ifitbeyourwill S05E17 • liz uninvited

Meet liz uninvited, an emerging voice in Toronto's indie folk scene whose journey from classical pianist to DIY songwriter reveals the beautiful alchemy that happens when traditional training meets raw creative necessity.

Our conversation uncovers how Liz's 12-year classical piano background initially hindered rather than helped her songwriting ambitions. The structured nature of classical training left little room for improvisation—until inspiration struck through the music of Elliott Smith and Alex G. What's particularly striking is how Liz found permission to create through Alex G's "subjectively good" vocals. "His voice is not the best, but it matches what he makes," she explains, illuminating the moment she realized authenticity could transcend conventional notions of musical "goodness."

When Liz describes her creative process, you'll feel the urgency that drives her art. Songs emerge from "pressure internally" that demands release, with lyrics serving as the essential connective tissue binding her musical ideas. As a self-described "sensitive person," uncomfortable situations often become the catalyst for her most authentic work. Yet before discovering songwriting, she felt emotionally "stuck," unable to translate her feelings even through her visual art practice. Music became the unexpected but perfect medium for expression.

We also explore the practical side of breaking into Toronto's music scene—from finding band members through Reddit and Band Mix to preparing for first live performances. Liz shares candid insights about the challenges of ADHD and how deadlines ultimately force her creative focus. Her definition of success is refreshingly genuine: creating meaningful connections with listeners who see themselves in her music.

Discover Liz's music on Spotify, YouTube, or Bandcamp, and follow her journey as she brings her intimate, lyrically-rich songs to stages across Toronto and beyond. If you connect with artists who transform personal struggle into universal emotion, Liz Uninvited's music will feel like a conversation you've been waiting to have.

Chapters

• 0:18 Meet Liz Uninvited
• 1:27 Musical Origins and Influences
• 5:14 Songwriting Process and Creative Outlet
• 9:57 Preparing for First Live Shows
• 13:46 Art, Music and Creative Expression
• 22:20 Future Plans and Musical Journey
• 25:40 Liz's Song Performance

Transcript

colleyc: 0:18

Welcome everybody. Here we are. We're talking with Liz, uninvited, out of Toronto, canada, a neighbor to my west, and I was really excited about this conversation because Liz is an up-and-coming artist who is about to begin her musical career in a lot of ways, and we're going to talk all about it and what the future holds. So, liz, thanks so much for joining me today and taking a little time to share your perspectives on music and you.

liz uninvited: 0:53

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

colleyc: 0:55

Awesome. So, liz, tell me a little bit about how it all started for you. When did music start to like kind of percolate inside you of? This is an avenue? I know you're an artist as well, not only a musician, but you're also a great artist. How did music come into that program of yours, of this artistic journey that you're on so far?

liz uninvited: 1:27

I mean I've always been really drawn to music, from like a young age, like obsessing over, like different musicians and bands, um, but like most recently not that recently, but like maybe like five years ago, like when I started getting really into, um, like singer-songwriter type of music, like Elliot Smith, um, alex G, just to name a few, that of genre that's kind of when I started wanting to like actually play that type of music. I didn't really think of writing it myself at that time because I didn't even, I couldn't even fathom how to do that, because I was. I've been playing classical piano for like 12 years and I mean they don't teach you how to improvise and like how to make your own stuff.

liz uninvited: 2:04

So that just wouldn't click in my brain. Um, so I ended up getting a guitar just to play Elliot Smith music, which is kind of ridiculous because his music is so hard to start off with playing.

liz uninvited: 2:15

Yeah um, so I did that for a while. Some years passed. I kind of got tired of my guitar. Then I picked it up again. I started playing Alex G and then listening to more Alex G. I was kind of got tired of my guitar. Then I picked it up again. I started playing Alex G and then listening to more Alex G.

liz uninvited: 2:28

I was kind of like, but he sounds so unconventional and DIY, like this is not the normal type of music I normally hear. His voice is, objectively or no, subjectively good, that's what I want to say. Subjectively or no, subjectively good, that's what I want to say. That's yeah. And it kind of made me think like my voice, like I am not the best singer, but like he makes it work. And his voice is not the best but it matches what he makes. So, that being said, if I can, if I can write my own music and but make it like, make my voice match that and make everything sort of flow, even if it's not like conventionally good or whatever. I, I all have succeeded in that already. So that's kind of how I. Yeah, that's kind of how I started it.

colleyc: 3:14

Sorry, that was like a long ramble yeah, no, but like so, you said that piano was something like do you ever write songs on piano or is it always your go-to to go to guitar?

liz uninvited: 3:23

um well, the thing is, I've tried to write songs on piano, or is it always your go-to to go to guitar? Um well, the thing is, I've tried to write songs on piano but it just again it does not click that easily. I'm still working through that classical barrier. Um, so it's normally my guitar, because I I was still in classical piano, like I was still in the program, when I started writing my own music. So it was kind of like I was kind of always doing tug of war between my music and then having to play like on piano, like classical or whatever. So it was usually my guitar, that was my escape.

colleyc: 3:54

Yeah, totally, I get that too because, like the piano, you kind of seen that as a structured you know you got to read. There's not much interpretation or improv that you can. Yeah per se, um. So how did how did the idea of starting to like write your own songs and I? I mean I looked at your youtube um channel and it's prolific on. I mean you've, you've posted so many cool little videos of like starting of songs or covers that you've, that you've really liked. How did how did that interest in in wanting to put yourself out there like that um come to you?

liz uninvited: 4:31

um well, I mean, before I did like, I started posting like my music online and everything. I would be doing that with my art and I would be doing that like on TikTok and like Instagram, and I got very burnt out from that very fast. So I took a break from all of that for like a few months and then I somehow started to want to make music. So then I kind of just went and started doing that mainly on YouTube, because YouTube, thankfully, still is kind of like the innocent version of social media, if you will. It's still like old school sort of and it's kind of like whatever you want it to be and you'll find your audience there. So it felt less stressful to post on YouTube.

colleyc: 5:18

And it seems like there's a great interaction too with your, your listeners. You, you have quite, quite a few followers. I mean, you're just starting this machine up, really, and you're getting some pretty cool comments on the stuff that you're putting up, which must be encouraging for you.

liz uninvited: 5:34

Yes, very encouraging.

colleyc: 5:37

It propels things forward.

liz uninvited: 5:40

Yes, no exactly.

colleyc: 5:43

And what's your process around writing songs, like before you go on to YouTube and say, okay, I'm going to play this and put it out there. How do you come to a song? How does it come to you? I guess I should say it really depends.

liz uninvited: 6:00

Normally it's been. It's kind of like um, usually it's like I just feel like I have this stuff internally, like this pressure internally that's like I need to somehow put into something, like I need to. I don't know how to explain it properly, but it's like an out. Music is like an outlet, to me at least. Um, so it's like when I, when I have a lot of stuff going on, stuff I need to process, um, and then I kind of like will go to my guitar or whatever and I'll just start playing random stuff.

liz uninvited: 6:36

Maybe I'll like work, like I'll play through a song I already know, um, but usually it's like I'll just like hit a chord and maybe another chord and then I'm kind of like, wait, this kind of is hit a chord and maybe another chord, and then I'm kind of like, wait, this kind of is like a sequence, and then, like, my mind will be like oh, like this melody goes, I don't know. It's kind of like really abstract. It's kind of like I just start piecing together melodies and it just kind of comes to me, but it's not like I'm playing anything like crazy or advanced, like I'll be playing like the most basic chord, bar chord, whatever. And then I'm kind of like it's just, it's mainly like my brain coming up with the melody.

colleyc: 7:13

That's kind of yeah, right, yeah, and. And then what's happening in your life kind of infuses the lyrics into a melody that you've come up with.

liz uninvited: 7:23

Yes, exactly Like um it's. It's again like my lyrics. I would say is kind of like the main thing that holds my songs together. Not that my songs are like not good without words, but I am a very wordy person and I always need to put emotions and everything that I'm like thinking of or feeling into words. So the more words that actually convey like whatever it is I need to like think out, the better.

colleyc: 7:54

Nice.

liz uninvited: 7:54

Yeah.

colleyc: 7:55

I like that. I really like your lyrics, by the way. Thank you. They are very profound, like you're struggling with things and like trying to put things in order, somehow similar to what you were, you were, you were alluding to before that. It. It's this cathartic kind of getting it out of you, um, onto paper, or you know, just or on video or whatever it might be.

colleyc: 8:20

So you're? You're about to perform two shows right this summer and correct me if I'm wrong those are the June 5th and 16th. Yes, and this is your first experience going on stage. And how? How are you feeling about it?

liz uninvited: 8:39

Honestly, I felt a little bit like stressed out about the first one at least, like the June 5th one, even though it's super low stakes, super informal Um, but I was kind of like okay, I've never really performed or like put together like a whole set list of stuff, cause kind of the way I work super ADHD, by the way um is that, like I I'll like create a song, I'll record it, I'll put it out, whatever, and then I will forget about it. Um, like that, like I, I'll like create a song, I'll record it, I'll put it out, whatever, and then I will forget about it. Um like yeah, I'll listen to it, but I'm not gonna go play it again unless I have to. So it's, but that's not just for music, that's like for anything, for me at least.

liz uninvited: 9:16

like I'll do it when I have a gun to my head, figuratively, then I'll make it work so that's kind of always been like oh okay, like I don't need to practice this right now, but like when I have the time, or like when I have to, when I have a show or whatever. Then I'll get it together.

colleyc: 9:30

Yeah. So yeah, I remember that too. Like, like I would. It would be hard to like, sit down and like, okay, I'm going to go through the set and until the day or two before when you're like, oh shit, exactly, I can't escape this anymore and you want to like, at least have you know an idea of what it might look or sound like. How are you approaching it? Like this is going to be. These are solo shows. You're, you're accompanying someone, or they're opening for you, or there's a double bill, right, you're on.

liz uninvited: 10:03

Yeah, so the June 5th one it was. It was originally just supposed to be me, but I mean two hours worth of playing, it's just I'm not doing that. Um, I'm not a jazz band. Maybe if I played jazz, sure, um, so I I got like somebody that I knew, like a friend of mine, to um kind of split it with me. So I will be playing the first slot and then she'll be playing the second slot. Um, it's like half an hour each. And for the June 16th one, I'm opening for somebody, somebody named Carolina Lopez. Um, yeah, another folk musician from Toronto. Um, yeah, I do have a band. I don't know if you were asking that, but I do have a, like a backing band. I don't know if you were asking that.

colleyc: 10:43

But I do have a like a backing band, sure.

liz uninvited: 10:44

But those shows you're going to be playing are just Liz, uninvited um Liz, uninvited with my band, like they'll be playing their instruments, yeah, okay, cool, cool, cool, awesome.

colleyc: 10:57

And what do you think of the Toronto music scene? What's? How is it? Like? How do you get into it? Like, how do you get involved in it? Like, is it just a matter of going and starting playing in bars and you know places around where or is? Does the scene start to? Um, incorporate you into it?

liz uninvited: 11:20

that's a really good question because I wouldn't say I've been very involved in the music scene in toronto yet. Um, now I'm starting to get involved because I mean, I I just like graduated um college, so now I have the time to put towards that, whereas before it's just like I just need to like make a few songs, record those, get those out. People will know who I am and when I have time then I'll make shows. But yeah, now it's kind of just like a matter of me reaching out to different organizers or venues or other musicians that may have like um more of an audience than I do and asking to be on like bills with them and yeah, yeah, that's kind, that's kind of it, I mean. But also my band members they've been doing this for a while so it's been pretty helpful like my bass player will send me like um different promoters that I could talk to or like you know, he'll help me out in that area, thankfully.

colleyc: 12:19

Yeah, totally Well, it's good to know people too. And how did? How did you go about finding the, your backing band, how, how did that process go?

liz uninvited: 12:27

Um, so I put a few like, I put a post up on like Facebook, I think most recently, and before that I w I put posts out on band mix. Um, like, I mean not a post. I set up a profile and then I would find other people on there too and like message them. That's how. But actually no, the, the, the very first, the very first way I did was through Reddit. Um, there's like a Toronto subreddit. I posted on there and that's where originally, somebody found me. They're not and we're not a band together anymore. Like, I had like a band before this that broke up, but it was originally through reddit. Then it morphed into band mix and then it's kind of like band mix and facebook yeah, interesting.

colleyc: 13:12

so it's a great way to find musicians. If you're a beginning artist and you're kind of looking for a bassist or a drummer or something like that, yeah, putting yourself out on those kinds of sites, creating a profile allows you to to be.

liz uninvited: 13:24

Yeah, exactly, I've heard of Vamper too.

colleyc: 13:27

I haven't really used that yet, but I know that's a good one as well for Toronto, for toronto, nice, and if you look kind of to the future a little bit, what, what? What's your plan of like putting your music out, maybe on some, you know, like a ep or a record? Like, how close are you getting to that actualization?

liz uninvited: 13:48

um, you mean like another one, like in the future?

colleyc: 13:50

yeah, yeah, because, like I was looking at your bandcamp page, I mean mean you have two songs on it, which is great. I love your artwork too. It's beautiful. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Two great songs that you have out there right now Is there. Is there plans in the mix to keep pushing this forward? So you have a couple of singles out, maybe going to an EP or a record, or like how are you seeing the future of your music, kind of like that you'll put out in the world?

liz uninvited: 14:17

um, yeah, actually I haven't used much of band mix like the two songs you see on there are pretty like one of them's like over no, they're both like over a year old, I think. Um, but I have all my music on like Spotify and like the music like platforms, youtube and all that I haven't. I have two albums out right now on there and an EP and then some singles, but I, yeah, I did want to transfer those to band camp because I, I should do that, cause I, I didn't have something.

liz uninvited: 14:46

Exactly Like I had somebody like email me like a few weeks ago asking to put Mr Fox on band camp and I was like wait, I completely forgot about this website and I didn't know people actually wanted to listen to anything on here. So yeah, I'm kind of in the process of uploading my discography onto there as well.

colleyc: 15:04

Yeah, cause it's. It's easier than a Spotify, cause Spotify like if you don't have an account you got to go through all these hoops and it's just so much more easy to get on Bandcamp. It's easy to stream, easy to buy. I know a lot of artists that they go that route, down the road, but I mean your music's out there. If people want to find it, they can find it, which is great, that's cool. And like, what are your themes? Like, do you only write songs when you're feeling kind of like you need to work through things, or are there times when you're feeling happy and the world's wonderful, where you can sit down and do you find that there's certain conditions that need to be for you to write songs that?

liz uninvited: 15:47

are your songs? Well, honestly, that's a good question, because a lot of my songs have been like me working through stuff or just like the aftermath of something I did work through, and this is kind of just like my thoughts on it. But no, I wouldn't say I have to be in a certain state of mind. Well, it does help if I am like, if I am like actively needing to like get over something. It helps a lot. Get over something, it helps a lot, um, but if, if that's not the case, which normally is the case, but if it's not the case, um, I I'll still be able to to create something, but it might not just be something as like explicit as to what, what towards whatever, maybe, my state of mind, if that makes sense, sure, like yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what I know, I like that, I like that, I mean, and I mean I've talked to many artists that they do.

colleyc: 16:41

You know it is a working out process, they like. But I really love that you're. You immerse yourself in creative ventures and it's not only your music, I mean you do. You do videos, you do art like you really immerse yourself inside. How do you find that you develop your creativity the best? Like what are environments or situations? Do you need to be in where creativity you feel it mounting, you feel it like growing inside you, because it is very much like a muscle or a skill? I mean you have to practice being creative, which you do a ton of. Are there different levels of creativity that you feel that that that come and go with you? Can you, can you talk to that a bit Creativity in your art that you do in particular?

liz uninvited: 17:33

I'm sorry, I'm just trying to. I'm trying to, I'm trying to think um, okay, do you mind breaking down your question a little bit?

colleyc: 17:43

sure, so creativity is a part of all art. Right, it's something that that you don't, you're not necessarily born with, but you have to like develop it over over time. Yeah, how do you find that your creativity is best developed?

liz uninvited: 17:58

oh okay, um, honestly, it kind of depends.

liz uninvited: 18:05

But I mean, I'm a very sensitive person, um, like, I'm sensitive to like every type of stimuli, if you will like sound, um anything sound, anything like smell, anything like internally kind of thing.

liz uninvited: 18:22

Um, so it's kind it doesn't really take a lot to make me like to activate like that voice in me that's starting to kind of get like uncomfortable or whatever, if that makes sense.

liz uninvited: 18:35

So, honestly, I found it to be different things, like again, a lot of my music is me working through stuff or just explaining what it feels like to exist as I, as as me, um, so I found that like a lot of the times which is not great, but when I'm in uncomfortable situations, like which is often, but when I'm in uncomfortable situations, that's kind of when I start feeling that turmoil, that inner turmoil, like oh, like I, I need to, I need to do something about this, like I need to get this out so I can feel at peace again. Interesting, exactly. But also it also helps when I'm in nature or just I'm a very I really like nature, it really like grounds me and I just feel safe in nature, but also like sorry, I'm the worst at answering questions sometimes. No, no, it's great, but also like it's kind of just like any type of like meaningful experience or something that leaves like a sort of mark on me, that's kind of what I'll make the music about.

colleyc: 19:52

If that makes sense. Yeah, totally, yeah, I love it. I love your description. You, you say that you, you. You might not be saying it correctly, but I totally get what you're saying, totally, totally. I love too that you go to creativity when you're feeling that anxiety or that, that overload almost of emotion and senses, sensory overload and creativity is your outlet for, for dealing with those kinds of things.

colleyc: 20:15

I I think that's the spectacular way to approach bark and and I mean most artists, that's what they do, right like. I often ask artists like when do you write your most? And they always are in moments of conflict or struggle, or I mean it connects us to humanity much more. I find, um, when we're struggling and then we can put something out that other people can connect to, that we're not all alone out here, feeling like it's not only me that feels this stuff exactly.

liz uninvited: 20:45

um, yeah, sorry, I was gonna say, like the thing is, um, it hasn't always been like this for me, though. Um, before I actually wrote my own music and I would feel like this, I would kind of feel stuck, and that's where a lot of my um, my struggles were based, because it's like I didn't know how to make myself come back to like a stable place, like because, I mean, I was an artist before, I was a musician, like I would draw and like paint a lot, but I wouldn't really know how to express my emotions through my art exactly, which is. I mean, that's why I went into like illustration and, uh, college and all that Um, so I could figure out, okay, like how can I properly like translate this? But, funny enough, I kind of started doing music right as I went into college and that became my form, like my outlet, of translating, if that makes sense.

liz uninvited: 21:44

So it wasn't even like that art. Now I could do this through art. It's more like I was trying to do this through art, but then it kind of morphed into music, and then music was all I could think about.

colleyc: 21:55

Yeah, you got the bug the music bug. Yeah, totally.

colleyc: 21:59

Well, liz, this has been a really cool chat. As we kind of come to a close here, I wanted to ask you what you felt success would mean to you with your music. Like what would that? What would that look like or feel like, if you could kind of like look down the road? I mean, you're just at the start of a pretty exciting, you know, period in your life where music is starting to happen. You're gonna get some shows coming. You're writing more like what would you like to see down the road with you in music?

liz uninvited: 22:31

um, well, I feel like success would really mean people are connecting to the music and they're I mean, of course, like, if they're voicing that, like wow, like I finally feel, like I, like I'm being, like I've been understood, and like this speaks to me, like whenever people voice that, it already it, it already makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. But in terms of like, more of like, a bigger scale of success, probably being more like known in the music scene I have right now, I mean, I guess that would be like a starting out point of success. But once I start playing more shows and getting on bills with other similar musicians, hopefully I'll be a local name and it'll branch out when I play elsewhere Totally, and you'll come to Montreal and play, so I can come.

liz uninvited: 23:28

Oh, yes, yes exactly.

colleyc: 23:31

I mean Toronto musicians have to come to Montreal. It's just an unwritten rule, but it has to happen.

liz uninvited: 23:37

Exactly.

colleyc: 23:38

Well, I really appreciate your time and we're going to play one of Liz's song at the end. So if you want to hear I mean it really has this beautiful singer-songwriting indie folk feel to it. I mean it kind of brings me to kimia dawson a little bit like people say that yeah, like that the subtlety. But the complex lyrics that are going on over such beautiful, simple chord arrangements are just. They always grab my heart. So I've been really enjoying and I've been sharing your music too, and my people have been really liking it.

colleyc: 24:15

They're like thank you, I like this a lot. And they're asking oh, is there a record? So I'm going to go on to Spotify and check out all the stuff because I I haven't gone on Spotify because I kind of was protesting it because they kicked because of Neil Young leaving and all that. Oh, remember when he left, or they didn't put his music on anymore because of I think I heard about that some podcast tweet that he didn't want.

colleyc: 24:39

I, for you, will go back on Spotify and listen to your stuff, because that's the kind of podcast I want to be.

liz uninvited: 24:45

Thank you, thank you. It's also on YouTube, if you'd rather listen there.

colleyc: 24:51

Cool. Well, I've enjoyed your YouTube station. It's been really great. I will put all these links, people in the on the post that I put out about Liz Uninvited, and we will be listening to her song right now. Um, liz, all the best. I hope you all the best with your shows. Please share some pictures out on instagram or on your social so we can see, uh, see you in action, um, and yeah, keep going, don't stop. Thank you so much, it was a pleasure cool, thank you.

Speaker 1: 25:40

It's a new year. It's a new year. It's a new year. It's a new year. It's a fun year. It's a done year. It's the one year Having you here.

Speaker 1: 26:24

I thought you'd want to think about the things. Don't want to sing without contextualizing In and out the pages of the story Entitled to the things they'd like to think. A saint could drown about something that I thought to myself the contaminated. Start a fire, burn the water hotter, kill the glitter Stars brought by you upon my pot of water. Oh, blow out the flame that fuels the fire burning in my brain. Mistake me as insane, but the eye, the trainer, tries to train, to pluck you from existence. Following disregard towards the mistress, darkening Mistake, here wakes the mind's intruder. To the place. Seduction of the pilots, it will prep for landing to the place they came. Here comes that acid rain and fire's pit pulls up. A shame puddle, staring back, a shame. You were not without the subtle sparkle in your eyes, elgated by the bubble blown up. By the time your mind has given up Against life's subtle rainbow. Life's bubble. Thank you,