Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Liz Labelle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Liz, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I’m a Canadian singer songwriter, artist and musician from Montreal. I was raised by Polish parents in a very traditional manner: go to school, work hard, get a degree and land a high paying job. Well I took the hard work notion and applied it to my passion: making music. When I was 21 years old I was given an opportunity to record with people I look up to and make one of my greatest pride and joys: my debut full length record “Tanqueray Dreams”.

I don’t come from a very wealthy family. I don’t have my parents’ fat wallets covering all my expenses and paying to pave my way in the music industry. That all came from my earnings and savings. That being said, I had to get creative with how I was going to promote my amazing brand new album. So I quit my job, packed a hiking bag full of copies of my new cd, booked a plane ticket and a ton of greyhound bus tickets to follow the Vans Warped Tour in 2014.
I knew nobody on the tour, I had no connections to get me to play, I knew I just needed to get my album out to these people waiting to get into the festival. These were MY people, MY demographic.
A few weeks into the tour I made friends, mostly with people who were curious about what this smiley lonesome girl is doing on this tour and sort of became a legend outside and inside the Warped Tour. My name got around until it reached the ears of the founder of the Vans Warped Tour, Kevin Lyman. He found me one day and asked me “do you want to play today?”, to which I sheepishly responded “every single day sir”. Seeing I did not understand the weight of what he said, he repeated the same question, while pulling out a day schedule and pointed at my name on the sheet and added “Did I spell your name right?”.
I froze and somehow uttered the words “are you serious?”. He replied, with a crooked smile “I take my job very seriously Liz. Get ready, you’re on in less than 2 hours”.
And that is how I went from being a fan, to following, to playing the Vans Warped Tour.
That huge risk brought me to Nashville, one of the 42 stops on the tour, where I would take my next big risk.

A couple years later, I moved to Nashville with the goal of finding a job and applying for a work permit. Again, I was alone, I didn’t know anybody.
I spent 9 months in Nashville as a tourist; I went out to networking events, spoke to so many people and landed a job with 2 weeks to spare (until I was no longer allowed to be in America).
Those last 2 weeks were so fast and crucial. I was introduced to who is now my boss and manager, who put me through a few auditions and offered me a gig. This American entertainment company owner was about to learn what bringing in a foreign worker meant. After 3 gruelling months of filling out paperwork and waiting, I got approved to play music for a living in Nashville Tennessee.

Today I make a decent living doing what I love, have time to create music and further develop my art. I’m so thankful for the people who’ve given me chances along the way and I am mostly grateful for the risks I was willing to take. You never know where life will take you, but I’m sure glad to be where I am. I’m proud I listened to my heart on these gutsy moved I made.
I started all that out alone, but some people joined me along the way, which I am so grateful for.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a singer, songwriter, artist and musician from Montreal, currently residing in Nashville. I’ve been happily making music since I was 13 years old and have made a career out of it for the past 6 years. I firmly believe in letting the process unfold and being patient with your craft.

I released my first album, Tanqueray Dreams, almost 10 years ago and have been releasing new music since, playing shows all over the country and directing my own music videos.

My music’s been heard in movies “Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List”, “Mostly Ghostly” and “The Scarehouse”. You may have heard my single “It’s Not Me It’s You” on Canadian radio and seen me on eNews and MusiquePlus.

I’ve shared the stage with GAYLE, The Summer Set, Diana Ross, This Century, Rookie Of The Year, Loren Allred, Maggie Rogers and many more.

I’ve won the International Songwriting Competition in 2015 for ‘Bombs Away’ in the Pop/Top40 category.

The past 4 years have been a chapter filled with struggles and growth through it all, having to deal with vocal issues. Rather than letting myself be defeated by these challenges, I’ve fought through my struggles and have achieved so many things I’m proud of. My battles have made me a better musician and singer. I really do believe you’re your only obstacle and anything you put your heart and mind to is possible.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think the main point that is hard to get across is that any type of creative career doesn’t have a road map. There is no right starting point, no correct pathway, or routing, and no specific destination. Success is therefor defined differently for each artist.

I can’t count how many times I was asked why I didn’t do things a certain way or that I should enter – name your singing contest here -. Every artist has their own success story and mine won’t be the same as another’s. That being said, the progress you make, however big or small, shouldn’t determine whether or not you’ll succeed. If an artist continues to work on their craft then success will come. with time and work.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I wish I could unlearn the idea that I have to be the absolute best in order to be successful. The only person I strive to beat is my past self. It’s hard to not get into your own head when you hear a very talented musician or artist while comparing yourself. Art is meant to be shared: someone will love what you make and how you make it. You don’t have to be loved by everybody.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lizlabellemusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/whyisLizLabelle
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/LizLabelleOfficial
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/LizLabelleOfficial

Image Credits
1 &2. Tammie Valer 3. Mallory Ann Dickerson 4, 5 & 6. Tammie Valer 7. Jacob Smith 8. Jordan Dziekan