How Liamani Is Reflecting on Her Life and Career So Far With Debut EP, Dear Little Me
At just 16 years old, rapidly rising pop singer-songwriter and actress Liamani is already making a lasting impression in the industry.
After gaining recognition and acclaim as Emmy in Disney+'s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Liamani made her single debut last October, on her 16th birthday, with the release of "Sunkissed." Since then, she's kept the magic going, further showcasing her deeply soulful and moving vocals with songs "Hanging by a Thread" and "True Love." It's all been leading up to today's release of her first-ever EP, Dear Little Me.
Featuring six thrilling tracks, the EP showcases Liamani at the top of her game as an R&B-pop star. Each song serves as a note to her younger self, recounting and reflecting on the most significant moments of her teenage journey. Despite their specificity, the songs have a universal relatability, whether she's singing about sisterhood, heartbreak or what it takes to learn to grow up and move on. We had the pleasure of catching up with Liamani ahead of today's release, and she answered all of our most burning questions about the EP in the interview below.
Sweety High: What does the EP name Dear Little Me mean to you? Why did that title track feel like the perfect summation of this group of songs?
Liamani: "Dear Little Me" as a song is a sweet note to my younger self telling little Liamani that she's proud of herself for living out her dreams of making her own music and how far she's come. The title track to sum up all the songs on the EP is perfect because each song on the EP symbolizes a special person or event that has taken place in my life that has impacted me in some way. Dear Little Me doesn't necessarily have to mean I'm talking to my little self, it just means that each song is a note to me in my past.
(Photo credit: Cindy Romero)
SH: What do you feel are the overarching themes of the EP? What kind of feel do you hope fans take away from it?
Liamani: Each song from the EP has a different theme to it, that's what I love about this EP so much is that whatever you're going through, there is a song for the specific feeling.
"Sunkissed," my first single is about the bond between you and that special someone in your life.
"Hanging By A Thread" is about having to let someone go, even though you may not want to.
"True Love" is about someone you thought loved you hurting you.
"Without You," is about my sweet sister. The bond that two sisters have is unbreakable.
"Summer Somewhere" is about wanting to feel happiness. When you are in a dark place, there's always summer somewhere, meaning you can always find a little bit of brightness in your darkness. It is a summer bop that you can blast with the windows down in the car with friends.
"Dear Little Me," is about growing up. Everyone misses being a kid sometimes. When listeners hear this song for the first time, they will definitely think back to their childhood and want to talk their little self. It is a very emotional record.
These songs each have a theme that are universal and so many people have been through these things; so they will be able to relate and sing the lyrics.
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SH: How would you describe the EP's sound? Production-wise, how did you go about bringing these tracks to life?
Liamani: It's a blend of pop/rhythmic elements with R&B influences. I try to be super vulnerable when it comes to contributing my personal stories to the writing process, so being collaborative in the studio is important to me. I want my music to sound timeless.
(Photo credit: Cindy Romero)
SH: How do you feel that these songs represent where you are in life right now?
Liamani: If I'm being completely honest, I love this EP so much because I always tell myself, "I'll never be a 16 year old girl again." Being able to make music like this means the world to me because I know that other 16-year-old girls will relate to the songs and know what I'm talking about. Not even just the girls, the boys will relate as well, and even adults can relate. Everyone can sing these songs and feel them. But there are so many ups and downs that come with being a teenager in today's world.
I love that people can listen to my EP and take a look inside of my world. What does Liamani's love life look like? How does she deal with heartbreak? When she feels pain, how does she cope? What does Liamani do when she's happy? Does Liamani miss being a kid at all? These are all things that people have asked themselves, and the music in this EP touches on all of that. I love making people feel like they are not the only ones going through something, and that I will always help them get through whatever it is they are going through with my music. As I get older, my music will grow, and you'll see more maturity through my melodies, lyrics and tracks.
SH: What's your favorite track on the EP? Why?
Liamani: It's a tie between "True Love" and "Hanging by a Thread." I say this because of course I love them both because they both come from somewhere deep and have special backstories. But "True Love" because is today's world, you can't really tell the different between true love and fake love. I wrote "True Love" about a guy I was talking to on my birthday, we had known each other for years before that, and he hurt me on my birthday, and just so happens I was in the studio on my birthday so I wrote a song about the situation. This song turned out to be "True Love." I was genuinely so hurt and confused that he would do this to me on my special day. Is true love even real? Is it only in movies? Is it make believe? These are all questions I had asked myself, and I know so many others have as well.
"Hanging by a Thread" is such a fun, upbeat song on the EP. I remember being so proud I heard it back for the first time. I wrote this song about having a gut feeling that your special someone is slowly but surely letting go, so you do everything in your ability to hold on as long as possible. Although it has a sad storyline to it, the up-tempo beat makes it feel happy and makes u want to dance to it. The hook is very memorable; and easy to sing.
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SH: Was there anything that surprised you about the process of recording and putting together your debut EP?
Liamani: I think what surprised me most is how much I learned about myself. During the writing processes, I would come into the studio every day with my journal and would have to think of a concept I wanted to write about that day. I would eventually have to be very open and vulnerable during this process to get all of my ideas out to the producers that were helping me write. This was a little tricky for me because, obviously, I didn't really want everyone in the room to know exactly how I was feeling and exactly what I was going through. But this really allowed me to learn things I didn't know about myself before.
I noticed that now that the EP is done, I am so in tune with all of my emotions, and I write almost everything down on my phone or in my journal so that I can look back and have it. I learned that in order for people to feel like they can relate to you; you have to express everything (even when you don't want to) for the music to feel like it comes from a real place. I also learned that being in the studio is one of my most favorite places to be! Being involved in the process from start to finish from concept to beats to melody passes and lyrics is very very rewarding when you listen to the final product!
(Photo credit: Cindy Romero)
SH: How are you feeling about releasing this debut EP to the world?
Liamani:Words don't even describe how excited and proud I am. I have been working on this EP for two years now. Everything that you're hearing was very thought out and took a lot of time. I didn't want to rush anything. I know that this music will reach everyone it is supposed to reach and hopefully people will hear what they need to hear. This is my first ever EP and it really means the whole world to me. I hope that all of my fans will love it just as much as I do. I know little Liamani would think that the Liamani I am today is the coolest person ever and she would be so proud.
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SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Liamani: I just have to say this process has been the most fun I've ever had and it's crazy to think that this is only the beginning. I would like to thank my entire team for their patience, love and dedication and all of the people that helped me bring my ideas and concepts to life. They have made this so easy and enjoyable. Being with all of these different producers and writers every day in the studio has been life changing and I love that I am able to show a side of me that not a lot of people see very often.
(Photo credit: Cindy Romero)
For more on Liamani, click HERE to read our interview with the star on her debut single, "Sunkissed."