Today we’d like to introduce you to Liyah Iman.
Liyah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Liyah Iman. I am a singer – songwriter. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas as Aaliyah. Throughout my life, music has always been a way to connect to people and myself. My family has a deep love and connection with music, that has always kept it in the forefront on my life. My grandmother being a professional pianist exposed me to being the creator of beautiful sounds at an early age. My “Grammy” taught me how to play piano when I was just four years old. From there, my love and need for music grew larger every day. I would spend hours making random melodies and practicing reading piano music with both hands. Every summer I looked forward to the opportunity to travel down to Arkansas so that I could enjoy my Grandmother’s grand piano. I also enjoyed the trip’s to Arkansas. My mother and I would sing gospel and soul music for the entire eight hour ride. The car is honestly the first place I learned so many things about my voice. I would try to sing the highest notes I could reach. I would harmonize with the magnificent choir recording trying to blend my voice with theirs. I even tried to sing along with the vocal runs of some amazing vocalist. When I got to junior high, I told my mom I wanted to be in band. I really wanted to play percussion, because I watched the movie ‘Drumline’ way too many times; but as family legacy would have it, I picked up the flute just as my mom had when she was in school. I was so eager to get past the basic fundamentals of music because I had already been reading music for so long.
During junior high, I developed my skills as a flute player; but in the back of my mind I always wished I was in choir. When I got to high school, I found my opportunity to take on that second elective. This choice truly changed the course of my life. I thought I was destined to be an instrumentalist, until the day I found my operatic voice. I never knew that my voice had so much power. I honestly had only heard operatic singing once in my life. Throughout high school, my daily life was full of music. Between marching band practice after school, training for singing competitions, performing, choir practice, football games, practicing piano, and eventually teaching myself how to play guitar; I began my journey to doing what I love every day of my life. I am forever grateful for my experiences in high school, because it really nurtured the artist I am today and increased my musical dexterity. Once I graduated high school, I was left to embark on my own music journey. I went to community college to get my basic course hours. I trained vocally for those two years, and would go on to audition for the Moores’ School of Music at the University of Houston.
Upon my acceptance, I moved on campus, and went on to get some of the best vocal training I have had in my life. I thrived at Moores’ School of Music, improving my vocal skills drastically. My private teacher, Dr. Timothy Jones, really helped me to find confidence in my voice. Teaching me how to make my sound radiant and smooth, I truly thought I would never need to go anywhere else. Unfortunately, I had to leave the University of Houston due to a mental breakdown. I was so overwhelmed, working full time and going to school full time, that I started to lose myself. I had to take a step back and assess what I really wanted from life. I tried to go to HCC for music production. I picked up some needed skills, but didn’t stay long. I found myself lost with no direction in life. Interestingly enough this is when I wrote my first song. From there my love for songwriting sky rocketed. I would write a song every day with my guitar or over an instrumental. With this new found spark, I began to pursue being a singer – songwriter.
I would go to open mics, terrified by stage fright. The only thing that would calm me down is reassurance from my friends or closing my eyes. I would post myself singing on social media, even though I was terrified of what others would think and say. It’s been five years since I started that journey. With that amount of time I have learned to get over my stage fright, increased my vocal skill, and continue to find more reasons why I’m glad I was thrown off course to start a new journey. Through Hurricane Harvey, through an attempted suicide, through a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, through COVID-19, through anything at all; music has always been my saving grace. I never wanted to be a star, I just wanted to share my heart and experiences with others and be able to make a difference in the world. Honestly, just having the opportunity to feel heard has really changed the trajectory of my life. I have found that through my creations I have met and touched some amazing people, and hope to continue to do the same as the years roll on.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road, but there are paved parts too. There are times where I have felt so alienated from my family because of their harsh words towards me, but through that pain I found a morality within myself to never inflict pain on others. My father was very infrequent in my experience, but through this I learned to love myself despite how others treat me. I never fit in at school, but it taught me to find the right people to fit in with that made me feel ok with being myself. Hurricane Harvey started to flood my house as I was having a birthday celebration with my family, but that taught me to be prepared for anything. I attempted to take my own life, but from that I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and that has helped me to discover and heal many parts of myself that I didn’t know were broken. I can honestly say through every obstacle in my life I have been able to find a silver lining and know that trouble truly does not last always.
Please tell us about your work.
I am a songwriter and a performer, but I am also a teacher. I have been teaching kids and adults to play piano, guitar, and flute for two years now. I really love teaching, because it’s such a joy to help someone learn a new skill! I also really love writing songs! I have worked with some great local artist. I feel like songwriting is my specialty, because it’s something I do really well. I am so proud of my company because I have done everything myself. All the shows I’ve performed in locally in Houston, as well as an event in New York, every client that I teach, every photoshoot; everything has been from my own hard work. I am so proud of myself for simply just sticking to it, even when it’s not easy. What sets me apart from others is my unique approach and my resilience. I like to do everything with an individual approach, meaning that no one situation is handled completely the same. When I teach my students, I teach based on their learning style and their pace. I take this same approach when I write music. Every song I try to write with the instrumental or from the emotions the music invokes, rather than from what many artists would call a “sound”. I never want to be put in a box or have a label put on my sound. I have a wide range of different genres I can write for with ease.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like that Houston is so diverse. You can find almost anyone under the sun out here. It’s been great to experience different cultures, as well as the all inclusive atmosphere. There is so much realness to Houston. Not perfect or terrible, but a good place to see how we all shape each other through connections, conversations, culture, and creativity. The city is so full of art and scenery for all. You can find fun in the city parts and in the rural parts. What I like least about this city is the support for the underdog. It seems like sometimes people have to reach success on their own and then the city supports them. I find myself wondering why we don’t show more love to the underground and the local. I feel like as more awareness has spread for local support, the city has started to move in that direction of local support, but the journey has just begun.
Pricing:
- $30 for 30 minute lesson.
- $60 for 1 hr lesson
- $300 for songwriting (does not include exclusive rights)
- $80 an hour for performances
- $70 an hour for features
Contact Info:
- Phone: 8327278667
- Email: liyahimaninc@gmail.com
- Instagram: Liyahimaninc
- Twitter: Liyahiman_
- Other: Liyahiman
Image Credit:
Tay Sandle
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