“The person at all times gotta have a bitch on a leash/But they’re those at all times playing in the sphere” asserts Liv.e (pronounced “Liv”) coolly on the aptly named “Wild Animals”. “Imma be that bitch to inform you personally/That almost all of those dogs don’t deserve a meal”. The song, delivered in Liv.e’s melismatic R&B lilt, is a forthright and assured statement, reflective of the lyrical conviction across her second studio album, Girl within the Half Pearl.

This self-reliance is a defining factor of the singer’s work basically: the music video for “Wild Animals” was not only self-directed, however the styling, hair and wonder all executed by Liv.e herself. Within the four-minute clip, she’s the canine master to a docile doberman, the video’s 80s chrome-luxe stylings harking back to the work of German photographer Chris Von Wangenheim, the bedroom scene in Foxy Brown’s ”I Can’t” music video, and the connecting worlds between.

Across the brand new record as a complete, Liv.e picks apart her converging identities to present a knowingly flawed but ultimately harmonious version of herself, settling those flaws through frank, poetic introspection. “After I look inside myself/I discovered there was nobody to assist”, Liv.e admits on “Gardetto”, before hopefully concluding that she’ll “find [her] superpower/Light by fire within the darkest hour”.

Below, the musician shares her Notes app musings, her ultimate ghost outfit, and at last takes those rose-coloured glasses off.

Hi Liv.e! Congratulations on the discharge of Girl within the Half Pearl. Are you able to guide us through your inspirations for the album?

Liv.e: Thanks! My inspirations for this album were the art of life itself, then imma say… Sonic Youth, The Slits, this crazy-ass mix Quelle Chris did for Fresh Selects one time that modified my brain chemistry. Also me remembering what it was like being five to 10 years old and what I liked – so the Powerpuff Girls, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

I also drew inspiration from how I imagine drugs feel – I’d do them but I’m too scared, so I attempted my best to assume musically what ecstasy, molly and speed probably feel like.

How would you describe the progression of your sound out of your debut, 2020’s Couldn’t Wait to Tell You…? 

Liv.e: I believe CWTTY… was more like me speaking from some extent of premonition. My spirit knew all the pieces that was going to occur once I tuned in with those sounds. Girl within the Half Pearl though, that is me almost doing somewhat of an experiment on myself, because it’s reflected within the sound. This album is one in all those where I’m writing and experiencing those very moments. And once I review it overall as a body of labor I can visibly see myself undergo so many shifts and states. So I’d say it’s just one other chapter. Kind of what happens if you take rose-coloured glasses off.

How has being from Dallas, or the US south basically, influenced you and your music?

Liv.e: Swang and Twang baby, Swang and Twang.

What first inspired you to begin creating? When did you begin making music?

Liv.e: Sooner or later I had this good ass bite of mac and cheese and I hit this crazy note and that’s once I knew I used to be going to be really good at this shit. I believe that was about five years ago.

Would you record the soundtrack for Donald Trump’s re-election campaign for $10,000?

Liv.e: Most definitely, but I’d have a plan: I’d put something undeniable within the music that made people stop being racist and provides reparations in the shape of acreage, buying ability and wealth back to Black people.

Please share probably the most recent note out of your Notes app

Liv.e: Oh that is a great one… here we go… that is from a number of days ago:

“i would like spiritual restoration, i would like the capability to like healthily with healthy attachments and limits, i would like intimacy, i would like mind blowing sex, i would like deep healthy passion”

There was more to this but, yeah, a peek into my day by day thoughts.

What’s the last text you sent?

Liv.e: “Hell yea!”

Essentially the most recent picture/screenshot in your camera roll?

What’s your ghost outfit?

Liv.e: I’m into the phantom drip so I’m going to say a really beautiful silk topaz blue gown with a protracted train, a really flamboyant furry capelet and doubtless a really theatrical veil. Classy and scary, you already know?

What conspiracy theory are you really quite into?

Liv.e: The idea that we live under a firmament and there’s more land mass not talked about outside of the Earth.

What can be your funeral song?

Liv.e: “Superman” by Goldfinger. I do know my family members would make it very churchy.

Who’s your nemesis?

Liv.e: At times the voices in my head – they be wilding out and I’m attempting to be good!

What would the line-up be in your nightmare blunt rotation?

Liv.e: Tyler Perry, Sarah Palin, 1992 Version of Candyman and Grant Wilson from Ghost Hunters.

What do you reckon you’re almost definitely to get cancelled for?

Liv.e: Having some other opinion apart from the opinion of the masses, or saying something that everyone’s considering but feel like they shouldn’t speak about.

Girl in The Half Pearl is out February 10 on In Real Life Records.

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