Since releasing his debut album, ‘Autumn Flow’, in 2005, singer-songwriter Lior has been breaking hearts and taking names with his soulful voice and beautiful compositions.
‘Autumn Flow’ became one of the most successful independent releases in Australian music history and bagged Lior three ARIA Award nominations that year. Lior followed up with sophomore record ‘Corner Of An Endless Road’ in 2008, ‘Tumbling Into The Dawn’ in 2010 and ‘Scattered Reflections’ in 2014.
Lior has also written and recorded award-winning songs for the ABC children’s show ‘Giggle & Hoot’, performed with classical conductor Nigel Westlake and helped compose an orchestral score for ‘The Wider Earth’.
This weekend, Lior has two performances (Brisbane and Sunshine Coast) as part of Queensland Music Festival. Ahead of the shows, we find out what Lior's been up to recently.
The challenge as you get older is not to harden or become desensitised and maintain the courage as a writer to put yourself on the line as the weight of relationships and responsibility grows.
You released your last studio album in 2014. What have you been working on recently?
[Lior] I took a little bit of a sabbatical after touring ‘Scattered Reflections’. I felt that after ten years and five albums I needed to mix things up. So I did a whole bunch of things I’d never done before, like writing a theatre score and even appearing in a musical (something I never thought I would do). I’m back in the swing now and in the midst of a new album.
What are you planning for your performances at Queensland Music Festival?
I’ll be performing a collection of songs from across my catalogue with a local string quartet. I love the format of guitar and string quartet because it has a real intimacy about it, yet still maintains a harmonically rich sound and texture to present the songs in a beautiful way. The intimate nature of the show also lends itself to making it a more fluid and spontaneous show where I can tell some stories about the songs.
How are you feeling ahead of this weekend's shows?
It's been a while since I played in Brisbane and I’ve never actually done a show in Noosa, so looking forward to connecting with some folks I haven’t seen for a while. I’ve also worked with the string players in different formats over the years and they are exceptional, so will be nice to be joined on stage by such accomplished musicians.
Your debut album 'Autumn Flow' (2005) went on to become one of the most successful Australian independent releases. What was that time/ experiences like for a younger Lior?
It was a crazy ride… truly. One of those few, magical moments in life where something exceeds expectations beyond what you ever imagined. Most importantly, I think it felt good because it was done on my terms.
I worked really hard leading up to the release of ‘Autumn Flow’ and to have it succeed in such a way with no hype, just purely on the basis of people connecting with the songs made it such a rewarding and fulfilling time for me.
Did 'Autumn Flow's success affect subsequent creative output? How have you grown as both a person and a musician since its release?
There was of course a shift leading up to the making of my second album, ‘Corner Of An Endless Road’. You can’t buy back innocence and for sure there were dialogues happening in my head during that process.
The last decade has naturally been full of highs and lows, as with any artist, but I feel that particularly in the last couple of years I’ve learnt to internalise what it means to be 'successful' and to stay true to that. At the end of the day, being creative and making your work the same as your play is the definition of success… for me anyway.
Did you ever feel pigeon-holed by that initial success?
Not really. Even leading up to ‘Autumn Flow’, the criticism I was getting was that my songs were too diverse. In reality I was just following my muse at the time and trying to not to worry too much about consistency. Anyway, I’ve learnt that most people need to pigeon-hole in order to help them understand something. You can never please everyone, so the quicker you let that notion go the better.
You've also written and recorded songs for ABC kids show 'Giggle & Hoot'. Do you ever play them live as part of your own ‘Lior’ sets?
No, I never play those live. That was a one-off and something I did for a bit of a challenge and for fun. It does get requested a lot though! It's actually been really nice having kids or parents write in and tell me how ‘Hoot's Lullaby’ has become part of their daily routine.
What's been the biggest change for you over the course of your career?
I don’t actually thing I’ve changed that much. I’ve branched out and tried lots of things, but at the core I’ve always been a lyric and melody guy. The music of the late '60s, early '70s always resonated the most with me and there’s a certain feeling about some of the songs from that era that I’ve tried to capture in my songwriting and recordings. I think that will always be at the core of what I do and how I wish to connect with my audience.
Obviously over time you grow and amass skills and experience. The challenge as you get older is not to harden or become desensitised and maintain the courage as a writer to put yourself on the line as the weight of relationships and responsibility grows.
Will you be releasing another album soon?
Yes, deep in the midst of it now; currently climbing the mountain that is an album. You have your sunny-blue-sky days and you have your windy, rainy days where you lose belief. At least now I have the experience to look down and know I’ve climbed this far.
Lastly, what are your plans for the rest of 2017?
I’m actually heading overseas shortly after QMF to do some shows in Europe and also to travel a little. Next year will be busy with a release and touring, so might just recharge. But Woodford also beckons, so I’ll be back before year's end.
