76. Nathan Liow: Jazz, Life Is Better Blonde, and Making Music for Yourself

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/2a/b1/c0/2ab1c0f2-3784-be20-43ce-ddeb838c67f1/mza_12371077496743516106.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Are Drummers Musicians?

Luke Singleton

81 episodes

6 days ago

Are Drummers Musicians? is a weekly deep dive into the world of a musician—a captivating exploration of the diverse talents and experiences of musicians. Hosted by drummer Luke Singleton, the podcast features relaxed, in-depth conversations recorded on a cosy couch in Brunswick. Each episode shares stories of a musician's journey and experiences, resonating beyond trends and promo cycles. Join us for timeless storytelling, community building and authentic insights into the music industry—your backstage pass to the music scene in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia, and beyond.

Music Interviews

Music

RSS

All content for Are Drummers Musicians? is the property of Luke Singleton and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Music Interviews

Music

https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode/40612643/40612643-1758066771061-8b45cc7d221e7.jpg

76. Nathan Liow: Jazz, Life Is Better Blonde, and Making Music for Yourself

Are Drummers Musicians?

1 hour 19 minutes 45 seconds

3 weeks ago

76. Nathan Liow: Jazz, Life Is Better Blonde, and Making Music for Yourself

This week, I’m joined by Nathan Liow — an award-winning jazz pianist and composer who has been a key figure in Melbourne’s jazz scene, performing regularly at venues like Jazzlab, Paris Cat, Birds Basement, and Uptown. He’s studied with some of the world’s best, including Fred Hersch, Vijay Iyer, Geri Allen, Andrea Keller, and Tony Gould, and his compositions have been featured in film soundtracks, installation works, and gallery spaces.

Beyond his jazz career, Nathan is also the artist behind Life Is Better Blonde, a solo project that quickly gained critical acclaim. In 2015, it had a rapid rise, earning a J Award nomination, Triple J rotation, and a spot in BBC 1Xtra’s Top 5 Future R&B. With millions of streams, it was an unexpected success—but we also reflect on how quickly the moment passed and what that taught him about the music industry, expectations, and making music for yourself.

We also discuss keeping an audio journal, his creative process, and balancing live band energy vs. studio production. And fair warning—I was crazy tired from a uni exam when we recorded this, so the chat gets a little all over the shop at times, but it made for an authentic and fun conversation.

This was an awesome chat—don’t miss it!

Here's some of the links we mentioned -

Mine (Directed by Natalie James) https://youtu.be/FhnYVKeUwfo

Fires (Directed by Natalie James) https://youtu.be/i8KyhFRQDpQ

Follow Me (Directed by Natalie James) https://youtu.be/l0J11zbknUM

Jazz/Improv album with Paris Favilla

Operasphere https://open.spotify.com/album/7kIJKo81xDcAGCd92mKP0F?si=6WyCTvHHQBOnFIaC5gvcBQ

Website www.nathanliow.com AND www.lifeisbetterblonde.com

Instagram www.instagram.com/nathanliowpiano AND https://www.instagram.com/libblonde/