Liza Owen is asking the same question we all are during quarantine in her debut single — why aren’t we having sex?
After amassing cuts for some of the world’s biggest stars as a songwriter, the British-Cambodian singer and songwriter officially stepped into the spotlight earlier this month with the release of “Why Aren’t We Having Sex?,” available now on all streaming platforms.
A dirty bass groove and slick beat give way to a hook highlighted by the most pervasive quarantine question of all, Owen’s sultry voice takes flight as she delivers an empowered and engaging anthem that’s as flirty and fun as it is fiery.
“I don’t know if this would have been my first release if quarantine didn’t happen,” Owen tells Celeb Secrets. “It was a few weeks into lockdown when I started reading all these articles about all these brand new couples being quarantined together, predicted baby booms and talking to my single friends about their dating lives or lack of! I felt like the there was now a deeper meaning and a new story to be told with a song that on the surface is so simple and fun.”
Meanwhile, the music video emanates the same amount of heat. Liza transfixes in a wedding dress and white cowboy hat as the visual intercuts various couples asking and acting on the title’s question. It also features cameos from PRETTYMUCH’s Edwin Horonet and fellow songwriting powerhouse Ali Tamposi.
“It ain’t easy making a music video in the middle of a global pandemic!” Owen laughs. “All the footage of the cast you see was created by them at home with direction over the phone which was a fun challenge.”
“When it came to my scenes, I had such a restricted team at the shoot, and we all had to wear so many hats, so it truly was a labour of love for everyone involved.”
Kown for spinning pop upside down and all around with unfiltered lyrics, undeniable melodies, and unapologetic spirit, Celeb Secrets (virtually) sits down with Liza to talk about her musical beginnings, cutting songs for artists like Selena Gomez and BTS, and what’s to come from her upcoming music.
Keep scrolling to read our full Q&A with Liza below and make sure to let us know what you think of “Why Aren’t We Having Sex?” by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
Connect with Liza by following her on Instagram at @lizaowen.
Celeb Secrets: Can you tells us what ultimately sparked an interest in music for you?
Liza Owen: “I remember growing up and having these icons to look up to, whose words made me feel so good and whose songs were the sound track to my life. They looked so fearless and powerful. I would dream about one day being able to be that for somebody else. I started writing songs when I got my first piano around 10 or 11 and I remember thinking it was the coolest thing in the world that you could sit there singing something that didn’t exist a few hours ago.”
CS: You credit Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Alanis Morissette and even Oasis and Nirvana as musical inspirations. If you could describe your music sonically, how would you?
LO: “I grew up with my mum playing Whitney and Aretha, my brother loving bands like Oasis, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana; and I loved everything from Alanis Morissette to Christina Aguilera and Pink. So it’s safe to say I grew up in a very eclectic household. I guess somewhere in all that you find me. The things that stuck with me the most from all of that is the love of live instruments. You’ll find live drums and guitars all over my new music. I love that raw and human touch it gives. My new songs are also fearless and driven by personal stories like so many of the iconic women I looked up to.”
CS: You’ve opened up about how your mother built a little Cambodia in your home for you and your brother growing up. Have you found yourself using any of your Cambodian roots to influence your musical direction?
LO: “My mum would always play khmer rock and roll from the 60s, so maybe on some subconscious level its an energy that has seeped into my music on a few songs but it’s not something I’ve done knowingly. You should check it out, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard.”
CS: When you headed to LA, songwriter Ali Tamposi was your mentor. Can you talk to us about the mentorship and what you’ve learned from spending time with Ali?
LO: “My sister! She’s one of the most incredible humans I’ve ever met. She’s taught me so much about story telling. I’ve never seen anybody craft a song and paint a picture with lyrics quite like her. She just knows when it’s right and when it’s not. I feel like I’ve become a better song writer from working together and learning from her.”
CS: Before pursuing an artist project, you were writing songs for other artists like Selena Gomez and BTS. What made you want to make the transition from songwriter to artist and did you face any challenges while making the transition?
LO: “I actually started out in music always as an artist first, only ever writing songs for myself. The songwriting thing kind of just happened. It never even crossed my mind to become a ‘song writer’ as a profession and to write for other people. It’s an amazing thing to help other artists tell their stories and to be able to create types of music that I never would have made if I had been writing for myself, but the transition to focusing on my own music came very naturally when I wrote a few songs that will be on my first EP. They are very personal stories and I just had this instinctive gut feeling that I needed to be the one singing them.”
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CS: You have your debut single out right now with Epic Records called “Why Aren’t We Having Sex?.” Can you share with us why you chose this to be your first song and the creative process behind it?
LO: “It was one of those songs that wrote itself in like an hour. All the live instruments and group vocals were also created within the same evening, so the final song you hear is exactly as we left it the night it was made which is quite rare. It was the first night in this ridiculous 70s James Bond-feeling villa that I had rented to make some music with friends. I love to make sure the vibe is right so I had brought this neon light from home that I had made for a party and it said, ‘Why Aren’t We Having Sex?.’ We set up the studio in the living room, poured tequila and and at some point someone looked over at the sign and said that’s the title of the first song. The rest is history. I don’t know if this would have been my first release if quarantine didn’t happen. It was a few weeks into lockdown when I started reading all these articles about all these brand new couples being quarantined together, predicted baby booms and talking to my single friends about their dating lives or lack of! That’s how I got the inspiration for the music video… I felt like the there was now a deeper meaning and a new story to be told with a song that on the surface is so simple and fun.”
CS: You also released a music video for the song — what have been some of your favorite memories from filming?
LO: “God. It ain’t easy making a music video in the middle of a global pandemic! All the footage of the cast you see was created by them at home with direction over the phone which was a fun challenge. When it came to my scenes, I had such a restricted team at the shoot, and we all had to wear so many hats, so it truly was a labour of love for everyone involved. Me and Kai Cranmore who directed the video with me spent hours building the 10ft bed you see and digging holes to bury hundreds of flowers for one of the sets. That was so gratifying once it was done.”
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CS: What can we expect from you both lyrically and sonically with your upcoming music?
LO: “Honesty and drama. There’s a lot of live and raw elements with some pretty epic and anthemic moments.”
CS: Since we are Celeb Secrets, can you share a secret about your songwriting process that fans wouldn’t know when listening to your music?
LO: “Some of the songs that will be in my EP are not about they seem to be about. If you piss me off, you’ll probably end up in a song.”
