My 2020, my 2021, by Kitty Liv

As well as being part of Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, North Londoner Kitty Liv released her debut solo single last year. We asked her to tell us how she’s been getting on during lockdown, and about her hopes for 2021:

2020 was a tough old year, wasn’t it? To what extent did the virus impact your plans and your work? Did you have tours/festivals etc planned?
Yes it certainly was a strange year! I had lots of festivals planned over the summer with Kitty, Daisy & Lewis which were unfortunately all cancelled. At first I was pretty disappointed as I was looking forward to them, but also those gigs would’ve been most of my income for the year. I soon realised it wasn’t all that bad as I had plenty of time off to do other things and make the most of the situation.

How did you find the original lockdown, and indeed the subsequent lockdown and restrictions? Where have you been based during these times?
I count myself very lucky to live above my recording studio (Durham Sound Studios) which meant I could still be creative and have the chance to make music throughout the lockdown. I work in the studio with my brother Lewis, and we even had a few people send in work remotely for us to record/produce which I really enjoyed. It was nice to actually take a break from my own music for a little while and work on other people’s projects, which is something we’ve been doing a bit more of lately. To be honest I quite enjoyed the first lockdown and not just because of the music. Over the summer months I was doing a lot of gardening, growing my own food and having plenty of BBQ’s with the family. I’ve started cooking way more than I used to and everyone else in my family are such great cooks so we’ve been eating like kings (and drinking lots of wine!)

Have you been able to remain creative during these difficult times and, if so, what have you been working on? 
Definitely, but not consistently. The past couple of years I’ve been working on my solo project (Kitty Liv) and back in July I released my first ever single! (“This Lovely London Summer Time”) It was kind of a last-minute song that I began writing in the springtime and I felt I just needed to record it and unleash it into the world! I was super excited about finally getting the ball rolling with my own music. I’ve been working on an album on and off and before all the Covid business I was feeling anxious and thought I’d be letting myself down if I didn’t hurry up and just get the album finished. But I realised that it’s better to take my time and I’ve been working on it steadily this year, and changed quite a lot for the better. So I’m glad I didn’t rush anything. I’ve got a few other bands and artists pencilled in to record/produce in the new year which will be fantastic. I’m also working on some music with my sister-in-law Tasty Lopez (she’s an amazing singer) which is very exciting and different to anything else I’ve made before.

Did you learn anything new about yourself in 2020?
I guess I realised I don’t have to prove anything or try too hard to please anyone, and I’ve been focusing on myself a little more.

Has life thrown you any highlights since Covid happened? Any surprising moments of levity and enjoyment?
We played a couple of actual gigs in Oct/Nov which were so much fun! Spending time with family outside of work has been great especially my two nieces. Hosting dinner parties (when the government allowed us to have friends over). Lots of long walks on Hampstead Heath. Most of my time pre lockdown was spent either in the studio or in the pub, so it’s been nice to switch it up and do other things that I enjoy.

Tell us about the music you have been listening to over the past few months…
Lots of Aretha Franklin lately, and also one of my fave guitarists Charlie Byrd. I discovered Taj Mahal a couple of years ago and I’ve been digging deeper into his archives lately. I also host a monthly show on Soho Radio called ‘Bombay Nights’ so usually whatever I’m listening to that week I’ll play it on the show. I co-host it with my boyfriend and he always digs out gems for me to listen to. 

And what have you been watching/reading?
In 2020 I read Billie Holiday’s autobiography ‘Lady Sings The Blues’ which I’d definitely recommend, her story is incredible. I occasionally pick up ‘Songwriters on Songwriting’ by Paul Zollo when I need a bit of motivation and inspiration. It’s a whole bunch of interviews with legendary songwriters from different eras and definitely worth a read if you’re a songwriter or a music lover. Before the lockdown I found an old school fold-out projector screen on the street and we’ve been using it for movie nights lately! We usually sift through Netflix for a while before throwing the towel in and watching a good old classic like ‘Beetlejuice’ or Ray Harryhausen’s ‘Jason & The Argonauts’.

What do you personally hope to achieve by the end of 2021?
I’ve been writing quite a lot over the past couple of years so I guess I’d like to have a few more tunes recorded. And definitely to keep playing and keep improving, I’m always keen to get better at my instruments and learn new things 🙂

Thanks for chatting to us Kitty! Is there anything else you want to tell our readers before you go?
December marked 20 years since the first Kitty, Daisy & Lewis gig (can you believe it?!) so we’re planning some very special shows for the start of 2021, live from our studio. Stay tuned!

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Keep up to date with Kitty Liv on Insta.

Interview by Bobby Townsend.