Daily Inspiration: Meet Liam Tully

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liam Tully.

Hi Liam, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in the Bay Area, listening to mostly old blues and rock ‘n roll. Chuck Berry more than anybody made me want to play music. There’s videos of me from when I was four or five years old, dancing on the fireplace mantle with little plastic Mickey Mouse guitar, pretending like I was performing on stage.

I started writing songs at 17, mostly inspired by the lyrics of artists like Paul Simon and the Eagles. I went to college in Seattle, thinking I would go to law school when I graduated, never really imagining I would pursue music professionally, but something shifted in my junior year when I released a collaborative EP with my friend, and I thought, “Damn, I could really do this.”

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
After college, my friend and I moved to LA together and kept writing and making music, thinking we’d make it as a duo. But something shifted for him a few years into living here, and he realized the artist life just wasn’t something he was happy in. He moved home to Oakland in the winter of 2019, just before the pandemic.

I spent the next two years trying to reframe and rebuild after having spent so many years investing in our duo. I didn’t really know who I was as an individual without that partnership, but I finally started releasing my first songs as a solo artist in 2022 as the pandemic was starting to ease.

It’s been a really long road, and I’m finally coming to a place where I’m starting to see the value in myself, standing alone. It’s a really scary thing to put out there; there’s truly nowhere to hide. It’s like doing an exercise you really hate, but you know will help build you a stronger body. Like pull-ups. I. HATE. Pull-ups.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I released a song last year called “When She’s High” that had a bit of a viral moment on Spotify–it just passed seven million streams across all platforms. It’s a bit chill pop vibe with some hip-hop influence. I was really proud to play my first live show this year in LA. The crowd was amazing, and to hear a whole room of people singing along, not just to that song but every song in my set? That was incredible.

When I work with other artists at my studio, it’s a one-stop shop for writing, production, and mixing. My specialty is vocal production and lyrics. My most recent project is probably the one I’m proudest of, taking a very stripped-down solo guitar song my friend Kiefer Detrick wrote and turning it from a sort of throwback Sinatra-type number into a full-fledged pop record that evokes shades of Jon Bellion.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’m pretty good about listening to things people send me on TikTok and Instagram! I can’t always respond, but I’ll pretty much always listen. I love meeting people at shows and hearing what people are working on. Right now, the best way you can support is just by sharing my music with your friends!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/LiamTully
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiamTully
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@liamtullymusic

Image Credits:
Augusto Piccio