Life & Work with Lia Booth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lia Booth.

Lia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I come from a musical family, vocalist parents, and grew up with classic rock, musical theater, Nat King Cole and Miles Davis. High school choirs, church worship teams, etc. I didn’t know what jazz was until college (2010, Mt. SAC) when I auditioned and made it into a vocal jazz ensemble (Singcopation, 13 voices). This group changed my life, for sure. Shortly after making it into the group, I was approached by good family friend and bandleader/clarinet player (a la benny goodman), Keith Ward, about sitting in with his band (Blackwood Jazz Combo). I didn’t know any standards at all but said yes and learned When I Fall In Love. Keith continued to ask me to sit in until I learned enough tunes and he made me an official part of the band. We had a steady, weekly gig in Corona for five years! I cut my teeth on that gig, no doubt.

All this time, I was also singing in Singcopation, learning how to scat, how to listen, and traveling all over for choir tours and competitions. Eventually, my network grew to the point where I would get calls to sing for other bands, and that was it. I should mention that I was studying Sign Language Interpreting pretty much the whole time I was at Mt. SAC. Aside from music, languages have always been my other love. I wanted to be an interpreter + I wanted to sing in Singcopation = go to Mt. Sac and sing in choir while I get a degree in ASL interpreting (the only language for which Mt. SAC, where Singco is, had an interpreting program). After five years, I finally transferred to CSULB where I sang in Pacific Standard Time and got my degree in Human Development. A 7.5 years span of failing classes, retaking classes, singing in school jazz choir, working at Chipotle and Disabled Student Services, and (most formatively) gigging. I came to love the freedom that comes with interpreting the tunes. I now make my living singing. It took a long time to feel that freedom and I will always be learning and growing in my skills, but I’ve made a career out of singing music that I absolutely love. I can express myself fully AND make a living. I’m now going on 11 years as a professional jazz vocalist and I am very grateful.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course not. Starting out, I was a kid who could sing. That’s not really enough when you sing this music. You have to know it AND yourself so well that you become one entity. That may sound cheesy but I totally believe it. I’ve accumulated some pretty good, growing life experiences that have opened me up and forced me to take a really deep look at myself and what I want from this life. Parents divorced when I was 11ish, dad came out when I was in high school, constant struggle to pass classes in college, intermittent depression/anxiety, and most recently, my own divorce and remarriage. That is obviously extremely vague, and there was so much good that came from all of it, but my point is that struggle can do wonders for the creative mind. I am an extremely expressive and emotional person. Always have been. I am grateful for the painful things I’ve experienced because it taught me so much about myself and about functioning as a fully grown human being on this planet, and I have been able to channel all that life experience into my music.

Not to mention the years it takes to build up a professional network! It’s a slow process and getting gigs can be very difficult. I’ve been fortunate to have enough support from various relationships along the way that I never had to stop being a full-time musician. Up until, of course, the lock-down, which rocked our world completely. There was little-to-no work for freelance musicians. Fortunately, a lot of that work has come back and I’m back in it, making a living again. And I’ll gladly repeat myself over and over again, I am very, very grateful.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional jazz vocalist. I have been learning, listening, and expressing via the interpretation of the Great American Songbook, etc., for the last 11 years. I would say that I specialize in improvisation and interpretation. I guarantee you I will never sing a song the same way twice. And how awesome is that! Once a certain level of skill has been reached, you can be as expressive or conservative as you want. It’s your call to determine what is appropriate for the tune, atmosphere, client, etc. I love that freedom. I tend to experiment 80-90% of the time, damned be the consequences. Which means sometimes I miss a chord change or my voice doesn’t cooperate with my creativity. But I’d say I’m most proud of my drive to be experimental, despite fear and anxiety. That’s how I learn best, the hard way.

What matters most to you?
Connection. For sure. And real connection, not surface-level small-talk stuff. I tend to get down to the meat REAL quick in conversation. Because this music is so open for interpretation, and I am so willing to be fully open with my emotions, I am able to connect with people on a very emotional level. We are here to support, see, listen, and connect with one another. This business allows me to do that very well.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: liabooth.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/liabooth
• Facebook: facebook.com/liaboothmusic
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/061315

Image Credits:
Joshua A Photography Terence Love Steamers Rob Lebow Photography