Exclusives

Our Exclusive Chat with Lili Kendall

By Giselle | March 5, 2020

How did growing up in Brisbane shape you as an artist?
Brisbane feels like a big metropolitan country town built on a river that’s also 40 minutes from some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, so I was spoilt when it came to destination. As a kid it doesn’t get much better. It’s safe & just a beautiful city. I’ve grown a huge appreciation for my home, after itching to get out of it for years. How it shaped me as an artist… I don’t quite know, I guess it gave me space to grow into the women that lived all the stories she writes and sings about now. Brisbane is also a huge live music city, so I was able to learn my way around the stage at a young age. I had my mum driving me around town at 13 trying to find new places to let me play… it taught me to hustle and that I could make money from my craft.

What are some misconceptions about Australians you wish to break?
We eat shrimps on the barbie.

What is the story behind “i am my own”?
I wrote it during a time of unknown in my work and love life, it was almost a reassuring message that I needed to hear from someone at that moment, and it happened to come from myself. It reminded me all the answers to our questions are already within us, you just have to connect to self, and honor yourself

What can you tell us about your upcoming project, love, herself?
That it’s long overdue, and I am really ready to release her out into the world. Something that no one knows, is that the songs are tied together with these beautiful transitional interludes that evolved from my phone voice memos. I started recording conversations, landscapes, etc over the period of creating the album, I bought them to one of my good friends, Syience, who put his incredible musical genius behind each one. It may have been my favourite part of the process to create them with him, as it finally made the album feel whole and not just a bunch of songs sitting side by side.

Is there a possibility to perform your new music live?
Yep, I love performing, I’ve been playing this album live for the last year and it’s been really fun to see and hear people’s reactions to the songs.

View this post on Instagram

TWO DAYS • I AM MY OWN DIRECTED BY @CIAFFY

A post shared by LILI KENDALL (@lilikendall) on Mar 3, 2020 at 3:37pm PST

What are some albums that really shaped you as an artist?
MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 by Lauryn Hill
Magic Mystery Tour by The Beatles
Ctrl by SZA
Back to Black by Amy Winehouse
Dangerously in Love by Beyonce
Nostalgia, ULTRA By Frank Ocean
In My Mind by Pharrell
Late Registration by Kanye West
The 20/20 Experience by Justin Timberlake
… just to name a few off the top of my head, there are too many.

When did you realize music was your calling?
I honestly think my mum realized a lot sooner than I did, as I was a kid, and pushed me in the right direction to get my hours up and learn different crafts to express myself through before I even thought about career paths. I think I realized 100% after I graduated high school, it was the one constant thing throughout my life that brought me joy.