Insurgent, outspoken and unapologetic, Liza Owen is the kind of rising star 2021 needs. Even if the name is new to you, you’ll have heard her work, as Owen’s career started with songwriting for the likes of Selena Gomez and BTS. Now coming into her own with edge and candour, her raw and rebellious sound and style are setting her apart.

Liza’s latest single, JOSIE, is an anthemic ballad of modern pop, with the essence of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ in feeling, and the visual’s Western imagery. At a glance, the softly lit, cinematically-rich (per Liza’s request) video matches the song’s resentful tone, but Liza Owen isn’t so idle when “Josie’s back in town”. “I think it’s something that everybody can relate to,” Liza told us, “Every man and every woman has a Josie”, the track is autobiographical for the singer, an element of songwriting she’s never shied away from, previously discussing themes of toxicity and self-destruction in her music. With the captivating presence of Liza’s murderous, fringe-adorned character, and the backdrop of a Los Angeles apartment after dark, the music video for JOSIE is a perfect introduction to Owen’s music and finesse.

Photo Credits: Dana Trippe

“Every man and every woman has a Josie”

Liza Owen

The half Cambodian, half English artist keeps the edge continued in her fashion, her colourful clothing and rockstar chic combination perfectly reflective of her subversive and wild persona. We got the enormous privilege of a walk through her wardrobe and a conversation with the star-to-be about her favourite clothes and the stories behind them. A creative force who’s often fully immersed in the process of her visuals and videos, Liza certainly had a lot to show us.

Video edited by Harry Kingston

Shop Liza Owen’s wardrobe here:

£ 1,360

Saks Potts Gloss Finished Coat

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£ 125

ASOS Pinstripe Double Breasted Blazer

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£ 75

ASOS Pinstripe Wide Leg Trouser

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£ 18

ASOS Fitted Shirt

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£ 139

Dr Martins Patent Leather Platform Shoes

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£ 125

Versace White Sunglasses

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£ 225

Hatton Labs Gold Playboy Edition Bunny Necklace

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£ 319

ASH Dream Cowboy-style Leather Boots

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£ 760

SAINT LAURENT Love Fringed Suede Heart Bag

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£ 741

Louis Vuitton Vintage Theda Bag

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£ 300

Stand Studio Nikki Coat

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Words By Daisy Greetham, Graphics By Millie Pollok

The post Liza Owen Talks Favourite ‘Fits And Her Latest Single ‘Josie’ In Our New Wardrobe Series Episode appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Niia has largely spent her lockdown contemplating life, reflecting on past decisions and working with sound bowls (more on that later). This period of self-reflection is clear in her new single ‘Not Up For Discussion’. Voir chatted to Niia on the day of its release…

Like all of us, Niia has struggled with parts of the past year but has ultimately taken it as a time to pause, think, and realign what’s important to her. “[In lockdown] you’re forced to take the time to educate yourself on things and to think about what’s important to you and how you want to spend your time,” she says thoughtfully. “Suddenly everything seems a bit more meaningful, I’m focussing on where I really feel I should put my energy.” In Niia’s case, as a part of the minute population of people who haven’t caved to Netflix’s Bridgerton, this means spending her time making sure her plants are watered, her workout is done, her dinner is cooked and she’s (safely) forcing herself to see friends regularly to stay balanced. “I’m not that social,” she tells me. “But that’s kind of my parameter for how I am, if my plants start to die I know I need to get it together.“

Generally, routine and reflection is what seems to have got Niia through the pandemic. “Also, just learning about whats going on [in the world] in a way that feels healthy. I do think there’s trauma fatigue with all the anxiety going on in the world and that really impacts you, stress-wise.” Niia tells me she’s also been working with sound bowls – large crystal bowls which you play almost like an instrument, that create vibrations usually used for relaxation and meditation, but also physical pain healing. I must admit, I had to ask Niia for this information as the concept of a sound bowl was new to me, “I didn’t really believe in it, I thought it was a little hippy dippy for me, but I have neck pain and it works, it’s physically proven,” she says. “People will cry when they go to a sound bath, it’s like a release of all the stuff that’s blocked. I’m just doing everything I can to stay healthy and stress free.”

She’s also taken lockdown as an opportunity to branch out when it comes to her personal style. “What’s so ironic is that I don’t really love attention, and people always have the opinion that I love to dress up and all this stuff,” she says. “I’ve grown into my style, coming from a jazz music background I used to do these recitals and it was was always a formal black dress. My style has kind of evolved into what I feel safe in, I’d say it’s classic with a dark twist.” She lusts over looks by everyone from Tilda Swinton (“she’s so weird, I love it”) to Monica Bellucci (“I love me some sexy stuff”) and settles on “fusing this androgynous character with a sexy vixen” as the best description of her own style. Any impulsive lockdown purchases? “I have bought some very questionable things,” she tells me, laughing. “I bought this tight, neon – totally not me – tie-dye dress. I put it on and was like ‘who is she?’, but sometimes you get stuck in your comfort zone and I’m really trying to evolve.” Niia is of the opinion that despite fashion and music’s long, drawn- out relationship, styling artists has become something of a competition as to who can make headlines with the wackiest fit. “I just don’t want to look back in 20 years and be like ‘why was I wearing that?’”

Niia’s second album, II: La Bella Vita, was released last February – just a month before the world went into lockdown. “Luckily I don’t put so much weight in the ‘success’ of [my work] or what it’s going to do, it’s really just for me. I just love creating and being in a studio and working with people I trust,” she explains. “If I didn’t ever have to release music, that would be ok with me.” In fact, it’s the actual sharing of her music that Niia still struggles with at times, “Because of the state of the world in general, how congested it is.” Whilst she is lucky enough not to worry too much about the numbers when it comes to releasing music, she admits that it was a little awkward having a billboard of her album up on Sunset Boulevard whilst the world slipped slowly into a state of lockdown. “I was like, “please take the billboard down now”’ she laughs. “I’m proud of it though, and the more music I release the more people will go back to that album.”

The creation of II: La Bella Vita, took place in Italy, where Niia’s family roots are. She flew a group of musicians out there and, whilst she was worried about their productivity levels stooping after settling into an Italian lifestyle of long lunches and relaxation, she was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. “I just couldn’t be in LA any more. In Italy you wake up, have your food, you go create, have like a four hour lunch,” she laughs. “We ended up being more productive because of the calmness, and got better music out of it.” Niia tells me she feels at home in Italy, but in a different way to her life in LA. “It feels like home in my sense of self, rather than the location. When I’m there I feel less stressed, the Italian culture caters to a better lifestyle,” she says. “I know LA is all about wellness but there’s this need to be creating and competing with everyone. In Italy, nobody cares, they’re just doing their own thing.”

Not only are her family responsible for her appreciation of the Italian culture, but for her musical passions. Her mother was a classical pianist, all her cousins sing, and everybody in the family plays some sort of instrument. “When I was younger, I just assumed every family was musical,” she tells me. “But I realised they weren’t and it was just the norm for me because my mother forced me to do piano lessons. I was an introverted kid so it was how I expressed myself.” Niia soon realised that this was something she could actually build a career out of, and yet it continued to be a therapy outlet for her too.

Niia’s previous album was very heavily influenced by her Italian roots, but is her upcoming EP similarly informed? “My music will always have an Italian influence, but in the essence of it being personal and having dramatic arrangements,” she says. “The Italian music that I grew up with was so lush, so romantic. The arrangements, the drama of it – I’ve always carried that with me.” Whilst II: La Bella Vita focused heavily on these themes, her new EP has more subtle elements. “[My heritage] is definitely a big pillar in my music – I usually just write about love or heartache because I grew up singing jazz and that’s what it’s all about,” she explains. “But this EP, by natural evolution, became more about myself and how I’m reflecting on time, on things and people that I don’t need in my life anymore. So [the Italian influence] is always there, it’s just shifting more to be about myself and my identity as a musician.”

Her new single, ‘Not Up for Discussion’, featuring Laura Lee, was released last week and is the first taste of new music from Niia. Her past two albums, I and II: La Bella Vita have documented the trials and tribulations of romantic relationships. In contrast, the new track It opens with the line “life teaches you nothing, not up for discussion” and the idyllic, self-directed video sees Niia slowly strolling through a paradisal beach house, with people lounging around in every corner. “It’s kind of about disassociation. I’m amongst all my friends, but they’re kind of ignoring me… doing their own thing.” The song itself carries a hint of irony, and Niia tells me that despite the profound opening lyric, the message is quite the opposite. “Life teaches you everything! It’s what you make it. I tried to lace that in in a way that isn’t contrived or preachy, it’s like ‘do whatever you want’ but do it for you, do what makes you happy.”

My conversation with Niia leaves me feeling calm and inspired, as if it is my time to invest in a sound bowl and get reflecting (it also makes me want to hop on a plane to Italy, ASAP). The bottom line? Be it her Italian heritage or her commitment to growth and soul-searching, Niia does not produce surface-level work. She is an artist for the sake of her art, and Voir looks forward to seeing what she produces next.

Niia’s new single, ‘Not Up For Discussion’ featuring Laura Lee is out now, watch the video now:

Words By Pippa Simmonds

The post Up For Discussion with Niia appeared first on Voir Fashion.

The 20-year-old Indonesian pop star tells Voir about her love for gaming, her teenage determination not to be a musician, and the story behind her new EP, AM/PM… 

It’s 11pm in Indonesia, where Stephanie Poetri lives and has spent most of the day working and gaming. You wouldn’t necessarily know she was at the latter end of her day, given that Poetri displays all the energy and enthusiasm of a golden retriever puppy. “I may have taken a nap…” she says through a cheeky smile. She doesn’t seem to mind too much about our late-evening call, and tells me she works better at night anyway. “So do my producers – it’s why we linked up in the first place. My only issue is the time zone! Now I’ve moved [back to Indonesia], I have to wake up in the morning to work with them.” A girl after my own heart, Stephanie needs her sleep. Her ‘hack’ for waking up early to work is to go to bed at about 5pm the evening before. “It makes my morning feel more like an evening!” She giggles. 

Poetri was born and raised near Jakarta, to a music teacher father and ‘diva’ mother. “Here, diva means singer,” Stephanie explains after I express my fondness for the term by which her mother, Indonesian household name Titi DJ, is known. “In most people’s mind it means being an… annoying person.” She laughs. “It’s funny, because everybody thought I was going to follow in my mother’s footsteps, I actively tried not to be a musician,” she tells me. “I always took art instead of music [at school], maybe that was my rebellious phase growing up.” Once she graduated high school, Stephanie became more content with the idea of doing what she wanted. The first step in this new found freedom was to take a producing class, which is what made her realise that music might be the answer to the question on every high school graduate’s lips: what do I want to do with my life? 

But how does Stephanie feel about catching her mother up in terms of fame? “It was weird at first because I was always known as her daughter, and for the first time people knew my name, which was nice.” She explains. “But after a while she started being known as Stephanie Poetri’s Mom, which I felt guilty about because when [it was the other way round] it irked me a little. I was like ‘is that all I am to you?” she says, laughing again. Stephanie’s infectious giggles aren’t necessarily what you’d expect of a young pop star with a million Instagram followers and a shiny new EP – but she’s just so nice. It probably helps that, despite admitting ‘you learn as you go’ when it comes to the music industry, Stephanie’s mother was able to give her some insight that not all musicians are lucky enough to have at the start of their career. It strikes me that this has to do with the fact that Stephanie’s fame has most definitely not gone to her head. 

Poetri’s new EP, AM/PM, is one for both the early birds and the night owls. It was released just last week, and as the title suggests, takes listeners from day to night in terms of sound. Those who knew Stephanie from her breakout song, ‘I Love You 3000’ (named after an emotional scene from Avengers: Endgame) were surprised at the dark vibe of her track ‘Paranoia’ and the more upbeat tone of some of the other tracks on the EP, but the response has been great. Her own personal favourite is ‘3pm’, a song that required no poeticism. “I was like: ‘I’m just gonna write exactly what I mean” she says. “I’m no linguist, it’s 3pm and I’m still asleep. That’s pretty much the whole thing.” she says. The point of this particular track, juxtaposed against her more metaphorical songs, was to be as honest as possible about how she has found herself dealing with the past year. A line that, sadly, rung true to me was: ‘Feel like I’m on vacay when I’m at the store’, Stephanie chuckles when I tell her this and says: “We’ve all had our own ways of coping with [the pandemic], and that’s fine.” 

I’m interested to know how Stephanie has found the past year in general, and she tells me that she’s made more friends in lockdown than in the two years following her high school graduation. “I saw all my friends doing their thing at college, making new friends. I had such bad FOMO,” she says. “And then for some reason, immediately after I got a gaming PC, I made so many friends! I’m an extrovert, I need people around. Even if I’m just in a call with people, I’ll mute myself and do work.” We discuss our shared love of working in coffee shops, and decide it’s probably the procrastination of people watching that holds the most appeal. 

Stephanie posted regularly to her YouTube channel even before her musical success, and this makes for quite a chunk of her huge online following. “I think what’s great about [social media] is that to a lot of people I’m not just a musician,” she considers. “When I feel boxed in, I get really stressed.” It’s, for this reason, she appreciates the people that follow her for her gaming posts and other non-music-related content. “It makes me feel a lot better. I got lucky because I have a really supportive community, but having your life put on social media and being vulnerable there can be a challenge.” It was thanks to this supportive community that her music blew up the way it did – she was visiting colleges for an alternate career path, Psychology, in Singapore when people started recognising her on the street. “It’s incredible what you can do with no marketing. I just put [a song] up randomly through an online thing.” It makes Stephanie hopeful that, thanks to the power of the internet, other people can follow the same path. “If you’ve got a great song and you believe in it, you don’t need marketing. Social media will do that for you.” 

Before we say goodbye, I want to know whether Stephanie has any plans to play the EP live later this year, when the law allows. “A lot of my songs are very chill, but I would definitely be down. I’m imagining performing in a little coffee shop where people are just chilling, I think a lot of the AM songs would work well like that,” she says. “Paranoia was the first song where I think if I was on stage, I could just go crazy.” She laughs. Whilst she gives no hints as to when or where this might take place, we can look forward to seeing Stephanie go crazy on stage some time soon.

Interview And Words By Pippa Simmonds

The post The Power of the Internet: An Interview With Stephanie Poetri appeared first on Voir Fashion.