Liz (musician)

Elizabeth Abrams,[8][9] better known as Liz (stylized as LIZ)[10] or Liz Y2K,[1] is an American singer and actress from Tarzana, Los Angeles, California.[11] Her music is described by herself as "Sailor Moon R&B" and "future pop".[12] and her music has been continuously stated to be "unapologetically pop" sounding.[13]

Liz Y2K
Birth nameElizabeth Abrams
Also known asLiz Y2K[1]
Born (1987-03-16) March 16, 1987[2]
Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer,[6] Songwriter,[7] Actress[2]
Years active2013–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitelizy2k.com

Liz gained more attention in 2015 when she released a single, made with producer Sophie, called "When I Rule the World" which first appeared in a Samsung commercial.[14]

She is additionally recognized for her late 1990s/early 2000s influence which is prevalent in both her music and fashion.[15] The "Y2K" in her social media handles is in reference to this.

Early life and career

Liz was born in Los Angeles,[16] and grew up working in the arts. For 13 years of her childhood, she was a ballerina and danced with The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago for a period of time.[17] In addition to dancing and music, she also has a background in acting and has had several cameos in TV shows, co-starred in feature-length films, and has appeared in commercials throughout her artistic career.[18]

She has stated that she has wanted to be a musician since she was little[19] and began to sing around seven years old.[20] She started working with writers and producers when she was 13 years old after she auditioned for the girl group No Secrets which she did not make.[7]

Throughout her teens and early twenties, Liz performed acoustically at small venues in Los Angeles with her keyboard and would sell CDs at her shows.[17]

Musical career

2013–present

Liz is Mad Decent's first pop artist and the first woman signed to the label.[21] Before signing with Mad Decent, Liz was writing for and working with many different DJs and studios in the EDM community. It was through this community that she was introduced to Diplo who later signed her to his label in 2013.[7]

Throughout 2013, Liz released two EPs and a total of eight songs which included collaborating with producers such as The Picard Brothers, Djemba Djemba, Ryan Hemsworth, and Kevin Seaton.[22] She also released the music videos for "Hush" and "U Over Them" during this year. The website Kick Kick Snare named Liz as their favorite solo artist of 2013 and stated that her melodies "bend, twist, and weave around the nostalgic backing tracks in just the right way" and that she was "90's influenced, but forward thinking".[23] In addition to this, Charli XCX asked her to open for her True Romance U.S. Tour alongside KITTEN.[24] It was during this tour that Liz sold her Tour CD.

In 2014, Liz released her seven track EP Just Like You which she made available to download for free through her SoundCloud.[22] She also collaborated with Pharrell Williams for the song "That's My Man," which appeared on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack.[25] The music video for this song was released the same year as well as her music video for "All Them Boys."

Liz had met and collaborated with producer Sophie for the song "When I Rule the World" in 2014 but it was not released until 2015. It first appeared in a Samsung commercial and then later appeared in an episode of MTV's Scream.[14] Shortly following the song's release was its music video which gained a lot of attention for its over-the-top glossy and early 2000s aesthetic and hyperpop sound.[26] The song made both The Guardian's and The Idolator's list for "one of the best songs of 2015."[27][28]

During October 2016, Liz released her mixtape, Cross Your Heart, which she made available to stream through her SoundCloud. It was a 33-minute, one-track file consisting of 16 different songs made with producers such as Henrik the Artist, Lido, Mess Kid, King Henry, and Valentino Khan.[22] To complement the mixtape, Liz teamed up with Nicopanda to create a five-part fashion editorial.[29] During the shoot, Liz had to continuously put glycerine on her face to achieve the "plastic" look seen in the photos.[30] The mixtape received a lot of positive press which included Noisey calling it "one of 2016's most forward-thinking pop releases."[13]

Liz has stated that being influential and being a "tastemaker" is important to her and her musical career. She places high value on being able to progress with music and pop culture and does not follow music trends without fully understanding the source of that music's origin.[20]

On November 15, 2019, Liz released her first full-length studio album Planet Y2K under Moving Castle with the singles "Diamond in the Dark", "BTR 2GTHR", "Lottery", "Laguna Nights", and "Intuition".[31]

Style and influences

Musical

Liz has stated that she felt she made more original sounding music when she went back and studied the artists that influenced her growing up. Artists such as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Max Martin, NSYNC, Aaliyah, Ashanti, Mýa and Craig David. She says those sounds had a big impact on her and helped her figure out who she was as an artist and as a person.[7]

Some other artists that influenced her are Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Robyn, Christina Aguilera, and Mariah Carey.[12] Additionally, Liz says that Britney Spears taught her "how to be a pop star".[32]

Japanese culture has been stated to have an effect on her music as well. She likes to explore the idea of innocence in her work which she feels is present in a lot of Japanese music.[19]

Her music can also be tongue-in-cheek at times, and she enjoys taking on a different character for each of her songs.[26]

Fashion

Liz can often be found wearing big jerseys, pastel colored tracksuits,[18] and vintage pieces that she finds in swap meets.[33] She enjoys clothing that feels nostalgic to her[34] and takes influence from her childhood and the 1990s/early 2000s aesthetic.[33]

She states comfort as a priority in her fashion choices and wears a lot of oversized clothing. She also often mixes tomboy pieces with girly pieces.[33]

Liz believes music and fashion go hand in hand and she is inspired by designers and creative directors with how they "help create iconic moments in pop culture."[30]

Tours

Supporting

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details
Planet Y2K

Mixtapes
Title Details
Cross Your Heart
  • Release: October 17, 2016
  • Label: Nicopanda
  • Format: Streaming

Demo albums
Title Details
Liz: Tour CD

EPs
Title Details
XTC
  • Release: March 5, 2013
  • Label: Jeffree's
  • Format: CD, streaming
Hush
  • Release: June 18, 2013
  • Label: Mad Decent, Jeffree's
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Just Like You
  • Release: February 27, 2014
  • Label: Mad Decent
  • Format: Streaming

Singles
Title Year Album
"XTC" 2013 Liz: Tour CD and XTC
"Underdogs" (featuring Riff Raff)
"Horoscope" Liz: Tour CD
"Every Memory" Liz: Tour CD and Hush
"Hush"
"U Over Them" Liz: Tour CD
"Day n' Nite" (with Ryan Hemsworth)
"Stop Me Cold" Liz: Tour CD and Just Like You
"All Them Boys" 2014 Just Like You
"Y2K"
"Say U Would"
"Do I Like U"
"Don't Say" (featuring Tyga)
"Turn Around"
"That's My Man" Non-album single
"When I Rule the World" 2015 Cross Your Heart
"Tropical Holiday" 2017 Non-album singles
"Queen of Me" 2018
"Could U Love Me"
"Super Duper Nova"
"Pandemonium"
"Last Call" Planet Y2K
"Diamond in the Dark" (featuring Slayyyter) 2019
"BTR 2GTHR"
"Lottery" (featuring Aja)
"Laguna Nights"
"Intuition"
"Cloudbusting" 2020

Guest appearances
Year Title Artist(s)
2012 "Poison" Audrey Napoleon
"Human" Nicky Romero · Zedd
"Hourglass" Zedd
"Learn to Fly" [as Betty Trouble] XV
"Opium" [as Betty Trouble] Rusko
2014 "CAND¥¥¥LAND" tofubeats
"My Rulez" Kitten
"Live Forever" Travis Barker
"Employee of the Month" 2 Chainz
"Would U Believe It" Usher
2015 "Brand New" Myrne
"Set Me Free" Diplo
"Wild Target" Henrik the Artist
2016 "Luxury" Lil' Fang & Yup'in
2017 "Do It Again" FEMM
2018 "No Apologies" Rytmeklubben
"Real Life (Remix)" Sizzy Rocket
"Reconcile" Gent & Jawns
"Missing" Synchronice
2019 "Go Time" AObeats
2020 "Sweat" SONIKKU
"WKND" SONIKKU
"Spells On U" That Kid

Music videos
Year Title Director
2013 "Hush" Mike Bishop
"U Over Them" Niko Javan
2014 "All Them Boys" Mike Harris
"That's My Man" (lyric video)
"My Rulez" (with Kitten) Kaitlin Christy
2015 "When I Rule the World" Justin Francis
2017 "Do It Again" (with FEMM)
2018 "No Apologies" (with Rytmeklubben) Chris Helberg
"Reconcile" (with Gent & Jawns)
"Super Duper Nova" James Orlando
"Pandemonium" James Orlando
2019 "Last Call" (Afterparty Mix) James Orlando
"Diamond in the Dark" (feat. Slayyyter) Axel Bizzari

References
  1. "LIZ_Y2K". Twitter. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  2. "Liz Nicole Abrams". IMDb. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  3. Geslani, Michelle (May 2, 2014). "Listen: LIZ's sunny new pop song "That's My Man", produced by Pharrell". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  4. Cragg, Michael (December 24, 2013). "LIZ – All Them Boys: New music". The Guardian. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  5. Russell, Erica. "LIZ'S 'PLANET Y2K' ALBUM SOUNDS LIKE YOUR FAVORITE EARLY 2000S POP RECORD". Nylon. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  6. Murray, Robin (May 27, 2014). "Introducing... LIZ – Mad Decent endorsed pop newcomer..." Clash. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  7. Holmlund, Marcus (June 3, 2013). "DISCOVERY: LIZ". Interview. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  8. Michael, Patrick St. (September 30, 2014). "tofubeats calls on pals for his 'First Album'". Japan Times. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  9. Rettig, James (August 19, 2015). "Q&A: LIZ On "When I Rule The World" And Her Plans for the Future". Stereogum. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  10. Hughes, Josiah (July 28, 2015). "LIZ – "When I Rule the World" (video)". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  11. Vazquez, Neil (August 6, 2014). "Tumblr Artist Liz Sets Her Sights on Stardom IRL". LA Weekly. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  12. "LIZ". Facebook. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  13. He, Richard (October 17, 2016). "LIZ Creates Pure Pop, But Don't Be Calling It a Guilty Pleasure". noisey. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  14. Rettig, James (August 19, 2015). "Q&A: LIZ On "When I Rule The World" And Her Plans for the Future". Stereogum. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  15. Klurstein, Marissa (October 30, 2013). "LIZ Y2K". Nasty Gal. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  16. Catarinella, Alex (May 19, 2014). "Sick of Nineties Nostalgia? LIZ Brings Back Y2K Sounds and Style". Style.com. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  17. "Pit Board Editorial". Fast Dates. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  18. "LIZ releases new track, Ariana Grande drops new video. But which pop princess is more #relevant?". ACCLAIM. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  19. "LIZ Is Ready to Pop". Vice. August 13, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  20. Abascal, Lina (November 8, 2013). "Mad Decent's Liz Is a Walking High School Drama From 2001". noisey. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  21. "LIZ: THE RULING PRINCESS OF 2000S POP GLOSS". LADYGUNN. July 22, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  22. "LIZ". SoundCloud. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  23. "[BEST OF 2013] FAVORITE SOLO ARTIST: LIZ". Kick Kick Snare. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  24. White, Caitlin (April 9, 2014). "Crushing on LIZ: Here's Her Video for "All Them Boys"". Vice. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  25. Locker, Melissa (May 1, 2014). "LIZ Teams Up With Pharrell Williams For "That's My Man"". Time. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  26. Bernard, Jesse (September 30, 2015). "The Unapologetic World of LIZ". The 405. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  27. Cragg, Michael (December 23, 2015). "The playlist: the best pop of 2015 – Carly Rae Jepsen, the Weeknd and more". The Guardian. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  28. "The 20 Best Pop Songs Of 2015: Idolator Editors Pick Their Favorites". Idolator. December 14, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  29. "Nicopanda". Nicopanda. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  30. White, Caitlin (October 17, 2016). "Liz Y2K Goes Full Space Brat On Her New Mixtape And Accompanying Nicopanda Fashion Editorial". Uproxx. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  31. https://nylon.com/liz-planet-y2k-interview
  32. Lester, Paul (January 1, 2016). "Shake it up: the future female pop stars of 2016". The Guardian. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  33. Klurstein, Marissa (October 30, 2013). "Nasty Gals in the Wild". Nasty Gal. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  34. Montgomery, James (February 27, 2014). "Bow Down Glitches Meet Liz Mad Decents Queen of Sailor Moon". MTV News. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  35. "Planet Y2K by LIZ". Apple Music. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
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