Singer, Social Media Star, Student: In Conversation With Liang Lawrence
Known for her sunny social media presence, acoustic guitar, and emotional introspection, Liang Lawrence is the next likely candidate in taking the musical world by storm, and, following the attainment of her 100,000 TikTok followers, seems to be in the perfect position to do so. After spending her adolescence delving into the YouTube world of underground bedroom artists and reaffirming her love for original music, it wasn’t long before she realised she wanted to make music of her own. Now, with a prominent social media presence and a dedicated following who support her work, Liang Lawrence’s career in the industry is almost guaranteed to inspire others in a similar spirit to those who came before her. Her latest single “Santa Cruz” was released in October of 2020.
Editor Caitlin Andrews had the lovely opportunity to ask Liang a few questions about her exceptional success on TikTok, whether or not she believes influencers should be obligated to discuss politics with their audience, and the sheer strength of Dodie Clark’s cultural grip on Gen-Z women.
Caitlin Andrews: Welcome, Liang! How are you doing?
Liang Lawrence: “Hi Caitlin! Other than the five deadlines looming over me, I’m very well, thank you! Super excited to be writing up this interview for Periphery Magazine, so thank you so much for reaching out to me to get involved.”
CA: Back in 2020, you released your first ever single,“Santa Cruz.” What was it like producing this track, especially while undertaking other commitments, like attending university?
LL: “Producing “Santa Cruz” is actually quite a funny and COVID-esque story. At the time I was lucky enough to be “seeking refuge” on a lovely little farm with my older sister and her partner’s family. That was the first summer of the pandemic and with nothing else to do at the time I was really just falling back in love with music and songwriting again. Anyway, my sister’s partner has got a bit of a music tech background (lifesaver), so we were kinda just messing around and I pulled out a few originals I wrote a while back and we decided to record them. He added some bass and polished it up a bit because I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to mastering and music production, and then that was it really. I just had this recording but didn’t really think much of it at the time. Then it got to October and my friend and I were just sitting in our uni house listening to the recording and she was like “Why don’t you just release it?” and then that was pretty much the birth of “Santa Cruz’s” public appearance. I’m lucky enough to say that COVID almost gave me the permission and time to do music again, so as much as it was a lot to juggle with university, especially now things are back in person, it never feels like a chore.”
CA: Alongside releasing original songs on social media, you also frequently release a variety of cover songs. In a caption for your cover of “Twistin’ The Night Away” by Sam Cooke, you wrote,“...I wish new music still sounded like this.” Are the ‘60s a musically influential era for you? Who would you consider your biggest creative inspirations?
LL: “I’m not sure how much the ‘60s have influenced my own writing and music but since I was like eleven, I completely fell in love with all eras of music. For two years I listened to only 70s/80s music. I tend to go through phases of listening to a particular decade or genre nonstop and currently my obsession is Brit Rock/Pop, which I think has also been a really big and recent source of inspiration for me. Over the past two years I’ve been exploring my songwriting more and more by listening to loads of other artists and just playing my own stuff to see what I like and I’ve been drawing a lot of inspiration from the artists like the Gallaghers, Blossoms, and The Beatles. But I do owe a lot of the reason why I started songwriting to artists like Dodie Clark and Rusty Clanton. When I started finding artists on YouTube who were just making music in their bedrooms I was immediately like “This is it. I want to do this”.”
CA: What is the motivation behind creating music for you? When did you first start writing?
LL: “I first started writing when I was eleven, I think. I wrote a song that completely ripped off The Sound of Music’s “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”, but ya know, gotta start somewhere, right? Like I mentioned, artists like Dodie Clark kinda got me hooked on songwriting and she really inspired me to teach myself the ukulele when I was twelve which then led to me picking up the guitar when I was fourteen. I think what initially drew me in was this idea that I could create my own little world in these songs. I could talk about whatever and whoever I wanted and literally create this piece of music that had never existed before I picked up my guitar. Then gradually I started to write about things that I knew people wanted to talk about but had trouble putting words to, or just didn’t have the confidence to. My first full song is still on YouTube and it’s called “Differently” and I think at the time I just remember everyone being worried about how girls and boys are “meant to be” and feeling like we all have to fit into this box, so I wrote a song about it. That was the first time people thanked me for singing about something that really resonated with them and that’s when I realised it wasn’t only just for my own emotions and sanity, it was also helping other people who felt the same.”
CA: As someone with a large social media platform, you released your 2021 demo, “There’s No Planet B,” on TikTok, which had the caption, “My most aggressive form of activism.” Do you believe influencers have an obligation to discuss political causes with their followers? Do you consider yourself a politically active person?
LL: “This is a really tough and controversial topic; I mean the second anyone gains some kind of following this question of whether people have a responsibility to be an activist in one way or another always comes up. I think personally, I like to challenge myself to write about things that are uncomfortable and that do make people think about the way they live their own lives and how it's affecting other people, the planet, and even humanity on a larger scale. That being said, I would say that I am so clueless, and I have so much more to learn when it comes to politics. I want to spend the rest of my life learning and hopefully creating music to help others learn. There are hundreds and hundreds of issues in the world we live in and I don’t think it’s fair to expect anyone to be knowledgeable in all of them and have complete confidence in knowing where they stand in all of them, but I do think it’s important to have an interest in bettering yourself and the way you choose to live your life for the sake of other people’s wellbeing and the planet.”
CA: How have you felt about your fast-growing popularity on TikTok? Do you agree or disagree with the idea that Gen-Z creatives have an easier time “making it” in the music industry, thanks to the emergence of social media in the past twenty years?
LL: “I’m so grateful to say that TikTok has only been good to me in terms of giving me a platform to reach out to people and so easily share my work with others. I never in a million years would have expected this amount of support from around the world, so it’s something I feel so lucky to be on the right side of. Not to mention the amazing music/singer songwriter community that is just so welcoming and supporting of all different kinds of artists from so many different backgrounds and their individual art. I think the most important thing that’s come out of music in social media is the greater appreciation for the artist behind the art. More than ever before, artists are able to directly interact with their audiences without the weird pedestal that I feel a lot of celebrities used to be put on. So I think in that way it’s made it easier for people to “make it” in the music industry just in creating more opportunities and pathways to go about it.”
CA: Much of your music is introspective and often focused on soul-searching (including your latest demo, “big brains” on SoundCloud). What’s the most noticeable example of change or personal growth that you’ve witnessed in yourself over the course of the past five years?
LL: “I think in the past five years the biggest change I’ve noticed in myself has come as a result of getting more comfortable with spending time with myself and learning more about me and what makes me happy. I used to find a lot of comfort in planning and knowing exactly what was coming next, but it was honestly just a false sense of control. I’d like to say that I am now more in tune with what’s happening in my life in the moment and just day-to-day and not really being too worried about what’s going to happen in a month, year or even five years’ time. As long as I’m living true to myself in the moment, I know I will always find a sense of presence and gratitude for where I am and what I have.”
CA: What do you think is your best and worst quality? How would you like the world to perceive you?
LL: “I think my worst quality is my fear. Too often I let my fear stop me from meeting new people, getting close with people, asking questions and trying new things. And I think that in turn means that I stop myself from learning and growing, which like I mentioned, is so important to me. But, despite my fear, I’d like to think that everything I do is with my best intentions, and I think that is my best quality. I haven’t really thought too much about how I want the world to perceive me to be honest, but I think as long as I am confident in my own ability to do right by myself and others, people can perceive me the way they like, which is always going to be out of my control anyway.”
CA: Where do you hope your creative and social media driven success will take you? Who do you hope to inspire?
LL: “I hope to inspire people the same way Dodie Clark inspired me. Whenever people ask how I started to write and/or learn the guitar, I just say I play what makes me happy. I never had an agenda or plan beyond just playing songs that I loved and writing about things that were important to me. I’m also not any kind of musical prodigy or crazy talented guitarist or singer, I just genuinely love to do what I do and I hope that other people can find whatever it is they need to in my work. That being said, there’s also a certain level of challenge that I will always enjoy in music and I hope that I can continue to grow as a musician and constantly be finding new ways to create and share.”
CA: You’ve also previously released a variety of musical demos on your social media platforms, including “Boys in The School Yard” and “Eden,” and hinted at new music being developed. What’s next in the discography for 2022 and beyond?
LL: “I have nothing set in stone to be released just yet, even though I would love to give you some confirmed dates. However, just as exciting is that I am starting to play some gigs and open mics (especially local to me, shout out to Exeter). AND on March 29th I’ll be in Bristol at the Exchange opening for James Gillespie which I’m so stoked and grateful to have been asked to do! Beyond 2022 (I hope), is just getting to share music, play music and meet all my lovely supporters for as long as it makes me and other people happy.”
CA: As a closing note, do you have anything you’d like readers at Periphery to know about you or your career? Where can we find you?
LL: “You can find me on Instagram @_lianglawrence, TikTok @lianglawrence and Facebook for the most up to date announcements and posts. If you’re interested in older videos and/or very occasional posts, I do have a YouTube Channel which is just Liang Lawrence. But yeah that’s pretty much it! Stay tuned for hopefully many more announcements and much more music. Thank you again to Caitlin for these amazing questions, I’ve honestly had such a good time answering them and thank you so much to the whole team at Periphery for sticking with me despite my super late and panicked uni student emails... Love you all lots, Liang xxx.”
Periphery Magazine thanks Liang Lawrence for her contribution, and wishes her luck with future releases! You can find her on social media and streaming platforms here:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3nMWhKVpR0rMn7WFZ0XQoQ?si=DJBJQejYSL2Wq5jG_ytP7A
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_lianglawrence/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lianglawrence
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alianglawrence/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ds0qtJvxbNmUPHWyXBfGA/featured