Fresh off the back of his acclaimed single ‘No Hill I’d Rather Die On’, London-based singer-songwriter Liam Higgins returns with ‘Distance’, a haunting and emotionally intricate exploration of memory, separation, and the quiet weight of the unsaid. Wrapped in cinematic textures and poetic clarity, the track showcases Higgins’ ability to build entire worlds from a whisper, a chord, or a passing thought.
So we caught up with Liam to unpack the stories behind ‘Distance’, how memory shapes his songwriting, and what it means to give space to silence in a world that rarely slows down.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
I picked up my Dad’s old nylon string when I was around ten but I’d been writing stories and poems from a very early age. I had a very active imagination; songs quickly became a way to explore my outside and internal world. It was also just a lot of fun – I joined a band with my brother and some of his friends in primary school and we played in a talent show. I remember feeling like a superstar in that tiny assembly hall.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
I grew up on Cat Stevens and John Denver; more recently I’ve been influenced and inspired by artists like Noah Kahan and Dermot Kennedy. I think the common thread I took is natural world imagery, bright acoustic instrumentation and lyrics tinged with a sense of nostalgia and introspection.
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
I think releasing my first song was a tipping point. The entire process of creating something from nothing and then seeing it resonate. It wasn’t a massive hit, but the fact that people I’d never met connected to it made me think, if one listener feels this, imagine what could happen if I give it everything.
I was also inspired by friends around me pursuing their passions in different forms and I’m lucky to come from a supportive family whose belief and encouragement has never faltered.
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
Sometimes I’ll have a concept and start with words but more often, it’s a chord progression or a melodic idea on the guitar. From there, I’ll start humming nonsense into my voice notes until I land on a vocal melody and mood which directs the emotional intention and lyrics. Sometimes the process is fast but I’m a heavy reviser, particularly with lyrics. Recently I’ve been doing much more freewriting – I’ll set a timer for 20 minutes and write a stream of consciousness style paragraphs with no revising, editing or stopping and then pick through it for ideas later in the process.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
It’s different every time – sometimes it’ll be a few words that someone says in a conversation that strike me. Other times it’s an object or a picture or a movie. All these usually point to some wider emotional state or idea which I then dive into and explore. I keep a collection of these sparks in my notes app.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
For this upcoming EP, I think comfort in the idea of change, self-realisation and reinvention. Acceptance to love the past versions of yourself as well as who you may become.
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
I find condensing the message of my songs into modern mediums of TikTok and Instagram reels difficult. For example, a lot of the choruses I write rely on the context of the verses, so making a ‘hook’ is difficult. It feels like there isn’t space on the screen to write something like “POV: you grew up on a hill in Australia, you returned to it after a year away chasing music in a new city, and the processes grounded you and motivated you to return”. I also find meeting the demand for quantity difficult while retaining quality. It’s a format I am keen to explore further though, as it’s a main avenue for reaching new audiences.
Beyond social media, there’s the classic emerging-artist juggling act – writing, recording, booking, and marketing. It can be overwhelming but rewarding.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
Making this most recent EP with a very talented group of collaborators and friends in Vienna at Zonkey Studios was incredible. Everything moved so fast, everyone was so passionate about making the best sounding record we could. It was a week full of colour and life and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. It felt like discovering my sound.
How do you stay true to yourself and your artistry in a constantly evolving industry?
I think it’s striking a balance between doing what is honest and feels most like me while also acknowledging and catering to the industry I exist in. I believe both can happen simultaneously in most cases. Maybe one thing (be it a post, song, editing style) can lean more commercial, and the next can lean more artistic. As long as the needle ends up in the middle on average.
What can fans expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or tours?
I am recording three new songs at the end of next month which I am super excited about, as well as playing a show on September 24th at the Libra Theatre Café with my friend and co-writer Katherine Nora.
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next five years?
Boarding red-eye flights, playing shows around the world to people who I don’t share a language with. Writing in borrowed studios with producers I haven’t met yet and letting those collaborations colour my sound in ways I can’t predict. My biggest metric of success is connection: if people halfway around the world feel understood because of something I wrote, I’m on track. Music’s reach is limitless; I plan to follow it wherever it leads.
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Listen to Liam Higgins’ new single ‘Distance’ below.
