Meet Monica Livorsi

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Monica Livorsi. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Monica, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
Creativity blocks are the absolute worst! However, I’ve found they can also lead to some of the most creative ideas. About 2 years ago, back in May 2022, I was struggling with writer’s block and vocal loss all at the same time. I hadn’t written a new song in quite some time, I was itching to scratch that part of my brain again, but I also didn’t have a singing voice to use while writing the song. It was an extremely frustrating time. I’d never written a love song before and wanted to give that a go but was pulling no inspiration from my personal experiences, so in a last ditch effort I turned to one of my favorite books, “Persuasion” by Jane Austen, and decided to write a love song from the perspective of the main character, Anne Elliot. A song instantly emerged.

Curious that using a character’s experience led to such quick inspiration, I figured I’d try writing a song for another character. I chose Mary Crawford from Austen’s novel “Mansfield Park”. Sure enough, another song came into being.

After receiving positive feedback on my Austen-inspired writing at some open mics, I decided to continue writing songs from the perspectives of various Jane Austen female characters. It felt like a ridiculous concept, but it was inspiring my writing and people seemed to be enjoying the songs. I hit 6 songs and made the decision to keep going and make it an album.

2 years later, I have 12 songs and an album releasing in April 2024 titled “All About Jane”. A local theatre organization, Buzz Music Theatre through The Hive Collaborative in St Paul took an interest in my music and the concept and we put on a full weekend of Jane Austen concept-album shows in December 2023. I’ll be performing 2 album release shows at The Hive Collaborative May 3 & 4, 2024, with hopefully more shows to come. The response to this project has continued to blow my mind, especially since it unintentionally stemmed from a simple desire to overcome writer’s block. I never expected my first album to be a Jane Austen concept-album, but I couldn’t be happier and more thankful with where this creative journey has led and is continuing to lead me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a singer, pianist, and songwriter based in the Twin Cities area, and for the past 2 years have been branching out on my own as an artist. The majority of my musical background falls into more classical music categories, I studied classical voice in high school and college, participated in choir and musical theatre. I’ve always had a heart for songwriting and contemporary music styles, but was a bit of a late bloomer as a vocalist and until recently feel I have the skills and confidence to pursue the music scene in my own right.

My biggest musical inspiration is without a doubt Sara Bareilles – her writing style strongly influences mine, as does her vocal and musical versatility. I aspire to have a career as full of experimentation and varying opportunities as Sara B. In 2021 I released my first EP titled “Here and Now”, and in April of 2024 I’ll be releasing my very first album “All About Jane”.

“All About Jane” is a Jane Austen concept-album of 12 songs, each song featuring a different female character from Austen’s 6 novels. My songwriting genre was once described as “girl power” and that continues to ring true in this upcoming album.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Ambition/Drive: Jumping into a world that you’ve always wanted to be a part of yet aren’t quite sure how to start can be intimidating – but if it’s something you really want, you have to go for it. I have always wanted to be a part of the Twin Cities music scene, and while I still have a lot to learn and experience, one thing I am good at is jumping in and being persistent. I will email a venue multiple times until they give me a response. If there is an artist that I admire or want to learn more about their career, I reach out and ask them to meet with me. I’m constantly seeking out new venues or collaborations. I say yes to as many opportunities that I can, you never know who you might meet or what you might learn.

Constant desire to learn: On the Clifton StrengthsFinder, my second highest strength was “Learner” – I’m constantly wanting to learn more and keep improving. When I first started leading bands, I asked a lot of questions to my fellow musicians about what they recommended was necessary for an efficient rehearsal and performance. I will forever continue to work on improving my chord charts and lead sheets, as well as my leadership skills and songwriting. I love listening to other musicians and hearing new things that I then try to emulate or experiment with in my own music. There is so much to soak up and I truly believe there always will be.

Relationship building: As with any profession, one of the most important pieces is relationship building. One of my favorite things to do is when I meet an artist that I admire and want to hear more from, I ask them to get together and tell me about their journey. What’s super helpful about this, is not only am I building a connection with someone new and learning more about them, but it’s also a great way to find out if paths that they took professionally might also appeal to me. I wasn’t sure where to begin with music, I was overwhelmed with all the different routes I could take. I told one artist that I wanted to perform more, which led to him asking me to sing with his band and later referring me to other groups. The more I’ve built connections and jumped in, the more I’ve discovered what appeals to me and what roads I want to take.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Imposter syndrome is the most difficult challenge I face. It comes in phases and you never know when it’s going to hit. I’ve always tried to be realistic in my skillsets, and for the longest time that was finding that I wasn’t quite at the level that others were as both a vocalist and performer. I faced a lot of rejection before my voice started to mature, and that didn’t happen until my early 20’s, which feels horribly late compared to others. While my confidence has definitely grown as a musician, there are times when that doubt creeps in, or I don’t feel qualified to be doing what I’m doing because I don’t have as much experience.

I’m still working through how to cope with this, as it’s still a very real thing for me. I do my best to push those thoughts down so they don’t get in the way of a performance or a goal. My current mindset is to push through no matter what, however this is definitely not the healthiest way. As a performer, it’s easy to rely on the affirmation of others to help you feel “good enough”, but this is a dangerous line – I’m working to find ways to prove to MYSELF that I am good enough, and hope that one day I’ll be able to affirm myself and dispel that imposter syndrome mindset.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
1st photo from performance with candles: Emily Garst Photography 2nd photo performance in green shirt: Cameron Flynn Studio All other photos: Jillian Blanc Photography

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