Interviews

Name: Liv Monaghan
TCD Qualification: B.A. (2009)
Title: Stylist & Singer

About: I am a stylist and singer. I've worked in film, theatre, fashion and art as a stylist and costume designer and I'm also a singer/songwriter working mostly in the jazz scene here in France. I have self produced two albums, Beauty in the Park and just recently, Slow Exhale.

What is your strongest memory from your Trinity days? 
There are many but the Samuel Beckett Theatre's costume room holds a special place. The wonderful Costume coordinator and lecturer there, Sinéad Cuthbert made the difference at my time in Trinity by opening my eyes to the world of clothing via theatre costume.

What would be a good theme song for your life?
That's a tough question! It seems I should pick my own song, Horses, but that is a little too melancholic to be a smart pick for a life theme song. We’ll go with Between the Bars by Elliot Smith.

What gets you up in the morning?
Strong coffee, the endless inspiration from the beauties who walk the Parisian streets and some Duke Ellington.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
I'm going to pick four, because I live in a Parisian proportioned apartment; Josephine Baker, Oscar Wilde, Joni Mitchell and Eileen Gray.

How do you stay connected with Trinity as a graduate?
I am still connected to the Drama department. They are so supportive of their graduates work. That means a great deal. And of course some of my dearest friends are people I met while I was in Trinity, and that in itself is a very strong binding link.

Below is a press release from Liv's latest album Slow Exhale:
Slow Exhale, launched on 14 December 2018, has eight original songs recorded in quartet made up of a double bass player, guitarist, trumpeter and a drummer. 
 
The eight-track album recorded in Aeronef studios in Paris takes listeners through a meditative and reflective journey. Mixed and mastered in Munich, it features collaborative album artwork by designer Thibault Martin, and photographer Aldona Gritzmann.
 
While Slow Exhale can be described as Jazz through its arrangement and approach, it also brings together elements of Folk, Soul and World music in a way that greatly enhances the expressive nature of the music.

About Liv Monaghan:

Born in Ireland, Liv Monaghan has been very active on the jazz scene in Paris for many years, performing at all the main jazz clubs.  She has been greatly inspired by Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Jeff Buckley and Duke Ellington. That can be seen, felt and heard in her sincere and refined songwriting.
 
In 2014, she created Bird&Bass, an alternative jazz group in Paris, which performs original songs written by Liv Monaghan and her long-time musical collaborator Sava Medan, a virtuous double bass player.  With Bird&Bass, she recorded and released her first album, Beauty in the Park, a minimalist somewhat experimental project, with little or no harmonic support. 
 
This minimalist and poetic universe serves as the backdrop to Slow Exhale, which reveals organic, vintage sounds, with elements of jazz, world music as well as reminders of the Irish folk-song traditions.
 
As an author and composer, she continues her narrative technique by using insights of her own lived and imagined experiences to create impressions that invite the listener into their own thoughts and reflections.