This week, I’m joined by Nathan Liow — an award-winning jazz pianist and composer who has been a key figure in Melbourne’s jazz scene, performing regularly at venues like Jazzlab, Paris Cat, Birds Basement, and Uptown. He’s studied with some of the world’s best, including Fred Hersch, Vijay Iyer, Geri Allen, Andrea Keller, and Tony Gould, and his compositions have been featured in film soundtracks, installation works, and gallery spaces.
Beyond his jazz career, Nathan is also the artist behind Life Is Better Blonde, a solo project that quickly gained critical acclaim. In 2015, it had a rapid rise, earning a J Award nomination, Triple J rotation, and a spot in BBC 1Xtra’s Top 5 Future R&B. With millions of streams, it was an unexpected success—but we also reflect on how quickly the moment passed and what that taught him about the music industry, expectations, and making music for yourself.
We also discuss keeping an audio journal, his creative process, and balancing live band energy vs. studio production. And fair warning—I was crazy tired from a uni exam when we recorded this, so the chat gets a little all over the shop at times, but it made for an authentic and fun conversation.
This was an awesome chat—don’t miss it!
Here's some of the links we mentioned -
Mine (Directed by Natalie James) https://youtu.be/FhnYVKeUwfo
Fires (Directed by Natalie James) https://youtu.be/i8KyhFRQDpQ
Follow Me (Directed by Natalie James) https://youtu.be/l0J11zbknUM
Jazz/Improv album with Paris Favilla
Operasphere https://open.spotify.com/album/7kIJKo81xDcAGCd92mKP0F?si=6WyCTvHHQBOnFIaC5gvcBQ
Website www.nathanliow.com AND www.lifeisbetterblonde.com
Instagram www.instagram.com/nathanliowpiano AND https://www.instagram.com/libblonde/
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