Interview with an Artist - Liv Kristine
Updated: Oct 3
In the vibrant tapestry of music and artistry, Liv Kristine's name resonates deeply within the metal community, not only for her captivating vocals but also for her groundbreaking contributions to the genre. As a pioneering figure in Gothic metal, Liv Kristine has left an indelible mark on the landscape of heavy music, shaping its evolution with her ethereal voice, evocative lyrics, and unwavering passion for artistic expression.
From her early days as the enchanting frontwoman of Theatre of Tragedy, Liv Kristine helped redefine the boundaries of metal music, infusing it with elements of classical opera, gothic ambiance, and English poetry. Her haunting vocals, characterized by a delicate balance of power and vulnerability, became the hallmark of the band's sound, setting a new standard for the genre and inspiring countless artists to follow in her footsteps. From her early days as a vocalist in the renowned Norwegian gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy to the symphonic metal gem with Leaves' Eyes where Liv Krstine truly found her musical home, founding the band in 2003 to embark on a new chapter of her career with Leaves' Eyes, Liv Krstine's haunting vocals found a perfect complement in the band's lush symphonic arrangements and epic storytelling, resulting in a series of critically acclaimed albums that have captivated audiences around the world.
Now, dedicating her career to her solo endeavors as a singer-songwriter, Liv Krstine has consistently pushed the boundaries of creativity, infusing her work with depth, emotion, and an unmistakable sense of authenticity. With a voice that effortlessly traverses the realms of operatic grandeur and intimate vulnerability, she ccaptivates audiences with each performance, leaving an indelible imprint on the hearts and minds of listeners around the globe.
Joshua: “Hi Liv, I hope you're doing well and thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview and many congratulations on your re-release of ‘Deus Ex Machina’ which was your solo’s Magnum Opus released originally in 1998, it is an exciting moment giving both longtime fans and new listeners a chance to experience it anew.”
Liv: “A very good morning to you dear Joshua, thank you so much for reaching out, I hope everybody is fine and I everybody is safe. I'm very sorry for the slight delay, just been to the studio recording new material for the upcoming solo album, we've been quite busy but here we are. Thank you so much for your congratulations on ‘Deus Ex Machina’, I'm very excited too.”
Joshua: “Looking back, how do you feel about the album and it's significance to your solo career?”
Liv: “Yes, I was a student back then studying linguistics at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. I had just left Norway at the age of 20. I was touring with Theatre of Tragedy where everything was exciting and busy, I found myself in the middle of Europe, haha. I was born in the countryside of Norway in the middle of nowhere, everything was very peaceful and quiet, there were fjords and mountains, our little home, haha! Then, I'm all of a sudden in the middle of Europe and things are just going crazy about Theatre of Tragedy, and I'm trying to learn a new language, German. So times were exciting and then Massacre Records asked me if I wanted to release a solo album, to which I said yes immediately, but already back then I knew my solo album was not going to be a copy of Theatre of Tragedy, I was going to do something very different. So I knew that people would feel surprised about it, to which they were, haha! Exciting times.
When I'm looking back at ‘Deus Ex Machina’ now, I just see a very open-minded, a very daring, a very brave young girl in a new country, in new circumstances, in the middle of a lot of craziness, haha! Music business back then was very different from what it is now. Looking back on it, I still get butterflies in my stomach.”
Joshua: “‘Deus Ex Machina’ showcased a departure from the metal sound of Theatre of Tragedy, leaning more towards electronic and pop elements. What inspired this musical direction, and how did you approach crafting your solo debut?"
Liv: “Yes absolutely. Well, I've been into, as you probably know, Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden since I was a little girl. My parents were very young when I was born, so I grew up with metal and that was the first music I've heard next to the lullabies of my mother and my grandmother. But there was also Pink Floyd, there was ABBA, and classical music, later there was Enya, and many of the artists of the 80s like Madonna. I'm generally very open-minded concerning music and it's just what I've also been doing going on since I entered this world.
Music just feels like something great, something bigger, sometimes even coming from one huge creative source and it takes me to a place of love, of freedom, great feelings of deep emotions and I really love that place. Since I was very little, I spent most of my time studying and listening to music, so releasing ‘Deus Ex Machina’ was actually a step for me showing my diversity and personality, being very authentic. Coming from that far out place at the rugged west coast of Norway between the fjords and the mountains, I've always learned to be very authentic, to be myself, to speak my truth, and that also my parents always told me, ‘always be honest, be true, and authentic.’ That was what I felt when I released ‘Deus Ex Machina’ too."
Joshua: “The album received critical acclaim and was well-received by your fans. What were some of the key themes or messages you wanted to convey through the music and lyrics of ‘Deus Ex Machina’?”
Liv: “Well, it’s about a very deep connection to nature, to feel how pure, and full of love nature is, like ‘Waves of Green’ and a couple of the other songs have a very strong connection to nature. I have always been very much aware of what human beings are doing to nature, and how much depth and love and light it gives me to stay in and with nature. So it's about nature, yes, and it's about going within, going within yourself, have a look at your feelings, your emotions, your traumas, your childhood, your reactions, that just sometimes have to go through that tunnel, through the darkness to see the light. ‘Deus Ex Machina’ is actually about seeing that light through the darkness.
Last year, I released ‘River of Diamonds’ , my sixth solo, which conveys the same message and the same theme. It's about going inside and feeling connected to yourself and the universe, to nature, and the people around to see the light after you've been in the darkness, it's in the darkness that you see the light. There is a lot of white to ‘Deus Ex Machina’ which is conveying the message of light, and feeling that there is something greater than this physical world that we are living and that there is so much more to it.”
Joshua: “As an artist, how do you feel ‘Deus Ex Machina’ represents your artistic identity at the time of its release, and how does it fit into the broader context of your solo career?”
Liv: “As already said, I was very young back then and it was very exciting to me to release a solo album which was highly different from what I've done as an artist so far with Theatre of Tragedy, so it was a daring step but it was important to me to show authenticity. "
Joshua: “With the re-release of ‘Deus Ex Machina’, a new generation of listeners will have the opportunity to discover or rediscover your debut solo album. What message or feeling do you hope they take away from the music, and how do you think it holds up in today's musical landscape?”
Liv: “It conveys a message that there is something greater out there, and that is something that you come to sense when you are in the frequency of love and authenticity. That is something that I actually want to say, ‘be yourself, be creative.’ I think that's why we are here, why we actually have been given this very lifetime, each one of us to find out who we really are.
It felt great to be back then, and even now, haha, some people have given me the name ‘The Gothic Queen’, which is kinda linked to a lot of darkness and mysticism and on the other side, you have all this light and these higher feelings, these higher frequencies. I think both are very important, I think life is like yin-yang, you need both, and you definitely need to get to know the darkness within you, the dark spot within you to know and to find, and to get to the higher version of yourself.”
Joshua: “Looking back, do you have any favorite memories or moments from the creation or promotion of ‘Deus Ex Machina’ that you'd like to share with your fans?"
Liv: “Of course, haha! Meeting all the people I worked with during the recordings and the promotion, that was something very special for me, not being out there promoting my album with my band, but doing it all by myself that was quite a new experience, and of course, it was lovely to work with the singer of Paradise Lost and host, he’s absolutely amazing. I remember picking him up that very morning from the tour bus, haha! Nick Holmes was quite tired and he was on tour back then and we picked him up, and I’ve been listening to Paradise Lost for a couple of years already and I was a huge, and I'm still a huge fan of Nick Holmes, and then he was there right in front of me. We drove to the studio, we had a cup of tea, and he recorded his vocals, I will never forget, haha! That was one sparkling moment.
The whole production and the promotion, everything that happened in connection with ‘Deus Ex Machina’ really gave me the feeling that I'm on the right path as a musician and as an artist.”
Joshua: “Not only was ‘Deus Ex Machina’ rereleased, but also your 2006 album ‘Enter My Religion’. Your music has evolved over the years. How do you think these re-releases reflect the Liv Kristine of then versus now?”
Liv: “I would say there is no versus back then and now, I would say it's the progress; my personality has developed over the years, and over the solo albums. Every solo album is one step further in my own personal progression, coming home to myself. My years being a young woman in the music business, becoming a mother, being the singer of Leaves’ Eyes, and having a solo career. Everything that happened in my years being a young woman, it was that period of my life, that chapter in my life was so fully packed, sometimes when I think back, I can't believe that I really, haha, that I really could survive everything that happened back then. At times it was really, really busy, really stressful and sometimes I felt it, not only psychologically, but physically as well, you know touring the world, being a mother, being a wife, being the front-singer of a band.
Those were really hard times I have to say, every solo album describes a period in my life or a personal step in my personal progression, coming home to myself. So now being 48 years old, I feel like I'm kind of coming home and I feel like my life is not so busy anymore, okay. I would say I have an 8 to 5 job like everybody else, I'm working with children with special needs. I have dedicated myself to that work, to that job and my days are really busy but there is not so much going on in my universe as back then during that time living in Germany and being a singer in Leaves’ Eyes, and my son is grown up now, haha, he's a grown up handsome young man. So it feels like there's a new chapter of my life now opening up with ‘River of Diamonds’. So every album, every solo album is very personal and sometimes when I look back, retrospectively, I think that ‘oh my gosh, those lyrics were really, really honest’, back then on that album, in that song. I really have to read them and sing them again to realize how honest I was about my life, about myself, about my surroundings, about my experience back then.
So it feels good to be 48 years old I have to say, and ‘Enter My Religion’ was that time when I became a mother and that experience is the greatest and highest and most wonderful experience I ever had giving birth to my son Leon. So I'm inviting everybody to enter my life, to enter my religion, which is actually about becoming a mother and seeing life as an eternal process, a circle, and to really understand why I'm here, why I've been born, what I'm doing in my lifetime. Motherhood really gave many of those answers.”
Joshua: “The re-releases include bonus tracks and additional content. How did you go about selecting these extras, and what do you hope they add to the listener's experience?”
Liv: “Well, we discovered some really rare stuff on our disc, and we just chose and picked whatever we felt would fit in the re-release of ‘Deus Ex Machina’, but I have to say a great thank you to my husband Michael who actually took care of everything. I think there's a few goodies on the album and I've already gotten a lot of feedback from fans, friends, and followers out there saying ‘hey this is so cool, it's very different from the original.’ I'm very happy with the positive feedback.
Joshua: “While the re-releases were in the process, you also put out ‘River of Diamonds’ last year. The album features a diverse range of musical styles and emotional depth. How do you feel ‘River of Diamonds’ represents your artistic evolution since your earlier solo releases?”
Liv: “As already said, it really feels great to be 48 years old, and ‘River of Diamonds’ is about seeing the light in the darkness, it's only in the darkness that you discover that you see the light, where the light is shining the brightest. Having been through quite a few difficult experiences being a young woman, now entering the second half of my life, that's the way I see it, things have calmed down a bit as already mentioned, and it feels good to be 48 years old, but I had to go inside, I had to really have a deep look into myself to understand what I've experience to dissolve it, to understand why I experience it, and to see the whole path of my life so far. To really understand that when you felt lost, which I did feel when everything crashed in 2016, I just felt like ‘okay, there's so much going on and I really need to get some clarity and I need to fix things.’ That's when it started in 2016.
I really felt so lost and so far away from my true authentic self, from self-love, from feeling whole. So it's been a process over a few years, but it's probably the most important years of my life, except from that year, 2003, and the following year, 2004, when my son was born. There is nothing that can be compared to that experience of becoming a mother, haha! ‘River of Diamonds’ is about healing, and it's about coming home to yourself and it's also the opening of the second half of my life, that's how I see it.”
Joshua: “‘River of Diamonds’ is an album with many features, starting with Østen Bergoy who was well-known in Tristania that was inspired by Theatre of Tragedy's music. Your sister Carmen Elise of Midnattsol that you are as well a part of, Fernando Ribeiro of Moonspell, and your husband Michael on a duet for Jon Lord's ‘Pictured Within’. While the mixing and mastering were done by Theatre of Tragedy's guitarist and bandmate, Tommy Olsson. Many great people in music and what you say about their contributions to this album, what made these selected artists fit into the music?”
Liv: “Yes, the album is very much inspired by Theatre of Tragedy because Tommy Olsson is the composer of ‘Aégis’, Theatre of Tragedy's third album, is also the composer of ‘River of Diamonds’ so you have of lot influence and inspiration but that was a conscious choice. Along with the creative process, I just had that feeling like ‘okay, it has to be Fernando singing, it has to be my sister singing, it has to be Østen singing, it has to be my husband singing.’ It was just that feeling in my stomach and in my heart that would just be a perfect frequency. I'm very lucky to have these highly talented people around me to choose from.
These guests, along with Tommy Olsson of course, the composer of the album, really made this production of the album and this release whole, we worked on it until we all felt like ‘now it's done, now it's complete.’ I'm very grateful to everybody.’
Joshua: “It’s fascinating to see you collaborating with former Theatre of Tragedy bandmate, Tommy Olsson. Can you share how this collaboration came about and what inspired you to work together again?”
Liv: “It was actually quite a coincidence, I got Tommy's number from Raymond, the singer of Theatre of Tragedy as we toured together, Raymond joined my tour in 2015. Raymond just mentioned Tommy, and I just got Tommy's number from Raymond. Through Raymond, I contacted Tommy.
Tommy started sending me songs and ideas already back in 2015, but my life crashed in 2016. So I wasn't ready yet to sit down and really write my lyrics, develop my vocal lines, my melodies. I had to fix other things in my life, like taking care of my family, fixing the financial situations, I had lost Leaves’ Eyes, I had to move home, I had to take care of my soul. There was so much going and Tommy has been very patient. With the release of ‘Skylight’, my first single after my fifth solo album, which was my bright light on my sky, haha! Which was also my husband Michael’s idea.
‘Skylight’ was the first step after ‘Vervain’. So I thank Tommy for being very patient with me, haha!”
Joshua: “What aspects of Tommy's musical style and expertise do you find particularly complementary to your own artistic vision? Can you provide any insights into the creative process behind your collaborative work with Tommy? How do you approach songwriting and arranging when working together?”
Liv: “Well, the thing about Tommy is that he's very patient as already mentioned, and the next thing is that he gives me space to develop my melodies and my words. Tommy never asks anything or demands anything, he always leaves me a complete sense of freedom and that's something I'm really happy about, and I love the simple chords and the very long notes. I just love the space it gives me in his music and his compositions."
Joshua: “Your fans are undoubtedly excited to hear the fruits of this collaboration. What can they expect from the music you're creating with Tommy, and how does it compare or differ from your past musical endeavors together?"
Liv: “I would say that Tommy had developed as a person, and I myself too, as already mentioned, so working with Tommy was just kind of a coincidence that we met up again after these years since both of us left Theatre of Tragedy. So we got together again, for him it was a perfect time in his life and for me it was a perfect time in my life, so it just melted together, our experiences just melted together and turned into ‘River of Diamonds’. So it feels like surrendering to a creative process.”
Joshua: “Reflecting on your time together in Theatre of Tragedy and now reconnecting musically, how has your relationship and dynamic with Tommy evolved over the years?"
Liv: “As already mentioned, it wasn't planned, Tommy just suddenly he was there, and I was there and then we thought ‘hey, let's get together and work on an album.’ It felt very creative, authentic, and very natural as well."
Joshua: “I would like to say that ‘River of Diamonds’ is a milestone in your career. You've been in music since 1993 beginning with Theatre of Tragedy, and overall it is your 17th album if I'm correct if we're talking about studio releases. It is amazing how far you have come since then, for that I like to congratulate you, Liv. You have been an inspiration to many, you have captivated us with your beautiful and emotional voice, your storytelling and the performances have left us in awe. I'm happy that you continued what you love despite the many setbacks you've had in the past. Thank you, Liv! I wish I could have the chance to thank you in person when the US tour was prepared with Leaves’ Eyes.”
Liv: “Thank you very much for those words Joshua, I really appreciate that. I'm the one who should say thank you to you, to all of you, my fans, friends, followers out there who didn't stop believing in me, you've been out there all the time. I wouldn't be here without you. I'm just filled with gratitude. Thank you so much for being there, and for being around and supporting me, I really wouldn't be here around you. I've never played live as a solo artist in the US and I think it's about time, so we can meet and I can really feel your warm embrace, thank you so much, Joshua.”
Joshua: “I'd like to ask you some introductory questions, especially to readers who might be coming across your name for the first time. May you take us to the beginning of how your musical journey started and how did you find your way performing in metal music?”
Liv: “As already mentioned, I grew up with metal, it was the first kind of music, the first genre in music I got to know, next to the lullabies of my mother and grandmother. It was just a natural step for me to say ‘hey, I really want to join a metal band!’ I really want to be the angelic voice in a metal band, I want to sing in my authentic, personal, first soprano voice in a metal band. I want to rep my voice into metal, in harsh guitars and drums, everything that would fit to my soprano voice, and that's what happened with Theatre of Tragedy. We were students of linguistics back then, we were reading Edgar Alan Poe, Shakespeare, Emerson, and we were so much into poetry, the poetry of that time of about, hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
We were being creative, we were students, we saw ourselves as artists and all this just floated into the Theatre of Tragedy. It was an idea we just had when we were very young, haha, being young students in the darkness of the west coast of Norway, that's where Theatre of Tragedy came from. Then the world discovered Theatre of Tragedy, then things got really, really crazy, haha!
I remember myself being on tour for the very first time, I think it was in 1995, and the first time I stood on stage, on a real stage, in front of 800 people, the first concert I sang I did with Theatre of Tragedy was actually done with my eyes closed through the whole concert, haha!”
Joshua: “For those who are discovering your music, how would you describe your sound and style?”
Liv: “Well, I'm so diverse and you people, supporters, followers out there, you give me the freedom to release albums in very different styles and genres, you give me this freedom. So it's very hard to say what kind of music I'm doing, haha! You have dark electronic pop, you have Gothic metal, you have rock and pop. There is so much that I love doing so I couldn't put myself in one genre, it's just impossible, haha! What I can say is that I have a first soprano voice, haha!”
Joshua: “What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and who are some of your biggest influences as an artist?”
Liv: “What inspired me to start dealing with music and being an artist is never something I really planned or thought about, it just happened, just being a young student of British and American poetry, language, just loving metal and loving singing and it all melted together somehow. It was a natural process, and it's a huge step in my personal process of being authentic, and performing in an authentic way. So it's about finding myself and I still feel I'm on this path.
My biggest influence I would say it's Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, then later on Kate Bush, and ABBA of course, there is nobody who does greater harmonies than the ladies of ABBA, haha! I actually learned a lot from ABBA, I learned a lot from Kate Bush, I learned a lot from Tori Amos, and I learned a lot from the amazing opera singer Montserrat Caballé. So I never studied singing, never studied music at university, it's alway been something that I studied with my life.”
Joshua: “Reflecting on your journey so far, what do you hope listeners take away from your music regardless of which project they start with?”
Liv: “I think it's my authenticity as we already talked about. You find me in so many different genres and settings, but behind everything there is me and there is my voice, and there is a lot of personality, a lot of honesty, and a lot of authenticity.”
Joshua: “Let's look back at your career with Theatre of Tragedy, a band often credited as one of the pioneers of the gothic metal, particularly with the works of ‘Velvet Darkness They Fear’ and ‘Aégis’, are regarded as classics in the gothic metal genre. What do you think set the band apart and contributed to its unique sound and identity?”
Liv: “We felt free and we were young back then and we wanted to create something that nobody has done before, but we didn't sit down and think about ‘we have to be special, we have come up with something very different from what the music world has seen so far.’ We just did what we felt was close to our hearts and to ourselves, we just wanted to be creative, and we did not think what people would say about our music.
The debut album ‘Theatre of Tragedy’, ‘Velvet Darkness They Fear’, and ‘Aégis’, yes you say are regarded as classics, I guess they turned to classics because they were and they are different, they are pure in a certain way and there is not much influence that you can find from any other bands or genres, any musical directions, it's just one creative flow, and it's different, and it's new and it's refreshing. It was back then to music lovers and to people loving metal, and to also to the music business.
I considered these albums as three very important steps in my career as a young artist.”
Joshua: “The combination of harsh male vocals and your ethereal singing style became iconic for Theatre of Tragedy, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ vocal style has become synonymous with your work.”
Liv: “Well, that's something that just happened. I really wanted to have a metal band, I really wanted a Gothic metal band. I really wanted to sing in the genre of doom, I wanted to bring the light to the darkness. I wanted to be the angelic soprano voice in doom metal. There was Raymond growling, and then there was me with my soprano voice that just melted together in perfect symbiosis, I would say.”
Joshua: “In what ways do you think your experience with Theatre of Tragedy has shaped your approach to music and performance in your solo career and subsequent projects?”
Liv: “I think it's very important to be yourself and not be afraid of what other people would say. When you're an artist, you have to be aware that people will judge your music, your art, some people will judge you as a person, and that's something you have to live with and have to take in to consideration, but you don't have to adapt to it, you don't have to ruminate about it, it's just an opinion.
Despite the things people say about your art, your artistic work, it's very important to remain yourself and not fall off your personal path, I think that's very important. My experience with Theatre of Tragedy is exactly this; if you want to be a free artist, if you want to feel free with your artistic work, your development on your artistic path. If you want to feel free and authentic, stop thinking about what other people are doing and what other people will say.”
Joshua: “After your departure from Theatre of Tragedy, you founded Leaves' Eyes and embarked on a new musical journey, separating the music you had created already prior. Can you share some insights into the creative process behind forming the band and shaping its unique identity?”
Liv: “Yes. I had just, or was just about to become a mother, I felt a very tight connection to my origins, to Norway, to the nature of Norway, to everything that is me. To everything that has to do with my heritage. So that is actually the concept of Leaves’ Eyes, is expressing my towards Norway, towards my heritage, towards my origins. Towards the beauty that lights up my life, when I'm home, when I'm there at my birthplace, that is what Leaves’ Eyes is about.
Those feelings really grew and became intense. I was living in Germany at that time, became a mother, and these feelings of love grew through that experience of motherhood.”
Joshua: “Leaves' Eyes has garnered a dedicated fanbase and achieved significant success in the symphonic metal scene. Especially with each album having lyrics inspired by your home of Norway, from its viking history to Norse mythology. In your own words, what do you believe sets Leaves' Eyes apart from other bands in the genre, and how has the band evolved over the years during your tenure?”
Liv: “I would say that the original idea of Leaves’ Eyes to put it that way, really is about Norway; the history, the nature, the culture, the heritage of Norway and I'm very happy that this kind of floats through and expresses itself on each and every album. That was something that was very important to me, to really express my love towards Norway and history, and Norse mythology of course.
So Leaves’ Eyes has a unique identity, yes absolutely. That is something that makes Leaves’ Eyes different from everything else I've done as an artist.”
Joshua: “Your vocal performances in Leaves' Eyes are often praised for their emotive depth and ethereal quality. How do you approach the interpretation and delivery of lyrics in your music to convey the desired emotions to your audience?”
Liv: “Thank you so much, it's been an exciting journey for me, as a singer as well. As already mentioned, I never studied music at a high school or a university, I always felt free in my own personal vocal development so it's always the music that trick us the emotion and the words that I'm bringing into the compositions. It's always the music itself that gives me the inspiration to write my lyrics and to develop my melodies, I think it has to be one whole frequency. What I would find very difficult is to write lyrics first and then compose a song, haha! Then compose the instrumental part afterwards.
That would not be my way of working, with music, melodies, vocal melodies, and lyrics. So I prefer the music first, haha!”
Joshua: “Liv, after your departure from Leaves' Eyes, you faced a significant transition in your career. Can you share with us some of the challenges you encountered during this period, and how did you navigate through them?”
Liv: “That's true, and yes, we talked a little bit about that, the big bang in 2016; I just saw that my marriage was over, I had been replaced as a singer in Leaves’ Eyes, and went on touring without me. I didn't really feel sad about not being able to go on tour back then because I had to take care of my family and of my son, it was not the right time for me to go on tour back then and I really had to take care of my family and I had to get myself a new job, haha, and I had to find myself a new home and start all over again with a couple of things in my car. It's at that point, when you're really down on the ground, and you're seeing the darkness, that's when you see who are your real friends, who are your true friends, who are the people, those friends you can call at 4AM in the morning and ask for a bed. That's when you realize what you really got and what you haven't got. What is honest and what is not. What is true and what is not.
I realized that, in some parts of my life, I just lived through them without really sensing some truth and authenticity. In the music business, you have a lot of manipulation, you experience a lot of idea coming from the outside and you being asked to perform them and to maybe show yourself in life in the light you don't want to show yourself, it's not authentic, it's not you, and then you have to fight against, and then you have do many thing coming from the outside hitting you and you have to take care of this. Then you’re being a mother, being a wife, it was a very, very rough period of time, but I have to say that I felt lost, I felt that I lost myself and I really had to find a way to come home to myself. There is one thing, one frequency that has been safe, that's filled with love and light through my life, as a woman, as a grown-up, and that is being a mother of my son. Back then in 2016 that was the most important thing to me; to take care of my family.”
Joshua: “With now being a solo artist allows for greater creative freedom but also comes with its own set of responsibilities. How has your experience as a solo artist differed from being part of a band like Theatre of Tragedy and Leaves' Eyes, both creatively and professionally?"
Liv: “I don't really see that there is a comparison between Theatre of Tragedy and Leaves’ Eyes. The people were different, the bands were different, the music was different. So I see those bands as two different chapters in my life, with a very high identity, and I'm very grateful for both, and I learned so much about being an artist, and developing as an artist through both bands. I am very, very grateful for both.”
Joshua: “As a solo artist, you've continued to explore different musical avenues and collaborate with various musicians. How did you balance your solo creative pursuits?”
Liv: “Yes, I just wanted to talk about that! Haha, nice question!
My solo career has been there all the time since 1997-1998 up until today. Next to being a mother, there is another red line in my life which is my solo career, so believe me, I’m so grateful for having been able to release solo albums throughout my career, and every solo album has been a very important step in my artistic development and I'm very happy that you guys are still out there and supporting me, giving me this freedom. So there will be a couple of solo albums in the future, I'm not done yet, I'm just in the middle of my life and in the middle of my creative process."
Joshua: “Your solo career has seen you explore various musical styles and collaborate with different artists. What inspires you to continually push boundaries and experiment with your own sound rather than a collective as in a band?”
Liv: “Well, I have to say that I'm very open-minded towards any kind of musical style, almost any kind of musical style. I am very open-minded towards people I'm working with, I think it's very important to give everybody else this freedom because I've been given this freedom myself. That's why I love working with different people, and sometimes when I'm doing collaborations or being involved with musical projects, that's door's opening towards various musical styles and I just love that. I learned to become a very flexible artist, and a flexible person needs my private life, haha! So yes, my whole career has been about exploring various musical styles, and I love being in a band, I love being a solo artist. I love both.
My solo band, Liv Kristine, is now growing into a collective band. I have wonderful people around me, highly creative co-musicians. So we are working on my upcoming album right now, and I'm very grateful towards those guys, turning up and showing interest in working with me and supporting me. I feel like Liv Kristine is growing into one collective band now, it feels great and I love being on stage with these guys. Believe me, they really rock, they are just awesome, awesome musicians and artists, and also friends.”
Joshua: “Can you reflect on any particular moments or experiences from your solo career that have been particularly rewarding or transformative for you as an artist? Also looking back on your earlier works, how do you feel they represent your artistic journey and growth as a musician? How has your approach to music and performance evolved since your early days with Theatre of Tragedy?”
Liv: “Well we are going to play Wacken this year, which is something, and also my band members are very happy about, Wacken is always something very special. It’s also very special to play Nagold in Germany, I've done that eleven times I think, it's something that happens yearly. Nagold is a place where I play a wishing list of my songs. I invite people to join me on stage, and I have to say that, releasing ‘Skylight’, my very first single after my fifth solo release ‘Vervain’, there were a few years between the two, and the release of ‘Skylight’ was actually my way of saying ‘I'm back, and I'm still around.’
When you're asking about my performance, I think I'm kind of still the same. I'm highly authentic, I'm not afraid of evolving, of expressing myself, of expanding myself, and of showing people out there, the world out there who I really am. I think it's still the same frequency.”
Joshua: “As an independent artist, what are some of the most valuable lessons you've learned about the music industry, and how have these lessons influenced your approach to your career?”
Liv: “I would say that the music business is really rough, it's really harsh and you really need a strong stamina if you want to become a creative artist and if you wanna stay authentic in this business. You really need to have a strong stamina and a strong will, and a strong sense for yourself, and I've learned that. Every time you say yes to something that doesn't feel right, you're going to pay for it later., so always be true and honest with yourself and learn to set boundaries, and learn to say no. The bigger the money gets in the music business, the the contracts you sign, the labels, the productions, the more money there is in this, your own power, the power to no and to express your true authentic self gets smaller and you lose power. So you kind of have to take care of not losing your own power, the power to say no, the power to set boundaries and to be yourself, I think it's very important.
Being a young woman in the music business is really, really rough. Looking back on my career I really had to learn this, there were a few court cases even and I never thought this would happen to me. I just want to sing and be an authentic artist, I want to be creative. Then once I got sued because I didn't want to do and say yes to something that my business partners expected from me, so I found myself in front of court and I didn't know what the hell I was doing there, actually. I just wanted to show my boundaries, I just wanted to be myself, an authentic artist, so I said ‘no’ and I had to pay for it, with money of course. It felt so unjust, so unright, and it felt so wrong but I learned from it in the end, believe me."
Joshua: “Liv, your music has touched the lives of so many fans around the world. How do you think your relationship with your fans has evolved over the years?”
Liv: “Thank you so much for those really lovely words. You have always been around, even though there were moments where I didn't believe in myself in 2016 and 2017, those were really rough years, and you've been around all the time. I think I've always had a very close connection to my fans and followers, it's a great gift actually. To feel this strong connection. Every time when I'm on stage, and I'm seeing my audience, I'm not only seeing my audience, I'm feeling my audience. That's one of the greatest feelings as an artist, to feel that your audience is having a good time, feeling uplifted and happy in that live bubble. I just love that and it's very healing too. It's probably healing for you and it's very healing to me, it's the matter of giving and taking.
It's one of the greatest things about being an artist is actually this exchange of good, positive, and healing energies, especially in a live situation.”
Joshua: “Your music has inspired and influenced countless listeners. Are there any stories or messages from fans that have deeply resonated with you over the years?”
Liv: “Of course, they were a few cases where babies have been named after me and there's been a few cases of being full of fears, being afraid of having to leave their lifetime, being seriously ill, and I've been very lucky to connect to people in such a serious situation and to really talk to them to still feel the love of life, the love of music even, and to listen to songs together. That really makes me emotional, that sometimes people reach out to say ‘my life is going towards an end, but I just wanted to say thank you for your music’ or ‘I've been in a serious situation and your music has helped me get back on my path.’ These are the experiences that really go deep into my heart.
There is something about music that brings people together, that connects people. So I've seen a lot of healing through music, not only mine but through other people.”
Joshua: “With concerts and live performances being such an integral part of the music experience, what are some of your fondest memories or moments from interacting with your fans during shows?"
Liv: “I would say every show is personal, every show is special I have to say. I don't mind singing in front of five people or 50,000 people, I've done both, even less than five and more than 50,000 people. It's all the same uplifted experience for me, it feels amazing. I feel high every time I'm on stage and I feel a certain wonder, I feel this healing frequency every time I'm able to connect with my audience, no matter how high or low the numbers are."
Joshua: “Looking forward, what are your goals and aspirations as a solo artist, and what can fans expect from you in terms of future releases or endeavors?”
Liv: “Yes, I'm already in the creative process of producing my next solo album, my seventh solo album. It's going to be so that's coming up, and I have a few different projects I'm working on as well, so yes, there will be more, hehe. As already mentioned, I've just reached the half of my life as I see it, as I experience it, so I'm in the middle of my personal path and my creative process.”
Joshua: “We've reached the end of this interview, Liv. What would you like to say to the readers and fans that will be looking forward to hearing from you in the future as you continue your musical journey?”
Liv: “I thank you Joshua, for doing this beautiful interview with me, thank you so much for your kind words and I hope to meet you person someday and be safe, and take good care. Thank you so much for being around, I hope to see you soon. All the best, and all the love and life.”
Joshua: “Thank you so much, Liv and thank you to Michael for making this interview happen, I wish you both all the best as well!”
Follow Liv Kristine online:
Comentários