As a native New Yorker, Liam Davis grew up influenced by an array of music. While his father’s love of classic rock engraved the iconic soundprints of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd into him as a child, his studies of classical percussion (such as Bach’s ‘Violin Concerto in A minor’ for marimba) and jazz (Max Roach’s ‘Max’s Mode’) would shape him into a well-rounded musician as he aged.
Picking up piano at the age of eight and guitar at fifteen only deepened Davis’s musical character and gave him the ability to put whatever he hears in his head into a real space. Influenced by many of the greats (Elton John, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney) as well as more modern acts (John Mayer, Nothing But Thieves, Billie Eilish), Liam has developed a broad writing style that blends numerous genres.
Liam’s career began with the release of his single ‘In My Dreams’ (2020), a contemporary folk ballad about a past relationship that took a downfall due to personal issues. While the release of this song was a huge accomplishment for him, he’s deeply motivated to expand his sound and has been working on a plethora of new songs that will be released in the coming years.
Who inspired you to make music?
First it was The Beatles. There’s a piece of them in just about all of the music that I make. Then there was John Mayer. He was the guy that inspired me to pick up the guitar at age fifteen and made me think that maybe I had a shot at doing this thing full-time.
What is your creative process like?
It all starts with a feeling. I take that feeling and start riffing it out on guitar or piano until something sticks. Once I’ve got some kind of harmonic form, I go for lyrics and start nailing down a concept for the song. I don’t really write melodies out the way that a classical or jazz musician might. I just try to stick with the feeling and see what comes out. Of course, a ton of fine tuning comes after.
If you could go open a show for any artist, who would it be?
If I had a time machine it’d be Led Zeppelin in 1973. Since those don’t exist yet, let’s go with Paul McCartney.
What would you be doing right now if it weren’t for your music career?
That’s tricky, I’m not really good at much else. Maybe cooking? Great chefs intrigue me.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
It’s more of a humbling critique than advice…I heard the words “you’ll never be the best” from my drum teacher when I was seven years old. A lightbulb went on in my head and made me realize that being myself would always be more important than technique. This doesn’t take away from the importance of technique either.
Who are your main musical influences?
The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Buckley, John Mayer, Steven Tyler, Stevie Wonder, Elton John…I could write a paragraph of these.
What are your top two favorite albums of all time? Why those albums?
“Grace” by Jeff Buckley and “Continuum” by John Mayer. “Grace” made me understand parts of myself that I always knew existed but never knew how to express, the underlying beauty in pain and darkness. “Continuum” is the most polished album I’ve ever heard without sacrificing the integrity of the songwriting. It’s a perfect record.
If you were to write an autobiography, what would the title be?
“Mr. Passion”.
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Tom Holland. People tell me I look like him all the time, and he’s a gangster actor. Spiderman also happens to be my favorite superhero.
If you could ask your future self-one question, what would it be?
How’s England?
What’s your favorite children’s story?
“Green Eggs and Ham”.
If you were talking to a younger version of you, what advice would you give yourself?
Chill the f*ck out.
January 28 Liam released his new single and music video for “Make me Cry”,
Here’s what he had to say about it:
“I started writing Make me Cry when I was still in college. My girlfriend at the time had hurt me really badly, and I channelled that hurt into my songwriting”. He continues, “While it’s only my second release, it feels like so much more; I focused in on honing my sound and was able to take influence from the traditional styles I was raised on while still creating something entirely new, unique, and true to my voice as an artist”.