Following the lead of so many of her contemporaries, singer/songwriter Liz Longley turned to Kickstarter when she was ready to make a record. After raising nearly $55,000, the Berklee School of Music graduate made the record she wanted to make with guitarist/producer Gus Berry. Longley also relocated from Boston to Nashville and signed on with Sugar Hill Records, adding a little folk-pop goodness to their roots-based roster. The eponymous effort finds Longley mining the all-too-familiar terrain of lost love.
So… Kickstarter. It served you well. Do you think crowdfunding is the way this thing is going to keep going — whether it’s Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Patreon, or whatever?
I love Kickstarter and am so thankful for the opportunity it provided to team up with fans and make a record. The album I made with 650 fans through Kickstarter led to a record deal, in my case, so my next record will not be crowdfunded. For fans and creators to be able to share in a creative endeavor like that is a unique experience and I think it’ll continue to be a popular route.
When you were making this record, you put a camera in the studio and streamed the whole process as one of the Kickstarter perks. How in the world did that not make you self-conscious?
The people who were tuning in already believed in the record enough to fund it. I knew most of the names of the donors through meeting them at shows over the years. I knew it was safe to be myself and create freely.
Heartbreak is what ties the whole thing together. Seeing as it’s such a universal experience, how do you find ways to say, “This sucks!” that haven’t been said already?
Every relationship is unique. I used specifics from my experiences to make it more real for the listener… and a metaphor or two to add another dimension. The song “Bad Habit” compares my relationship with a guy to his relationship with cigarettes, for example.
Do you think people are born writers or is it a skill that can be taught (and not just refined)?
I think it can be taught. I certainly hope it can. I’m still learning!
Dealing with Boston drivers notwithstanding, tell me about your time at Berklee. Was it everything you wanted it to be?
It was more than I thought it would be, honestly. It shaped me as a writer, helped me grow as a performer, and connected me to a network of incredible musicians that I still share the stage with to this day.
 
This article originally appeared on Folk Alley.