Parisian of the Month: Liv Monaghan

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a Parisian of the Month and happy to start off the New Year with an interview with Liv Monaghan, a singer and songwriter with a fresh, unique style. 

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

I was born and grew up in Cork city in Ireland. I went to university in Dublin.

When and why did you move to Paris?

I moved to Paris in 2012 to pursue a post graduate program in Theatre design (my background is in theatre design) at the Ecole Jacques leqoc and planned to stay a year but I’m still here!

When did you first realize you wanted to become a singer and what age did you start singing? 

I always loved to sing but I didn’t consider it a career path - ever - until I found myself jobless and Frenchless about 3 months into moving to Paris, and quite by accident discovered singing in small bars could round up a few centimes. It grew from that. 

Which singer or singers did you most want to be like when you were growing up? Did that change now that you are an adult? 

I loved musicals when I was a child, Julie Andrews was a favourite, and I also liked Maria Callas and Judy Collins. Now I listen to a lot more jazz singers, known and some lesser-known. I really like Esperanza Spalding.

Do you think that Paris offers more opportunities for performers starting out than other cities? 

It did for me, but I think it’s all about being in the right place with the right people at the right time.. being a young Irish woman in Paris was something a bit different and it probably played to my advantage. However, Paris is a slow burner, I think a lot of performers can get their careers to take off more quickly in cities like London or New York.

What would be your dream concert including venue, city, accompanying musicians, etc. and what you would wear? 

The Appel Room in New York, with Bill Frisell on guitar, Kenny Wolleson on drums, and Lee Alexander on double bass. For my dress - I would commission the designer Thibault Martin to create something goddess-like; He made my accessories for the album art of Slow Exhale, and besides being brilliantly talented, he’s a great friend and understands my style inside out.

Please tell us about your new record Slow Exhale and the process of writing the songs. Does Paris have a place in any of the songs? 

Slow Exhale was released in December. It was recorded in Paris in just over six hours in quartet, with Sava Medan (double-bass) Soheil Tabrizi-Zadeh (guitar and trumpet) and Adrien Cao (drums). It’s an eight track album and I’m really proud of it and grateful to everyone who helped make it happen, from the brilliant musicians to the gang who got behind me for my Crowdfund campaign. The process of writing with me doesn’t really fall into a regular pattern. I create songs as a kind of way to work through my feelings or respond to things, and the songs themselves, while having elements of personal truths, go through a process of collage and camouflage and collaboration until they are something beyond me and hopefully that comes across to the listener where they too can find themselves in the sound.

You perform mostly your own material but what are your favorite songs written by other people? 

I love Joni Mitchell. Her songs are both a joy and a challenge to sing. I also like to sing songs from Elliot Smith and Amy Winehouse. I have a fairly healthy jazz standard repertoire under my belt and  there’s something about Duke Ellington’s songs that pluck strings in me I didn’t know existed. 

Can you please list upcoming concerts in the next six months? 

1st February - Club Babilo, 20h, 9 Rue du Baigneur, 75018 Paris

12 February - Les Disquaires, 20h , 4-6 Rue des Taillandiers, 75011 Paris

30 March - Le Baiser Salé, 22h, 58 Rue des Lombards, 75001 Paris

11 April - Dolans Warehouse, 20h 3-4 Dock Rd, Limerick, Ireland

1 June - Walrus Disquaires Bar - 34 TER Rue de Dunkerque, 75010 Paris

12 June - Peniche Marcounet Paris

Where in Paris do you live and what are the highlights of your neighborhood?

I live in Montmartre near Lamarck Caulaincourt and I love it. I have wonderful neighbours, and everything I need is a stone’s throw away. There’s a great thespian atmosphere and La Femis is beside me. I escape the hustle bustle of Paris because I’m on the more local side of the hill. It’s got a quaint village vibe; There are great restaurants, bars and cafes near me. It’s a real community.

What do you prefer about Paris? 

The pace. The art. The laid-back casual-chic. The je ne sais quoi. 

You can download Liv's album Slow Exhale on I-Tunes or go to her site https://www.livmonaghanmusic.com/ for more info. 

Please don't forget to RSVP to Pauline Bernard event@hotel-pont-royal for the opening of my photo exhibit on February 5.