We had the opportunity to sit down with Shelburne, NS’s very own Natalie Lynn, whom most of you may know as the frontwoman and powerhouse of alternative indie rock band, LOVIET (pronounce like low-vee-it) to chat about her personal and artistic journey from a local south shore artist to taking the main stage at some of the biggest venues in music, like the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago as she establishes herself as one of Canada’s brightest up-and-coming Canadian artists to watch the world stage in the music industry.
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Spotlight on Business: Tell us a little about yourself and your ties to Nova Scotia.
LOVIET: I was born and raised in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, after graduating from high school, I moved to Halifax, and I studied recording and music arts at Nova Scotia Community College while getting immersed in the city’s music scene. My partner, and drummer, and I still spend a lot of time in Nova Scotia over the winter months, the two of us have been kind of working at this forever. We’re both from Shelburne, so I love going back to visit as often as I can as it’s still one of my favorite places to be.
Spotlight on Business: What do you like to do in your spare time when you are not writing music or behind the mic, if you have any?
LOVIET: It’s definitely hard not to be working on music or music-related things around the clock as an independent artist but I love to create things. If not music, then the videos or graphics that go along with it or printing my own merch. I’ve recently begun designing a mini brand of clothing under Loviet that I’m also really passionate about. But for real downtime, you can probably find me lounging around, drinking a few beers, or maybe at the beach – sometimes doing both, especially in Nova Scotia.
Spotlight on Business: Who inspired you to go into the music industry and when did your passion for music begin? When did you discover that you might want to make a career out of music?
LOVIET: When I was young my mom was a singer in a band, so I would see her performing growing up. There were always musical instruments and musicians around the house. I was really lucky in that way because it was kind of always right in front of me. I never got to meet my grandfather, but he played the fiddle and even did performances with Hank Snow. So, music has always been around me and a part of my DNA. It was very apparent to me, from the first time that I heard my mom sing and started listening to music, that I was going to pursue a career in music.
Spotlight on Business: So, from a young age, you wanted to become a singer-songwriter, musician, and performer. So, what made you decide to leave Shelburne for Halifax and then head to Toronto to focus on pursuing your music career? Can you tell us about your journey, how did you know it was the time to make the jump and what was it like?
LOVIET: I started taking piano lessons when I was five and took to the guitar when I was about eleven, playing in bands in my teens. It took me a long time to hone my craft as a singer, unlike my mom who had been singing her whole life with her sisters or at church. I didn’t have that background and I kept it more to myself. I learned I was most comfortable on stage performing with my guitar and writing my own music apart from covering songs. I definitely came out of my shell once I started playing in the bar scene and around Halifax during college.
Growing up in a smaller community gave me a kind of freedom with my music in the beginning. I got to develop my skills away from the rest of the world and take influence from the things I really truly loved and had to seek out. Also, in such a small town, there really wasn’t a lot of excitement around, so me and my friends would make our own and I kind of became more adventurous and imaginative this way.
But I always knew there wasn’t really a way to establish myself from there and at the time social media didn’t exist, so I had to leave in order to find resources and exposure. I wanted to play on bigger stages and wanted to follow wherever my music could go, and still do.
Moving to Toronto was always a big part of the plan for me because it is Canada’s music hub. I met my manager, who was a booking agent in Toronto at the time, while I was still in Nova Scotia, and he helped me set up a run of tour dates through Ontario in 2018. I got to see first-hand that there were a lot of markets I had yet to hit and a lot of opportunities available in Toronto. It was definitely thanks to things like Nova Scotia Music Week and NSCC that I built a solid foundation and made some small connections first before making the move.
It’s been really challenging to be away from home, but I love it here and there is still so much left to explore. It feels like I’ve been doing this for a long time though I’ve still really only been releasing music for a couple of years and there are many things I’m still working towards that I hope to achieve in this city.
Spotlight on Business: The music business is more than just getting behind the mic and singing. It is about making connections with others in the industry and touring. You have been very busy touring and performing on the main stage at big venue festivals like the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. How has this helped you as an artist?
LOVIET: My whole goal right now when I’m performing on tours and at festivals is to get the experience and reach as many new audiences as possible along the way. I got to go on tour with JP Cooper last spring and performed at sold-out shows around North America at iconic venues like ‘The Roxy’ in LA which was insane. It felt very once in a lifetime for an artist at my level when I’m still just writing and recording independently, but it taught me so much. It was definitely a grind, and I spent the majority of the traveling on my own and performing solo, but the audiences were so amazing so all the stress of running through airports with all your gear on your back or driving 10 hours straight, working under tight budgets, was really worth it.
Playing events like Bluesfest, FEQ, and Lollapalooza (which is one of the largest music festivals in the world and one of the longest running in the US with tens of thousands in attendance) is such a trip. It feels like we’ve taken our time and are doing everything step by step so getting to do these kinds of events feels like we are in the right place right now. The festival stages are always the funnest. Playing outdoors and the energy from the crowds you can’t beat but we just go into everything with no expectations and do what we do. And by we, I mean to say my manager, myself, my drummer Ryan Perry and bass player, Keith Whipple. You always just strive to do the best you can and to have a really good time with it. Show the crowds what you have to offer as an artist and hopefully connect with them. It’s been the audience reactions and just feeling like we belong on these stages and can hold our own that have been the most rewarding parts.
Spotlight on Business: Tells us about the first time you ever heard one of your songs on the radio. What ran through your mind?
LOVIET: I can remember the first time hearing my songs on the radio and how cool it feels. Growing up, I’d tune into the East Coast Countdown every Sunday and hear Wintersleep, Matt Mays + El Torpedo, and Inflight Safety; they were like my heroes growing up. That was how I discovered great music and my local scene was through ECC and the radio, so it is still very cool to me that maybe my songs are getting discovered this way by someone else and on any stations, it means so much to me to be supported this way.
Spotlight on Business: What is the biggest lesson you have learned along the way in your professional journey?
LOVIET: Be yourself. Trust yourself because a lot of times people can make you question who you are or supposed to be in this industry but get to know yourself as best as you can and that’ll help you make the best choices and the best music. I think your real fans will resonate with that the most. It always surprises me when I release something that maybe I felt was the most self-serving but that resonates the strongest with fans in the end.
Spotlight on Business: Was there ever a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel? If so, what made you want to keep moving forward?
LOVIET: I think it’s probably healthy and natural to have those feelings when you love something so much or it takes so much work but all that actually matters is what you do. I’ve definitely had my ups and downs, but I just keep moving forward, there isn’t really another option for me, this is what I’m gonna do. It’s what I’ve always done.
I had a big moment last year with this when I was writing for my record ‘The Nighttime Is All In the Timing’. I was here in Toronto all winter by myself. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had let everyone down. I had so many different voices around me all my life, especially when I was starting out, and I think I stopped listening to my own for a bit.
I had to come to a place where I had kind of accepted what it would be like to give up or if everything, I had worked so hard for disappeared tomorrow, what I’d do with that. The answer was that I wouldn’t actually do anything differently and I would still wake up the next day and do this. So sometimes I think it’s healthy to kind of let go and give yourself the release of the pressure. Free up that space and you’ll end up making something really special from it if it’s truly a part of you.
Spotlight on Business: What advice do you have for young females or any young artist for that matter when it comes to getting into the entertainment industry?
LOVIET: I started recording when I was young and had my first couple of studio experiences when I was like 14 or 15. One of the reasons I went to school for recording was because I was so disappointed during my early experiences and I wanted to be able to protect my own music and know how to communicate in a studio setting. Looking back, I think it’s been an important life lesson for me to know how to communicate whatever it is I’m trying to say, especially from creative standpoints and with many people in and out of the process.
I think it still all comes back to knowing yourself and trusting your own gut and instincts. I’m still learning how to do this, but it feels better now than it has before. It’s really hard to say no thank you when help is being offered or you’re in a vulnerable space as a new artist, but sometimes it’s better to let your process be your own and the music will speak for itself. Stay true to yourself as a person and as an artist, and despite it being a tough business, feelings are signals and they tell you what you need to know. It’s okay to be sensitive about your work.
Spotlight on Business: As a music artist, do you prefer performing live or recording? Why?
LOVIET: I think I’m a live artist first and that my strengths are definitely in my live show. When performing, it’s your stage and you get to make it whatever you want, while recording has always felt to me like I’m kind of walking onto somebody else’s stage. I’m learning to understand more of how to own both stages, be it producing my own music or finding like-minded collaborators and producers, but I really want to find that connection with both. There is something so intimate about being anywhere in the world with your headphones on, listening to your favorite songs, so recorded music means a lot to me. Nothing’s been more challenging for me coming up than when people say things like, “The live show is way better than the record” or that they prefer one over the other. I’m really happy that my recent releases are bridging more of that gap, and kind of live and breathe in the same worlds now! It sometimes feels like a different version of myself gets recorded than the one on stage, but I think those two artists are now working together more on both platforms.
Spotlight on Business: What artists and genres do you listen to? If you had the chance to do a duet with another artist, who would it be and why?
LOVIET: I love all kinds of music, but I grew up on mostly rock and pop from the 70’s to 90’s to today. My dream duets would be either Lana Del Rey, Courtney Love, or Sheryl Crow. I feel like all three of these women are the most iconic artists as well as performers, producers, and songwriters, all very different in their own ways from one another, but have all influenced me greatly.
Spotlight on Business: Where can music fans find out more about you and your music and upcoming shows?
LOVIET: Well they can visit my website at www.loviet.com or follow me on any of my socials at lovietmusic to learn more about me and my upcoming shows.
Plus, I would like fans to know that I am coming back to the Maritimes to perform a couple of shows. On September 2nd, I will be performing in Merigomish, Nova Scotia at Giantstock and I will be in Halifax, opening for The Beaches on October 20 at Light House. I am looking forward to being back in the Maritimes for them and heading out on a USA tour supporting Mating Ritual this Fall so check out my website for those show dates.
My next single comes out on August 18th with a 3-song sampler called “Little Heaven” following that on September 29th, 2023. I look forward to having new music out and getting out playing some live shows this Fall so check out my website for those show dates.
by Lee Ann Atwater