THE "NON-TOUCH" TOUCH OF LIZZIE SIDER

From Broken Records Magazine by Laura DeSantis-Olsson

Introduction: Bio from Lizzie Sider’s Facebook page
Cover photo by: Angela Talley
Photography: LDO Photography

“Hi, I’m Lizzie. I’m a devoted and passionate country-pop singer/ songwriter.”

“I hope that the music I write will touch people, inspire them, and, take them back to a time or event when they had a similar experience.I’m so very thankful to everyone who has been supportive of me and who has believed in me. I hope that you, too, will join me on this journey.
xoxo, Lizzie”
 

INTRODUCTION

Already vibing in Music City’s big leagues, the multi-talented, South Florida based 16-year-old singer/songwriter brings a youthful outlook and an exciting edge to contemporary country music. Lizzie wrote the track with renowned artist and songwriter Jamie O’Neal (who has penned hits for Martina McBride and Reba McEntire), lyricist Lisa Drew (Martina McBride, Emerson Drive) and Jimmy Murphy. “Butterfly,”a song about Lizzie’s empowering decision to overcome the teasing and bullying she experienced in elementary school, has received significant airplay nationwide and made the Top 40 on the Music Row Country Chart; its video of Lizzie recording it in O’Neal’s studio with some of Nashville’s top session players has received over ONE MILLION views on YouTube.

The success of “Butterfly”and other tracks on her EP have led Lizzie to expand an already growing slate of live performances. She has opened for Jamie O’Neal, Aaron Tippin and Gloriana. Lizzie has also been a featured performer at the Ocala, FL and Inverness, FL Rodeos. She has played at writer’s nights at Nashville venues such as Hotel Indigo, The Listening Room, The Red Rooster, and Rooster’s BBQ, and has been a featured artist at the Commodore Lounge. Lizzie performed multiple times at the famed Bluebird Caféand played at Teddy Gentry’s (Alabama) 2013 birthday party in Nashville.

In addition, she has sung in the Grand Ballroom at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel at Couture Fashion Week in NYC, and she has been the host of “Breaking Out”, the show on Zuus Country (aka TCN –The Country Network) that showcases up and coming country artists. Lizzie has also performed in 2012 at the Southern Women’s shows in Birmingham, AL, Jacksonville, FL and Orlando, FL, as well as singing the national anthem for numerous professional sports teams, including the L.A. Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, the Nashville Predators and the Florida Panthers hockey teams. She has worked with performance coach, Tom Jackson, whose clients have included Taylor Swift. Lizzie has been featured on TV on the Queen Latifah Show, Hallmark’s Home and Family Show, and on the premier country music interview TV show, Crook & Chase.

Lizzie was named by CMA (Country Music Association) Close-Up Magazine as one of the “new artists to watch in 2013”, and for the second straight year, has been awarded her own booth at the annual CMA Fest in Nashville for June 2014, where she will also be performing live on a CMA stage, and at the famed, Bluebird Café.

Her second single released, “I Love You That Much”(music and lyrics by Joe Vulpis), also made Top 40 on the Music Row Charts, and has around 100,000 YouTube views. She also recorded a music video for this single, which was filmed in Los Angeles by producer Steven Goldmann (Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Martina McBride), which has received rave reviews from the industry.

Lizzie has been humbled thus far by fans who have told her personally that she is their inspiration—with one even getting a butterfly tattoo! She also counts among her fans a Tennessee based leukemia patient named Stephanie, who was introduced to Lizzie after Lizzie performed at a songwriter’s showcase at Hotel Indigo in downtown Nashville. Meeting and communicating later on Facebook with Stephanie—who was undergoing treatment at Vanderbilt Hospital–reminded Lizzie of the reason she started making music and her ultimate goal of using it to make a difference in people’s lives.

Along those lines, Lizzie balances life as a high school student and her recording and live performance schedule with numerous charitable endeavors. She is an advocate of empowerment for GWEN (Global Women’s Empowerment Network), sharing her personal story of encouragement with their growing community. GWEN is a non-profit organization that uses cutting edge technology and multimedia programming to raise awareness and funds to support and heal women and children who have suffered abuse of all kinds. Lizzie is also involved with ImBullyFree.com, BullyVille.com,and has recently become a spokesperson for PACER Teens Against Bullying, as well as a Junior Board Member of The Alliance for Eating Disorders.

Lizzie won a 2013 Hollywood Music in Media Award for “Butterfly,”which she performed live, at the HMMA awards dinner in Hollywood, CA. And, Lizzie received the Peter Yarrow Hatebraker Hero Award on May 19, 2014, in St. Louis, for her leadership role in bully prevention.

Lizzie recently completed her original and rigorous 250 school, Bully Prevention Assembly Tour, throughout the U.S., where, visiting 3 schools per day, 4 days per week, she performed her own one person show, known as “Nobody Has The Power to Ruin Your Day”. From Oct 2013 to May of 2014, Lizzie performed this assembly, interactively talking with and engaging the students about bullying, and also performing songs for them, at more than 250 elementary and middle schools and in front of more than 100,000 students throughout every part of California, Florida and Texas.

Feeling especially connected to the needs of young children, Lizzie has performed at the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, The Ronald McDonald House in Nashville, and the Children’s Hospital in L.A. She has also performed for the patients and staff at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO., and has toured the St. Jude’s hospital in Memphis, and hopes to perform for the patients there someday, soon.

Lizzie was recently named by the Examiner as one of its ‘Top 5 Female Country Newcomers’ of 2014. When asked about this in a recent interview Lizzie’s response was “It’s very nice to be recognized, however, the reason I am doing this is to make a difference. I want to change the world with my message and my music.”

Lizzie has always felt strongly about honoring the men and women in our military, past and present, who have devoted, or given, their lives to keep us safe, and on September 11, 2011, was inspired to write “Thank You”, which is available on iTunes.

Lizzie attributes her lifelong love of country music to her parents, who played the recordings of traditional artists like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, George Strait and others in the house, usually around the time Dad got home from work and Mom was cooking dinner. One of the key elements in her success as a songwriter and performer has been cultivating her passion for musical theater during summers spent at the family’s second home in the small town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. At age five, Lizzie saw her first musical (“Annie Get Your Gun”) at the Jackson Hole Playhouse, the town’s popular community theatre. She sat in the front row and sang out loud as the cast performed. Lizzie went on to work in various capacities at the theater before performing in the pre-show and main show—and participating in the “town shoot- out”that is re-enacted every night in the Town Square. At age nine, she sang the national anthem at the Jackson Hole rodeo.

Like many girls her age, Lizzie’s very first concert was Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana. “I just looked at her up there and saw how she was connecting with the crowd, and all the smiles on the kids’ faces. She was doing what she was meant to do. That’s the way I feel about my own music. I want to be out there, giving people something to enjoy and be an inspiration to them. I’m excited about all the opportunities that have opened up for me just in the last few years, and feel fortunate to have touched so many lives with my music. I am truly living my dream every day.”

INTERVIEW AT THE BITTER END NYC ~ OCTOBER 15TH 2014

1. What is the history of your connection with music and the start of pursuing your career as a musical artist?

“I have always loved music. It’s always been something that has resonated with me. Whether I was seeing a live show, or seeing a musical theatre performance, or listening to music in my living room, it always seemed to hit my heart and soul in a certain spot.”

“My parents aren’t musical. Ha ha, my dad is definitely not musical. My mom tells me she used to sing a little bit, just around the house, when she was younger. It’s really exciting because nobody in my family has really taking music to the next step. I’m kind of the first at that.”

“Ever since I knew what performing was I have loved it. When I was six years old I was in a musical theatre production. I remember completely loving being on stage, singing, dancing, acting, and being there with the other kids. Then, at six years old, I started taking piano lessons. It was funny because I loved the piano so much that my mom would have to pull me away to do homework or even eat (Laughs). I was just very attached. Then, at nine years old, I started to write songs. I have always loved writing. It’s really interesting to look back at the songs I first wrote, and then at my most recent songs, and see how much my writing has changed. I also see how much I have changed as a writer, as a person, and as an artist. When I was thirteen I took my first trip to Nashville. Looking back, in retrospect, that was the major step that really took things to the next level. Now… here I am!”

2. Texturally what do you like about the piano? Why do you feel you gravitated toward that instrument?

“For me, the piano is a very special instrument because I feel like I can play anything, I can figure out anything. Maybe this is just because ever since I was four years old I was just “dinking”, as I like to call finding my way around the keys. I’ve always played by ear. I can read notes, and I do, however I prefer to hear something in my head, figure it out on the piano, and embellish it from there. So, for me, especially now, the piano is just a place where I can grow so much and it’s been a major part of my life. Now I can go and sit down at the piano after a long day and bang out Phantom of The Opera, or do whatever. It’s just my main instrument. I really love it.

3. What do you find changed from the first song you wrote to the songs you are writing now? How have you grown musically?

“I think something that has definitely changed over the years, as I’ve progressed as a song writer, is the structure of my songs and the message I’m delivering. I attribute a lot of this change to the co-writing sessions I’ve been in. I write with these amazing writers, who’ve been so successful, and something that they do has to be working for me. I’m the kind of person that absorbs the information I’m learning from other musicians and writers. I’m like a sponge, I soak up everything.”

“I’ve also grown in the way that I say things. With one of the most recent songs I wrote, I really wanted to do something different with it. As a result, I wrote all of these phrases throughout implying to what I meant but not directly stating it. I really want to make the listener think. I think that works because that makes for an extremely universal song you can interpret in any way you want.”

4. What writers and musicians have you collaborated with?

“When I first went to Nashville, I wrote with Keith Follese, Liz Rose, and Jamie O’Neil. More recently, a few of the people included Kirsti Manna, Will Robinson, Jane Bach, and Liz Hengber. A group of really talented people I have really learned a lot from.”

5. What did you like about the process of working with all these different writers?

“I just think that it’s always amazing going into a writing session. Every session is always so different. I love writing with so many different people, with different personalities, you end up having different vibes and energy. To take all of that different energy and work together to make a song, by making up the the music, making up the lyrics, trying to think of something unique, and following your heart is the coolest part.”

6. What are some of the teachings from these writers and musicians that stands out for you the most?

“I really learned a lot from Jeff Silbar, he was one of the co-writers on the award winning song, “Wind Beneath My Wings”.

7. Currently, when do you feel strong, musically, and when do you still feel vulnerable?

“I’m growing every single day. It think a part of that is, yes, I am only sixteen. I am still a child that is getting to experience wonderful things but is learning and doesn’t know everything yet. I don’t believe yet that I can conquer everything at this point because I still have so much to learn. I am very positive. I am very confident. I think where I feel my strongest is when I am playing on stage and when I am really connecting with the audience. That connection is really what it’s all about. It’s that human experience, the “non-touch” touch that’s really unique and that you can only experience with other humans and through something such as the performing arts.”

“I think where I feel my most vulnerable is in my song topics. Not all, but a lot of my songs are written based on personal experiences. However, all of my songs do come from some place in my soul. A fact about myself is that I do not like to write all the time. I know that some people can do it, some people like to write three songs or five songs a day and they are still passionate about it. For me, if I wrote like that I would loose my spark. So, I like to keep it really organic. One of the benefits of keeping it organic is how much of a part of me it is, especially if it’s a personal experience I’m writing about. The beautiful, and scary, thing about what I do is I get to write something and share it with other people. With this process however, I’m putting myself in a vulnerable spot because I’m really wearing my heart out on my sleeve when I do that. I don’t worry about this vulnerability because I’m also proud to show myself and and share with others.”

8. What are the ideas behind your talks in schools to prevent bullying?

“Last October, I started touring schools around the country to talk to students in both elementary and middle schools about bullying. The idea to do these tours was sparked from my personal experiences of being bullied in elementary school. That occurrence has aways been a part of me so bullying has always been a very important topic to me. A few years ago, I got together with Jamie O’Neil, Lisa Drew, and Jimmy Murphy, in Nashville, and we wrote “Butterfly” together. The song “Butterfly” is based on those experiences of mine, but it is also really a song for anybody who has gone through, or is going though any hardship or is experiencing anything that is weighing on them. The song is also about realizing you can be yourself, love yourself, and be proud of yourself because you are different and you are unique. It also gives the message to not worry about what everybody else says because all that matters are your wings and your colors. It’s behind the idea that my story, similar to so many others, is like the life cycle of a butterfly.”

“Butterfly” is the theme song of my school tours. I toured two hundred and fifty schools last year throughout California, Florida, and Texas. This past week (October 2014) I did six assemblies in New York, which was a blast. As it stands now, next month I’ll be going to Washington D.C. to do seven assemblies there. When I’m at the schools, I speak to the kids about my experiences. Not only do I talk to them about anti-bullying but also positivity, encouragement, and believing in yourself and never giving up. I think all of these ideas are so closely tied together. So far, it had been rewarding and wonderful. I can also see it has really worked because I combine music with my message and it just comes together so beautifully. The fact that I am sixteen talking to elementary school kids, makes for a really strong connection.”

Lizzie Sider – “Butterfly” (official in-studio music video):

9. For you personally, how do you challenge the residual feelings of when you were bullied? Do you still carry any anger toward these experiences?

“What I do want to say first is, unfortunately, bullying does happen in every school and it happens to so many people. However, the thing is, just because someone is bullied doesn’t mean the reason they were bullied is a reflection on them, or that there is something wrong with them. This is something I have learned over time. I do think that creative people may be teased or bullied maybe because they are seen as different or seen as weird. I’m proud to be weird.”

“I am so blessed to have the most amazing parents in the world and have the tightest relationship with them. Both my mom and dad were very supportive of me. I remember one day walking out of the door to go to school my dad told me, “Remember that nobody has the power to ruin your day.” At first, I really didn’t understand what he meant by that. I thought to myself, “Yeah, they do.” They were making me feel so terrible about myself, even tough outside of school I was a really happy kid. I was just like I am now. It was just in school I felt like I couldn’t be myself and I felt a little shy. It’s crazy, my parents still tell me what my dad told me before heading out to school, everyday. Going though life it’s something to remember. I realize there are always going to be people in my life who are going to be bullies, knock me down, and tell me I cannot succeed. It is really up to me, when hearing these things, to just be strong and to know that I cannot control the outside world but I can control my inside world. I can control how I internalize things and how I let things affect me. It was not easy, but over time, I have learned and have adapted the skill of putting up a brick wall. I can kind of let those negative thoughts and comments bounce off and just go forward with what I’m doing. I concentrate on listening to those who I trust and who I love and who are supportive of me, in stead of those who are trying to project negativity.”

10. Is the message of growth and positivity the message behind your entire catalogue of music?

““Butterfly” is, as of now, my only song specifically about anti bullying from my perspective. As I mentioned, I write all of my songs from a place in my soul. I think that being young and taking it from that place inside of me, allows a lot of people to relate to that. I feel this is because they have been there with these feelings too, or maybe they thought the same things I have that lead me to writing the song. Some of my songs are statement songs. “Butterfly” is a statement song. Another one of my songs, “Like A Girl,” coming up on my new EP early next year, is a girl anthem. That’s a statement song. Another one of my songs called, “In Color,” coming up on my EP for early 2015 is a statement song. This song is about the fact that we always see things in color, meaning we always see things from an objective point of view. It’s a song about truly seeing people for who they really are and what makes them unique. So, those songs are statement songs. Those are important to me.”

“I also write really fun songs. Songs about liking somebody or relationships, or your best friend. I think that my music is positive and something people can listen to. I hope that people look at me as a role model. I’m humbled to say that I’m already witnessing people telling me that.”

“I love it. I love my job. I can’t believe it’s my job. I’m having so much fun. Not only am I getting to inspire so many others, I’m finding out so much about myself. I’m really living my life’s dream doing what I do. So I happy, I have so many great supporters. I’m very blessed.”

 

Article: http://brokenrecordsonline.com/interviews/the-non-touch-touch-of-lizzie-sider