We chat with Nova Scotia-Born Natalie Lynn MacIntosh, the frontwoman of alternative indie rock band, LOVIET (pronounced like low-vee-it) about her artistic journey from booking small local gigs in Nova Scotia’s south shore to this powerhouse artist now taking the main stage all around the globe at some of the most iconic music venues and some of the biggest festivals as she establishes herself as one of Canada’s top emerging artists.
~
Thankfully, we were able to catch up with Natalie while she was getting a little downtime between writing some new material and getting ready for LOVIET to head back out on the road for a busy summer of touring.
Spotlight on Business: Tell us a little about yourself off the stage. Who is Natalie Lynn?
LOVIET: I was born and raised in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. After graduating from high school, I moved to Halifax and studied recording and music arts at Nova Scotia Community College while immersing myself in the city’s music scene. My partner and drummer, Ryan Perry, and I have been performing together in a band for the better part of 10 years now. We’re both from Shelburne, so we enjoy being there to see our family and the lovely beaches as often as we can.
Spotlight on Business: What do you like to do in your spare time when you are not writing music or on stage?
LOVIET: It’s hard not to be working on music or music-related things around the clock as an independent artist, but it works for me because I love to create things. If not music, then I am working on videos or graphics, all the stuff that goes along with it, or printing my own merch. But for real downtime, you can probably find me lounging around, drinking wine with friends, or hanging at the beach – sometimes all together, especially when I am back in Nova Scotia.
I’ve recently begun designing a mini brand of clothing under the LOVIET Brand that I’m also very passionate about.
Spotlight on Business: Tell us a little bit about the LOVIET clothing brand, Star Treatment Apparel Retailers. What does the brand represent, and why is it so important to you?
LOVIET: I created the “brand” that is also my merch store as an outlet to be more creative and to bring my fans a little further into my world. I have always envisioned this kind of messy, underground, but cool 90s and 2000s-inspired rocker style that my music also encapsulates. So, it’s been a really fun experience, identifying looks that I can design and clothing I can screen print on. I like going after those one-of-a-kind garments and creating something for fans that is unique and custom for their very own.
Spotlight on Business: Who inspired you to get into the music industry? 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 all the time. There were always musical instruments and musicians around the house growing up. I was lucky that way because it was always right in front of me and part of my life. It was very apparent to me, from an early age when I first heard my mom sing and started listening to music, that I was going to pursue a music career.
Spotlight on Business: 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. Then a guitar when I was about eleven. I was playing in bands in my teens and was always writing songs. It took me a long time to hone my craft as a singer, unlike my mom who had been singing her whole life in church. I didn’t have that experience, and I was private about it. I was most comfortable on stage performing with my guitar and writing my own music, apart from covering songs. I came out of my performing shell once I started playing in the Halifax bar scene during college.
I always knew there wasn’t going to be a way to establish myself in the industry from a small town, especially at that time when social media didn’t exist like it does today. I always wanted to play on bigger stages and that I would go wherever my music led me, and I still feel that way today.
Moving to Toronto was a big part of my plan 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 many professional opportunities in Toronto. Nova Scotia Music Week and NSCC also helped me build a solid foundation and make some connections before making the move, which was a help.
Spotlight on Business: You have been very busy touring and performing on the main stage at big venues all over the world. 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 and existing fans as possible. It’s a daily grind, spending the majority of the traveling in the car or running through airports with all your gear on your back, driving for hours straight, and working under tight budgets, but it is all worth it.
Regardless of the venue, we just go into everything with no expectations and do what we do. We’ve been making new fans at each stop, and seeing the reactions from each new audience shows us that we belong on these stages and can hold our own.
Spotlight on Business: Tell 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 felt. Growing up, I’d tune into the East Coast Countdown every Sunday and hear local East Coast icons like Wintersleep, Matt Mays + El Torpedo, and Inflight Safety, so it’s cool to hear our songs beside our hero’s.
Spotlight on Business: What would you say has been the biggest lesson you have learned during this artistic journey?
LOVIET: Be yourself! Trust yourself! A lot of times, people can make you question who you are or who you are supposed to be in this industry. Get to know yourself and what you want. That’ll help you make the best choices for you and your music as an artist. 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, something I needed to say or get off my chest, but that ends up resonating the strongest with fans.
Do what is right for you and the music that you want to put out, and the rest will take care of itself.
Spotlight on Business: Have you ever 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 matters is what you do. Just keep moving forward; there isn’t really another option for me. I had a big moment when I was writing for my record ‘The Nighttime Is All In the Timing’. I was 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, what I’d do. The answer was simple: I wouldn’t do anything differently, and I would still wake up the next day and do this all over again.
Sometimes, I think it’s healthy to kind of let go and give yourself a release from the day-to-day pressure of being an independent artist. Free up that space, and you’ll end up making something special from it.
Spotlight on Business: You just mentioned some of the difficulties that you went through while writing ‘The Nighttime Is All In The Timing,’ so how did you feel when this project won Music Nova Scotia 2024 Rock Recording of the Year?
LOVIET: It was a huge honour. I still don’t really know how to process it, to be honest, but at the end of the day, feeling that support and recognition will always be huge for me, especially in the rock category as that genre is my genre and feels great to be there despite the turbulent past.
Spotlight on Business: What advice do you have for young artist looking to getting into the music industry?
LOVIET: I started recording when I was young and had my first couple of studio experiences when I was 14 or 15. One of the reasons I went to school for recording was because I was so naive 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 that I’m trying to say, especially from a creative standpoint with all the people in and out of the process.
I think, again, it all comes back to knowing yourself and trusting your own gut and instincts. I’m still learning how to do this and getting better at it now than it has before. It’s 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 guide you and let 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: Do you prefer performing live or recording? Why?
LOVIET: I think I’m a live artist first and that my strengths are in my live show. When performing, it’s your stage, and you get to make it whatever you want. When recording, I always felt like I was walking onto somebody else’s stage and expectations. I’m learning to understand more of how to own both stages by producing my own music and finding like-minded collaborators and producers to work with, but I work hard to find that connection between them both.
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. My recent releases are bridging more of that gap between the studio and live on-stage versions. It sometimes feels like a different version of myself when I get on stage versus in the studio, but I think those two artists are now working together more on both platforms.
Spotlight on Business: If you had the chance to do a duet with another artist, who would it be and why?
LOVIET: My dream duets would be with Lana Del Rey, Courtney Love, or Sheryl Crow. I feel like all three of these amazing women are the most iconic artists, performers, producers, and songwriters. All very different in their own ways from one another, but they have all influenced me greatly.
Spotlight on Business: Where can music fans find your music and upcoming shows?
LOVIET: 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.
LOVIET is back in the Maritimes for a couple of shows in 2025. On Thursday, May 8th, Natalie and the band will be heading to the Rock to perform at the 2025 East Coast Music Awards in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Then, the band returns from its tour in Ontario to take the stage Saturday night at this year’s Jubilee in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, on August 2nd.
We recommend that you do yourself a favour and get out and see a LOVIET live show. Natalie and the band are following the same trajectories as bands like The Beaches, with greater industry exposure and touring bigger venues, so getting to see LOVIET in a smaller venue is an experience that you may soon not have the opportunity to get, so get your tickets now. You can thank us later!
by Lee Ann Atwater