This week’s Celeb, Lia Kurihara, is a U2 Environmental Economics major and soon-to-be marketing minor student who finds time in her busy schedule to write songs, sing and play guitar. Read below to learn about her experiences and listen to some of her incredible songs.
Anna Stuber for Her Campus McGill (HC McGill): How did you get involved with singing/guitar playing?
Lia Kurihara (LK): I started singing from a very young age, whether is was singing along to the theme song of Winnie the Pooh or to random songs in the car. My parents encouraged me to pursue singing and in fifth grade I started taking singing lessons. My dad majored in classical guitar so when I was in seventh grade he taught me how to play. By this time I was able to play guitar and sing. I started performing in tenth grade and I became involved in a music show when I received my first solo (which was unusual for a tenth grader to receive) and I also performed in my first coffee house. In eleventh grade I tried out for my high school’s chamber choir and I was accepted. This gave me a chance to perform classical music which encouraged me to develop formal singing skills.
HC McGill: How do you write your songs/ what is the process ?
LK: I will play around on my guitar until I find a chord progression or melody that I like and I’ll keep playing it over. I’ll start free styling lyrics and keep singing until I develop the lyrics and keep adding to the song until it becomes a full song.
HC McGill: Where do you get your inspirations for songs?
LK: My lyric ideas come form my personal life or the experiences of my friends and family. For example, my song “Silence in Sound” is about depression and was inspired by friends who came to talk to me about their personal experiences. I’ll often write about friends breakups as well. The three artists that are my biggest inspiration are Sarah Bareilles, Jason Mraz, and Jack Johnson.
HC McGill: Are you ever nervous that the subjects of your songs know the songs are about them?
LK: Anything other than love songs I’ll discuss with the subjects of my songs first so they know it’s about them. I’ve had an experience where one guy realized a song I wrote was about him but other than that I try and avoid having them find out. The songs I write are more for me, they are a way for me to let out any frustrations because I can easily express myself through music. It’s definitely a big fear that guys will think I am crazy and writing about them.
HC McGill: What’s the most challenging part of singing/ playing guitar?
LK: The biggest challenge for me is finding the time to write, sing or play. I am always thinking about it or finding new inspiration for songs but school often takes over. It’s a frustrating feeling because if I was able to put more time into it right now then I could go further with developing my music but unfortunately school is my first priority at the moment.
HC McGill: What’s your musical style? Where is it heading in the future?
LK: It’s currently going through a shift. In the past I’ve focussed more on acoustic, indie, pop and love music. For future songs, I am starting to focus more on electronically produced music. I used to reject this type of music because I didn’t think it had as much merit as a raw voice or guitar due to auto tuning and added effects but I’ve realized it opens up more opportunities.
HC McGill: Do you feel nervous before releasing a song or performing?
LK: I hope that when I post a link online it gets lots of activity because I want as many people as possible to view the link. I also get nervous if I release a love song because I don’t want guys to think it’s about them. When performing I used to get really nervous. I still get nervous but they’re more excited nerves. It’s a good energy to share my music with others and I just hope that they like my songs and that I don’t mess up.
HC McGill: Tell me about your experience with singing/ guitar at McGill?
LK: When I was at New Rez I met a solid community of musicians and I performed in all of the rez coffee houses last year. I also played at a musician collective at Gerts which was an open mic performance. It’s been hard balancing between performing and school so I haven’t pursued any other opportunities yet. Last year I collaborated with a friend acoustically and this year I’ve been working with a couple of second year producers.
HC McGill: What are your goals for the future?
LK: I want to set up more opportunities to play around McGill and Montreal. I also want to finish songs and keep learning and growing in the production side of things. My goal is to release an EP (mini album) before graduation or shortly after in 2016.
Check out Lia’s songs on YouTube and Soundcloud!
Images contributed by the interviewee