Q&A: Lizzy Cameron on Her Latest Single “Your Level,” An Artistic Representation of Authenticity and Her Personal Path of Resistance and Resilience
A MELODIC CALLING FOR LISTENERS AND ARTIST ALIKE — Lizzy Cameron’s latest single, “Your Level” lets us embark on a path of resistance and resilience. Having returned from a three-year hiatus since her last release, Cameron’s dedication to her craft has provoked a succinct reimagination of her sound and lyricism, showcasing that true artistry comes with time, patience, and devotion to every nuance of the visual art and music alike.
Having last spoken to Cameron in December, the clear consistency throughout Cameron’s experience as an artist is her transparency in exploring her strengths both personally and poetically. At the time of its composition, “Your Level” signaled an aspiration for Cameron to acquire the sense of strength and autonomy from her feelings of loneliness and insecurity. The track reveals the strength it took to embody those emotions within her music in such an authentic way that allowed her to finally feel free again.
Read below to learn more about “Your Level,” the visual and instrumental process behind the song, and Cameron’s upcoming plans from her upcoming graduation to the continuation of what looks to be an incredibly fulfilling and rewarding journey of an artist who is devoted to her craft.
LUNA: Hey Lizzy, it’s lovely to be talking to you again. It only seems like it’s been a couple of months since we last spoke to you! Prior to writing “Your Level,” you previously released “Faking It,” which had a more pop-synth backdrop to the sonic element of the song. In contrast, “Your Level” seems to embody a more acoustic sound. What inspired the contrast instrumentally to your previous music and what was the creative process behind this?
CAMERON: Yes! Definitely a big shift, I’m glad you noticed (laughs). “Your Level” is my first release after a three-year hiatus. Around the time I put out “Faking It,” I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to release
music even if I didn’t fully love it, which really took the fun out of the process for me. After that, I vowed to really take my time moving forward and give myself time to rediscover my sound and what I love. I started learning guitar, which really impacted my sound and is how I wrote “Your Level.” I spent a year and a half strictly devoted to my lyricism and hyperfocusing on what I wanted to say exactly. And [I] also just spent time living my life and loving people and learning hard lessons, which of course impacted me a lot.
LUNA: Can I also ask what inspired the title of the song? Were there any particular moments or emotions that inspired both the title and the lyricism of the songwriting process?
CAMERON: Oh my god, yeah. This song is fully a lie! (Laughs) I wrote this song in February 2022, after a pretty tough situationship that left me feeling really sick both mentally and physically. I just didn’t trust myself or my friends anymore and it was a really angry, isolated time. I wanted so badly to be over this person who had hurt me and was angry at myself for still having sympathy and feelings for them. I fully wrote it about how I wished I felt. How I wished I saw the situation. I did wish they would come back, and I did still crave their instability. Now, this song coming out at this time a year later when I’m so much happier and healthier feels full-circle for me. I finally believe the words I’m singing and that’s really special for me.
LUNA: The rhythm of “Your Level” is consistent, in terms of its continuous upbeat and progressive nature in contrast to the unstable relationship you describe lyrically. The lyrics seem to embody and encounter so many up-and-down emotions. Was this contrast between the instrumental aspect and the lyricism deliberate?
CAMERON: Totally! This song has an insane arc to it that really takes you on the journey I’ve been on for the last year or so — and that is all because of Maria McMillan, Michael Campanelli, Andrew Hey, and Sam Ramirez. It takes a village! I sent Maria a slow, sad, mellow voice memo of just me and guitar and I will never forget she called me after and said something along the lines of, “Lizzy this is reallyyyy sad. I feel like you’ve got more to give than just this.” And she was so right! She arranged the whole song and, without even knowing it, helped me take my power back at a time where I felt so weak. The song starts super vulnerable and
bare, kicking in at the second verse where we really start to ramp it up both instrumentally and emotionally. We brought the song to our good friend Michael and he produced the track out, listening to me cry and blab about my failed situationship, but perfectly embodying the intense emotional journey I had been on. It was really cathartic for me and they both helped me so much in my healing process. Then, Andrew and Sam brought it all together and got it ready for release with some final production elements as well as mixing and mastering.
LUNA: The artwork accompanying “Your Level” evokes themes of light and nature. What inspired this visual element of the single specifically?
CAMERON: Honestly, I’m not sure! I don’t have synesthesia or anything but have always associated that song with the color blue. I just knew I wanted something where I was looking down at the camera, mimicking the lyrics “I won’t sink down to your level” with a blue sky above me. Nature is constantly starting over again with the seasons and all about growth and life and breathing and figuring it out so I guess I was just drawn towards that. You’ll see a lot more nature in my upcoming covers, too. I spent a couple weeks making Pinterest boards and the photographer, Hunter Hartz, and creative director, Cassier Howell, did an amazing job executing what I had in my head.
LUNA: From what I remember you are still set to graduate in May, so I’m sure you have a pretty crazy couple of months ahead of you! Regardless of that, what sort of projects do you have lined up during this time alongside the upcoming release of “Your Level”?
CAMERON: (Laughs) Yes, we’re almost there — I can’t believe it! I graduate on May 12th, which is hard to wrap my head around. I’m really excited about the next few singles coming after “Your Level,” so keep your eyes peeled for those in the coming months. And then I’ll be releasing my debut EP, Small Victories, later this year — hopefully this summer! (I’ve never said the title out loud before, ahhh!)
I’ve worked really hard with Andrew Hey and Sam Ramirez at Harvey Mason Jr.’s studio getting all of these songs right, and I’m just excited to be putting music out that embodies where I’ve been the past few years, what I’ve been going through, and what my sound is in this season of my life. It’s been a long time coming, and I finally feel ready.
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