If you ask a musician what their least favorite question to answer is, there's a 99% chance they'll say something along the lines of "how are you actually going to make money from this?" Many of us with artistic passions have come to accept that annoying insult as just another part of life - but indie singer-songwriter Liz Moss is whimsically reclaiming it. In her latest single "Cardboard Castle," a collaboration with Lauryn Marie, she highlights the joy and positivity she finds in being creative.
Inspired by an unsolicited comment from a classmate, "Cardboard Castle" sees Liz and Lauryn taking pride in the career they chose. While it delivers a confident, serious message, "Cardboard Castle" adopts a synth-heavy, easygoing sound. Instead of overly bold and defensive, the song carries an uplifting, content sentiment. A memorable and bouncy melody contributes to its effortless flow.
Recently, Playlists & Polaroids got to catch up with Liz, and she gave us an in-depth glimpse at not one, but two of her passions! Liz held nothing back about her journeys in music and creative writing. We're in love with her perspective and insight. Keep reading for our full interview with her!
Image credit: Liz Moss, graphic created by Karly Ramnani
YOU'LL LOVE LIZ MOSS IF YOU LISTEN TO: Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, Noah Kahan, Lizzy McAlpine, Bon Iver, Coldplay, The Lumineers, Ed Sheeran, Gracie Abrams
Before we get into the rest of it, P&P loves Potterheads! What’s your house?
I’m a proud Gryffindor–if I took the quiz again today and didn’t get Gryffindor, I’d be in for a serious identity crisis.
What artists did you grow up listening to, and how have they influenced your sound?
My family wasn’t a huge music family, so most of the artists I grew up listening to were those I found on Pandora playlists in middle school. I listened to a lot of Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, The Lumineers, Kodaline, Bon Iver, and artists of the like. Ed Sheeran inspired me to start writing songs of my own in 2015. I loved the way he wrote so honestly and accessibly while also voicing feelings in a fresh way – something I try to replicate in my own writing. My lyrics tend to be very rhythmic, which is definitely something I’ve inherited from Ed. The Lumineers have inspired me to lean into folk music and simple chord progressions, which I’ve done more of recently with my band The Scarecrows.
What drew you to Nashville as an artistic home base?
When deciding what college to attend, I wanted to choose one in a city where I knew I’d have opportunities to perform music and hear a lot of live music, so I chose Belmont University in Nashville. Over the last three years that I’ve lived here, I’ve loved exploring all of the different artistic pockets of the city and developing a community of my own. Nearly everyone you meet here is following a dream, and that’s a beautiful atmosphere to surround yourself in.
How do you balance being a full-time student at Belmont and pursuing your dreams as a professional singer-songwriter?
It’s not easy, and after three years, I’m still trying to work out that balance. I prioritize school first, but I try to say yes to every musical opportunity that comes my way, whether that be co-writes, gigs, writing camps, etc. There will inevitably be periods when I’m overwhelmed and not creating as much, and I try to give myself grace for that while still maintaining a schedule that challenges me. I’m a firm believer in building discipline over relying on the muse; sometimes it takes forcing yourself to sit and write to make something special, which is why I set weekly goals for my creative output.
Image credit: Liz Moss
It’s super cool that you study both songwriting and creative writing! What draws you to each style of writing? Are there any challenges to studying both at the same time?
While songwriting is an immediate release of emotions, writing poetry or nonfiction feels more methodical; I’ll spend hours (often longer) obsessing over finding the right word or making one line as condensed as it can be. Because of this, poetry feels much more intentional and rigid to me, and while it can be frustrating, I enjoy the challenge of working entirely with the written word. Words are just as important in songwriting, but there are other factors to consider: melody, rhythm, [and] accessibility if writing for the commercial market. Songwriting is a whole package, so the result is, to me, more empowering. You end up with a combination of music, lyrics, and production that conveys a feeling in ways that strictly writing cannot. Recently, I’ve connected more to the craft of poetry and the attention to detail it requires, so I have been writing less songs. That’s the only challenge of studying both at the same time: often one will take precedence over the other, but I think investing more in poetry will only strengthen my songs, and vice versa.
Excluding songs, what are some of your favorite pieces you’ve written? Where can we check them out?
I’m currently working on a poetry chapbook that will be for sale on my website, but in the meantime, you can find several of my poems and essays on my website (lizmoss.squarespace.com – shameless plug). One of my favorites has to be my poem “Stretch Marks.” It’s a very simple poem – essentially a summation of my thoughts on entering adulthood and yearning for a simple life – but I think it speaks to the mix of fear and hope that comes with starting something new. Is it good? Who's to say! My poetry professor hated it, but it’s special to me. I’m also quite fond of my poem “Trying” and my prose collection “Zuihitsu Excerpts,” both of which are available on my website.
Tell us about your experience with The Scarecrows! What are some of your favorite gigs you’ve played with them?
The Scarecrows is my band–an all-female folk quartet of songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. Over the summer I set up a live band to accompany me in several shows: songwriters Lauryn Marie, Morgan Lee Powers, and Amel Stewart. We played several gigs together and clicked very quickly; we were all friends itching to perform in a context where we could support one another and be supported. Morgan had an opportunity to play The Listening Room lobby in September and invited us to play our first band set, combining all of our original songs into one setlist. We had an absolute blast performing together and immediately started brainstorming a US tour and dreaming about the future of our band. I think that first gig was my favorite, because we all knew something really special had just begun. There aren’t many all-female bands playing folk-pop music, especially four songwriters who each have their own artist projects and rotate instruments. We’re excited to keep writing music together and hopefully record soon.
In what ways do you approach the creative process differently when working with a band, as opposed to your solo music?
There’s a freedom in working with others that isn’t always present when writing my own music; I'm not attached to my own brand and my own thoughts, so I'm more flexible and open to where a song will go. After writing music alone for so long, creating with others takes the pressure off and is often more exciting. Knowing how to support others musically is a skill; you learn when to back off, when to come in with a solo, when to harmonize with a bandmate’s part. I’ve been inspired to grow as a guitar player, and I've started taking a fiddle class and have picked up the banjo. Where I previously saw myself as mostly a songwriter, I'm learning to grow as a musician. It’s been difficult but extremely rewarding, and it’s an honor to play with some of my closest friends.
How has traveling around the world influenced your songwriting, poetry, and prose?
Nashville is a creative bubble, so it’s easy to forget the uniqueness of my path because so many people around me are pursuing similar dreams. I often shrug off what I’m doing as unimportant, but it took getting out of Nashville, and even out of the US, to see how rare and special my path is. This past summer I was an au-pair in Iceland, and I met two other au-pairs who were so shocked and excited to hear that I made YouTube videos and had music released on Spotify. The encounter reminded me that what I’m doing is valuable, and I need to keep at it even when it feels like I’m a small fish in a big pond. It is good to simultaneously be reminded that I am small but that my work is unique and needed. Traveling has also opened me up to different styles of writing; I wouldn’t have started writing poetry if it weren’t for the poetry class I took in Northern Ireland and the rich literary culture present there. Additionally, traveling has opened me up to the world of travel writing and travel journalism, which is an industry I’d like to get more experience in.
I’m absolutely obsessed with “Cardboard Castle”! What were some highlights of working with Lauryn Marie for you?
Thank you! Working with Lauryn is always such a joy and feels so natural. She was one of my first friends in college and to this day is one of my best friends and collaborators. We’ve traveled the world together and have gone through so many monumental life events side by side, that at this point I think we share a brain. We complement each other well, sharing similar writing styles and musical tastes. Where Lauryn is a very skilled producer, I do photo and video work, so together we can cover it all. My favorite "Cardboard Castle" memory has to be the day we shot the music video in London–we danced around the tube, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, and other famous spots. We felt like rockstars for the day.
What do you hope listeners take away from “Cardboard Castle” - especially fellow creatives?
The song is about keeping your head up and following your dreams when others don’t believe in you, so I hope that listeners feel encouraged to keep going and follow what they love. It’s easy to get discouraged and lose hope, but I’m always inspired to keep going when I know that I’m not alone in my endeavors.
Finally, the P&P classic! What’s a lyric from “Cardboard Castle” that stands out to you? Walk us through the process of yourself writing it, and how does it speak to you personally?
The hook (“While you’re there bragging ‘bout your diamond shackles / I’ll be dancing in my cardboard castle”) is my favorite lyric, because it serves as the song’s thesis statement and feels very triumphant. The whole song was inspired by a comment one of Lauryn’s old classmates made, stating she would end up living in a cardboard box if she was a songwriter. As two passionate eighteen year-olds excited for an unknown future in music, we wrote the song as an anthem to dreamers everywhere, using that hook as our North Star. Before writing the song we had also bonded over our love of the film Sing Street, and we felt like that lyric echoed the quippy, clever writing style of songs like “Brown Shoes” and “Beautiful Sea” from the film.
A versatile force to be reckoned with, the fearless Liz Moss is truly redefining the indie folk scene. We think that her undeniable gifts in both music and writing will take her very far in 2024! If you feel inspired to dive deeper into her world, here's a playlist we've curated for you to get started.
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