Biography

Growing up in a family of musicians, contemporary neo-soul artist Olivia Williams, better known as Liv.e (pronounced "Liv"), spent most of her life trying not to get into music: “I really avoided making music for a long time because my family is so deep in it,” she joked. But when listening to the jazzy riffs and experimental production on her album Girl In The Half Pearl, it’s hard to imagine she ever considered being anything else. From Dallas, TX, the 25-year-old artist has come a long way from the young child who was introduced to music through church, where her family was embedded in the gospel scene. These days, the Los-Angeles-based artist primarily draws inspiration from listening to old songs on repeat—she cites Dallas label Dolfin Records and artists like singer Lalah Hathaway and saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter as some of her favorites. Those influences manifested in her celebrated debut album Couldn’t Wait To Tell You… —and Girl in the Half Pearl takes that one step further by exploring deep self-realization through an eclectic, immersive soundscape. The album talks Liv.e’s transformation during unsound relationships that lasted through her early twenties—“I started recognizing how easily I could be used and manipulated,” she explains—and how she sees the time as a period of growth and reclamation. “I’m getting back my sense of strength and trust within myself,” Liv.e says. “CWTTY was coming into my independence. Now, I'm coming more into my womanhood.”