!Does It Even" is here from Liv Dawson

Sunday 21st July 2024

Release date: TBC Label: Distiller records

First debuting when she was 17 years old and with 50 million career streams to date, Liv Dawson steps into a new era as she presents a fresh start and a bold evolution in her sound with the release of shimmering garage bop, ‘Does It Even’. The track gives a first taster from her forthcoming ‘Turn The Page’ EP out September 13th.

‘Does It Even’ instantly highlights Liv’s star gift - her voice. Crystal clear and brimming with emotion, her vocals are capable of both soaring highs and sweetly enunciated soft moments. Yet the music pulsates with undeniable credibility and a bouncy, irresistible exuberance. It’s a song that’s lyrically both lovelorn and real as she explores the growing acceptance that a relationship just isn’t going to unfold as she wants it to.

Liv says “’Does It Even’ was written from the perspective of being confused by someone’s feelings when leaving a relationship, and questioning whether it was real or not. Being a sensitive, ‘feel it all girl’ myself I hope others can relate and know that if you’re ever too much for someone - tell them to go find less.”

The ‘Turn The Page’ EP is a five-track blend of bumpy garage and UK bass-licked 4x4, with pitched-up vocal lines rubbing up against piano splays and thumping basslines. It’s a sound with one foot looking to the future and another drawing on nostalgia for the genre’s biggest moments. Her introspective, diaristic lyrics touch on heartbreak and pain, simultaneously invoking raw vulnerability and candid relatability in a way that recalls SZA or Summer Walker. The EP is the product of her new creative connection with producer Frank Colucci (Ashnikko, Rose Gray).

Liv adds, “Turn The Page EP is a collection of songs inspired from life moments, they are a mix of heartbreak, vulnerability as well as the best of times. I hope it gives people a chance to dance their way through all the emotions.”

Born just outside of London, 25-year-old Liv has been involved in music for the majority of her life, first singing and writing songs before performing live gigs from the age of fourteen. She grew up on her parents' soundtrack of Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill, but it was Beyoncé’s role in ‘Dreamgirls’ that particularly inspired her to forge an artist career of her own. Aged, 17, she signed to Elton John’s Rocket Management, wrote with Disclosure, Jimmy Napes and Olly Alexander and then released her debut single through Method Records. It wasn’t long before she was playing headline shows, festivals, and supported global superstar Khalid. 

To experience so much so young together with the quieter moments that naturally occur during the ebb-and-flow of a career inevitably took a toll on her mental health. But her resolve strengthened, gradually finding her voice not only as a songwriter, but one who now writes for other artists. The extended pause of Covid instigated a fear that she had fallen out of love with performing, but a big outdoor show with Tom Grennan got her back on track - the buzz, the expression and especially the audience’s reaction all being things that she had acutely missed. She will be reunited with Tom Grennan when she plays his 25,000 capacity Gunnersbury Park show on August 10th as part of a bill that also features Caity Baser and Mae Stephens.

Posted by Craig Jones