We had the good fortune of connecting with Hailey Livingston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hailey, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from LA born and raised and feel extremely lucky that I was born here. Artists move from all over the world to pursue their dreams in Los Angeles and being a creative myself I probably would have moved here anyway. Having my family’s support and having them so close is beyond a blessing. I am literally neighbors with my parents and they are with no doubt my biggest supporters and the first people I run my ideas by, usually over a cup of coffee. Witnessing my dad Barry Livingston manage a successful career as an actor in Hollywood for 60+ years has taught me invaluable lessons. There are no short cuts and you just have to put in the work. I believe I got a lot of my ambition and persistence from my dad. When I decide to start a project there is nothing that can get in my way. I am also a bit of a perfectionist which I definitely get from him as well. Growing up in my home there was always art, music, film, dance and good books to indulge in and discuss together. I always felt completely supported to be creative and express myself. My older brother Spencer Livingston is also a musician and a mean guitarist! Watching my brother in bands all his life and now in his band Livingmore I have gotten to witness so much creativity and talent in my family. They understand me like no one else on this planet.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As an artist I don’t like to put myself in a box. I pretty much do all aspects of the creating for my projects and genuinely enjoy them all. I love writing poetry, singing, songwriting and I love filming and editing. I am a total camera nerd! For my album CLAP BACK I produced, directed and edited all 7 music videos myself so that project is a true piece of my heart and soul. I also love photo editing and I create all my album/single cover art. I love every aspect and it gives me complete creative control over what I put out. I also really enjoy the business aspect and managing distribution, marketing, finances and analytics! The music industry has drastically changed since the internet and now artists truly have the option to be independent and in full control of their brand. Unfortunately streams and plays don’t get nearly what they deserve but I love the fact that I can own and control 100% of the content I create! I feel like the old version of success was getting signed to a record label but I don’t really have any interest at this point in doing that. I created my own label Prismatic Entertainment and release all my music under my own label. I also incorporated in 2018 which has been a big stepping stone for growing my business. The person in the industry who I highly admire and respect is Jay Z. He is not only an extremely talented artist but also a savvy business man. I can totally see myself being a billionaire before I’m 50 if things all go to plan haha. With todays technology and opportunities I know that anything is possible!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a LA girl born and raised and I am completely in love with my city and the vibrant people here. I love NYC but LA is home. I know lots of secret local spots around town but I can’t tell you all my secrets. Here are just a few. Anytime family or friends come from out of town I always make sure they try the best sandwiches in the city from Papa George’s Hy Mart Deli. It’s a small family owned sandwich shop tucked away in North Hollywood where I live and the Ben’s Pastrami Sandwich is beyond this earth!!! I am a huge foodie and have an Instagram page @haileykitchen for all my food adventures. Also one of my favorite places to go twice a year is The LA Brewery Art Walk. It is an artists colony in LA where hundreds of artist live. Twice a year they open up their homes/studios to the public and I never miss it! I actually met the producer of my album CLAP BACK at the art walk and we recorded part of my album at his home studio inside the artist colony. It’s a great place to get inspired, have good food, drinks and meet other artists. Lastly I’d say the beach is where I love to go to unwind. There are so many secret private beaches along the coast where you don’t have to fight the tourist crowds and if you’re know how to get to them it’s a whole different beach experience.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have learned that it is SO important to find mentors and collaborators for whatever goal you are chasing. Over the years I have been lucky to work with great acting coaches and talented music creators who have helped me craft my artistic skills. Brendan Moore, the producer of my album CLAP BACK is a master of the technical side of recoding songs and just witnessing him work in the studio over 9 months taught me so much. I couldn’t help but absorb some of his techniques. In December 2019 I created my own home studio and have been working on a new music project during the quarantine in LA. Being forced to stay home alone has given me the time to really work on my own recording skills and I have so much respect for his work now. I was always confident in the singing/songwriting aspect of music but the technical skills of recoding is a whole other animal. I’m definitely getting there though with lots of YouTube tutorials haha! Before I started writing music I would do open mic poetry at Da Poetry Lounge in LA and found that doing open mic poetry with other artists was the best form of inspiration. To have a safe space to share your ideas and try them out on fellow artists is the best practice for your work. For some reason talking about love and painful experiences always inspire me to write and I typically writing songs for heartbroken girls who have regained their power. In telling my real struggles through music and poetry it’s free therapy for me and hopefully my listeners can relate as well.

Website: https://www.youtube.com/c/HaileyLivingston
Instagram: @haileyliv https://www.instagram.com/haileyliv/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/haileyliv
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hlivingston1
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HaileyLivingston
Other: SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/40qb4eqNPToGTiVgF9ddcz?si=bEoicW8xS7erwSDF8xuAUQ APPLE MUSIC: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/hailey-livingston/1448695725 SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/haileylivingston