Q&A: “The Thing” Liya Shapiro Would Like You To Know
Liya Shapiro emerges as a multifaceted enigma, her music an introspective journey through varied moods and influences. With no distinct persona, she embraces sincerity and mystery, reflecting her evolving states of mind. Influenced by Lana Del Rey, David Bowie, and an eclectic mix of artists, Liya's debut single "The Thing" unveils her post-punk exploration, guided by producer Saya Siiang. As she navigates through dream rock, alternative pop, and beyond, Liya's lyrical musings on love and existence resonate deeply. Balancing studies in medical anthropology with burgeoning musical aspirations, Liya envisions a future of self-production and live performances, seeking connection and discovery in her evolving musical odyssey.
LUNA: Introduce yourself: who is Liya Shapiro? How and when was the project born?
SHAPIRO: I think Liya Shapiro is just me, like there's no specific persona associated with this project, I'm trying to be sincere as I can possibly be. However, there probably is a touch of mystery to it but it seems like it's just some people's perception of me when they meet me for the first time. I got such comments before: "I think you're mysterious". But it's not that I'm special or something, it's just maybe that it takes me a while to open up. My music is all about my own experiences and thoughts, so there's no artifice in there. Also, as a person I don't have some kind of a distinct 'aesthetic': I can be punk or glam, chic or rock-star like, completely basic or all over the place. It all depends on my mood, and my music reflects that, it can be very different.
LUNA: How has your music changed in the past few years?
SHAPIRO: Since my first proper single just came out, it's quite hard to answer this question: I'm only in the very beginning of my music career. I did have a song out a couple of years ago, and it was completely different from "The Thing". While "The Thing" is post-punk, Siouxie Sioux, PJ Harvey, etc., "Mirror" was more Michael Kiwanuka-like. However, some of the other stuff I'm preparing to release in the near future is also very different from "The Thing" - there's dream pop, alternative, classic rock... So, my music is always changing, but whenever I release my first album, I definitely want it to be a more stylistically coherent piece of songwriting.
LUNA: Who inspired your music? Who are your biggest influences?
SHAPIRO: Even though it can't really be heard in my music, I am in love with Lana Del Rey, there's just something about her that fascinates me. I'm also really into Suki Waterhouse, Jessie Ware and Celeste at the moment. In terms of my all-time favourite artists, I'd say they are David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Leonard Cohen, Arctic Monkeys... None of these, though, can be seen as influences, you can't hear any of this stuff in my music, it's like it comes out of nowhere.
LUNA: How did you develop this style? Will you experiment with other genres in the future?
SHAPIRO: This foray into post-punk was totally unexpected and is all thanks to my brilliant producer and friend Saya Siiang (her music is amazing, by the way). However, I might continue experimenting with post-punk in the future, I really like how this turned out. But you can expect some dream rock/pop, alternative rock and such from me in the future.
LUNA: Let's talk about "The Thing:" what inspired it and how did it come to life?
SHAPIRO: The lyrics came from some musings on love I found in my notes app. I have to admit, the 'mysteriousness' of it all was both deliberate and sincere at the same time, I wrote it at night, couldn't fall asleep, so thoughts, feelings and words just flowed out of me. And then I turned it into a song. I envisioned it as something quite unsettling from the very beginning, and the post-punk touch really made it work, I think. In terms of what inspired it, I think it's just that I've never been in a proper relationship and never experience real love, so love is still a mystery to me, which is what the song is all about.
LUNA: Who produces your tracks? How do you choose which producers to work with? Do you have some dream producers you'd like to work with?
SHAPIRO: At the moment, I only work with Saya Siiang, she's great, I love everything she does and she really feels my music. However, I would like to try to produce stuff myself, like make something completely self-produced. The dream would be working with Jack Antonoff or James Ford.
LUNA: Is music your main occupation at the moment? If not, how are you conciliating your day job with your music career?
SHAPIRO: I'm currently studying medical anthropology full-time, so my music career is more like a part-time job at the moment. However, the dream is for music to become a full-time job in the future.
LUNA: Have you ever been on tour? If not, would you like to embark on one? If yes, tell us about it.
SHAPIRO: No, never. Of course, I think any musician would love to embark on a tour. However, I haven't given this much thought yet, so can't really share anything particularly interesting on this matter. So, far I'm preparing for my first ever gig, which will take place in London on February, 15 - small steps!
LUNA: Who's your dream feature?
SHAPIRO: Actually, no idea, so I'm not gonna try and come up with something cool or clever on the spot but instead leave this unanswered.
LUNA: Where do you see yourself in one year as a musician?
SHAPIRO: Hopefully, actively recording and releasing music as well as performing. Would really love for people to discover and connect with my music, just like any artist, I guess.
