is their unapologetic honesty and transparency through their work as well as these artists' choices to take risks with their music whether it be through style, content, structure, or otherwise.
Now the track is out there, what next?
Right now I’m staying inside a lot and focusing on creating as much as possible. A vitamins video is coming your way in the next few weeks. I have a couple of tracks ready to drop personally but I’m really excited for the release of a collaboration with the production duo D U C T a W F which will also feature NileXNile. The New Liza Jane x D U C T a W F track “Bugs” will be featured on this ep and it’s one of my favorites to date so make sure you keep an eye out!