Livy Jeanne and her music have been a silver lining of 2020. While under quarantine, I came across an Instagram Live on Kalie Shorr’s page, and her guest was Livy Jeanne. I was an instant fan of her lyrics and pop melodies. Undiscovered Nashville immediately reached out to the Ardrossan, Alberta, Canada native. We hosted her on our Undiscovered Nashville Live series on Instagram. After Livy Jeanne released her first single this year, I knew I had to interview her.
Livy Jeanne: A Musical Beginning
Livy Jeanne has spent years honing her talent, but what got her started on this musical journey? Livy said, “Honestly, what got me started was I began singing for fun. My parents got me a Karaoke machine from Costco. My brothers were getting Ipods and cameras, but I was too young for that at eleven years old. They thought I didn’t use it, because I would practice and sing by myself.”
Livy Jeanne’s parents were surprised a year later when she informed them she was going to sing at the school talent show. The singer/songwriter said, “My mom asked me who I was singing with, and I replied by myself. She said, do you want to practice for me, and I told her no. After the talent show, my mom was like well, she isn’t horrible. She then asked if I wanted to take singing lessons.”
Livy Jeanne continued, “I began taking singing lessons and eventually picked up the guitar after being obsessed with Taylor Swift at a young age. If any girl that says she is a songwriter but hasn’t looked up Taylor Swift’s music, I don’t know. She made it work! However, once you get into enough, you get hooked.”
The Decision to Move to Nashville
Livy Jeanne is originally from Ardrossan, Alberta. Ardrossan is about 30 minutes from Edmonton. I wondered what would make someone move to another country by themself. The singer/songwriter said, “I had played a lot of shows, I went to radio, and I had done the whole thing. However, I felt stuck in my career.”
Livy continued, ” I didn’t want to travel back and forth to write anymore. I wanted to be able to do this every day, and I didn’t feel that I could do that to the best of my ability in Toronto or Vancouver. I know many who are successful in Canada, but I felt if I can try and go for gold, I can get it.”
Thre process for Livy Jeanne to move to Nashville was challenging. Livy said, ” I worked very hard to get my work visa, and I work my but oof to stay here. It makes me grateful to be here. I always dreamed of moving to Nashville, but I didn’t believe it would happen. It didn’t hit me until I pulled out of my driveway. My car was packed to the brim, and I thought I am moving. I had never lived anywhere by myself, but I was moving to a different country.”
Livy Jeanne’s Nashville Experience
Living in Nashville would require an adjustment for Livy Jeanne. The singer/songwriter said, “It was like flying by the seat of your pants and hoping you don’t crap your pants at the same time. You miss the little things. I remember calling my mom and saying they call the milk here a gallon. I didn’t know what brands to buy. My norm was completely thrown”.
One of the most significant adjustments for Livy Jeanne was the weather. Livy said, “My car is still on celsius. It was 38 degrees here today, but I have been temperatures where it was -38 degrees celsius. Both extremes are not great. The winter is Canada is magical, but it’s a different beast. But, I think I would rather bundle up than to die in sweat. The pool only gets so cold.”
The singer/songwriter continued, “My first Nashville summer, I called my mom and said it was so hot. Growing up in Canada, I always had a jacket with me. I asked my roommate for the first eight months of living here if I needed a jacket.”
Rising with Your Peers
When you move to Nashville, it is essential to find your people. Livy said, “Many people want to gravitate toward the hit songwriters or big-time people, but there is something about rising with your peers. Being able to rise with your peers or watch them rise is special.”
The singer/songwriter continued, “A friend of mine recently won a Juno, but I remember when she first moved to Nashville. We lived in this tiny house, and our heat went out during the coldest week in January. We were sitting around our stove that we cranked up and opened the door. We huddled around it, watching The Bachelor. I said to her; this is a low point. She said we will always remember this.”
Livy Jeane Goes from Country to Pop
Most songwriters who move to Nashville, come to write country music. Livy Jeanne was not any different, but after getting here, she realized she wasn’t country. Livy said, “I moved here thinking I was going to be a country star. I was through and through country, but then I thought, wait, I’m not. I love listening to country music, and I love writing country if someone else is cutting it. Pop is more natural for me.”
Livy Jeanne has focused on her songwriting in 2020. The singer/songwriter said, “I moved in the pop lane, but even more during the quarantine. I have sunk into my writing this year, its all I have done. Shows are fun, but I have enjoyed writing every day. I love performing, but my favorite part of what I do is writing and making music. It’s awesome!”
Livy Jeanne’s Music of 2020
We are thankful Livy chose to release music this year. Her first release of 2020 was “Finish this Up,” a song about knowing what you want and going for it in a relationship. “Sharing You” is a song about betrayal and learning someone was cheating on you. The latest release is “Clear to Me.”
Livy Jeanne Releases “Clear to Me”
Livy Jeanne released “Clear to Me” on July 15, 2020, written by Livy Jeanne, Jeff Garrison, and Abram Dean. Garrison also produced the song along with John Prentice. Livy described the song as a turning point for her. Livy said, “Clear to Me” feels like a turning point and a page that shifted many things in my life. I am surrounding myself with people who work hard, and they’re good people.”
Livy expanded on why the song represents a turning point in her life. The singer/songwriter said, “Honestly, it was where I was in my life. I had just gotten out of a relationship that was not awesome. It made me feel like crap. I was in that stage of deciding if I was country or pop. Are people going to like me? Are people not going to work with me because I want this new sound? A sound not new to me, but it was new to them.”
Livy continued, “I was in a spot where everything was very foggy. It was like when the mirror is foggy after taking a shower. That was how my life felt, but in a bad way. It was like someone cleared the mirror, and it all made sense. “Clear to Me” is about the simplicity of everything, making sense at the moment. It feels like you are living in a snow globe turned upside down, and you need someone to set you right side up.”
Fun Facts and Future Plans
Livy Jeanne has plans to release more music sometime soon. In the meantime, she will be doing what she loves, writing meaningful music. Livy said, “I want to write good songs that mean something to me but, more importantly, mean something to someone in the room.”
It’s always fun to learn something about the artists I am interviewing. Here are some things about Livy. The singer/songwriter said, “I am pretty introverted, so I think that why I love being in the studio and the writer’s room. People would think I am an introvert, but maybe I am an ambivert.
If you see Livy Jeanne out, she definitely will have lip balm on her. Livy said, “I always need lip balm, but it’s my dad’s fault. He had chapstick on him at all times. Growing up in Canada, it’s freaking cold. You are constantly licking your lips, and your mouth gets raw and chapped. After that happens once, you got to have lip balm. I will panic without it.”
Livy Jeanne has Star Potential
Undiscovered Nashville believes it is only a matter of time before Livy Jeanne breaks through. Her latest single has over 300,000 streams on Spotify in a little over a month. Please go check out her music on Apple Music or Spotify. Also, please follow Livy on social media to keep with what she is doing and news of new music.
