South Wales singer and actor Liz Keech has been delighting audiences for several years with her appearances on stage in comedies such as Blackadder III and dramas including Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Liz also well known for her singing performances throughout the UK and abroad and during lockdown has been delighting audiences online with her interpretations of popular songs including standards and musical theatre.
In today’s Music DNA feature, Liz reveals the music that has inspired her journey to Andy Howells.
What was the first song that made an impact on you?
I was brought up from a very early age around music and musical theatre – some of my earliest memories are being in the car with my family singing along to the tape of the Les Misérables 10th Anniversary concert, Miss Saigon, and various other soundtracks!
When I was 9, my dad was in a local production of Godspell, and sitting in the audience watching that show is the moment I define as ‘the’ moment I knew I wanted to be a performer too. There are so many phenomenal songs in Godspell, but the one that stuck with me would be ‘We Beseech Thee’ (the song my dad sang!).
What was the first single you bought?
I don’t think I actually bought that many singles overall, I was more of an albums girl! One I definitely remember buying is ‘Wake me Up When September Ends’ by Green Day.
What was the first album you owned?
Britney Spears – ‘Baby One More Time’. I remember sitting with my headphones in, playing the tape over and over on my Walkman until it was worn out. I’d probably still remember 90% of the lyrics from that album now!
What’s your constant go to track?
Switchfoot – ‘Live it Well’. It’s exhilarating and uplifting, and the lyrics are a reminder of how life is a miracle and we need to live it as fully as possible! It’s certainly how I’ve tried to be, finding out about myself and my strengths over the past couple of years.
What’s your constant go to album?
Needtobreathe – ‘Hard Love’. There’s not a bad track on there! Needtobreathe aren’t as well known in the UK as I feel they should be – they’re one of my all-time favourites. The perfect combination of country, rock and gospel. The album never fails to get me singing at the top of my voice!
Who’s your latest music discovery?
Ben Platt. He played the title role in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ on Broadway and had a supporting role in the ‘Pitch Perfect’ films. In the last couple of years, he’s started releasing his own music and I could listen to him sing 24/7. His voice is so beautiful and smooth and he sings with so much emotion. My sister loves him too. We’re constantly sending each other links to tracks or videos of him singing!
What’s the track that best defines you as a person?
I’m certainly a covers singer rather than a songwriter – the closest I’ve got to writing a song was when I was a teenager and my friend Simon and I wrote this song called ‘Lost in the Shadow’ that we were convinced was going to be a hit, but I think we’d both agree today that it was pretty terrible! I’m grateful to be able to sing a range of songs from pop songs at weddings, to musical theatre, to leading hymns for church services, and I intend to keep going that way.
When I release videos for my Facebook page, they tend to be either requests, or songs that have really touched my heart. The one I think that best describes me at the moment is ‘Rise Up’ by Andra Day. We can all agree that 2020 has been incredibly difficult for everyone, and for the Arts in particular. But we won’t be beaten! We’ll keep doing what we love and no matter how many times we get knocked down, together we’ll always get back up.